The matzah of purity and truth
Passover Shabbat 2021
II Samuel 22:1-51 and Exodus 13:17-15:26
Since today we are still in the holiday of Pesach there is no regular Torah portion. Instead, we have several readings from the prophets and the book of Exodus. I would like to begin with two verses from II Samuel. In chapter 22:2-3 we read the words of King David, “The L-rd is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. G-d my rock whom I trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high place, and my refuge, the One who saves me. You save me from violence.” In Psalm 18 we see these words almost completely duplicated.
Remember, the history of David and Israel is not simply a tale of power and conflict but is more about the working out of G-d’s sovereignty. It is important for us to look at some of the key words that will help us grasp what David is saying about the Father and how it speaks to us today.
In II Samuel 22:47 we read these words, “Blessed be my Rock and exalted is the G-d of the rock of my salvation.” What is David saying in this verse? Remember David’s life as you consider your answer. His life had not been an easy one. Much of his sorrow was self-inflicted like happens to each of us sometimes. However, when we read this verse in Hebrew we see noun’s like rock and salvation are written in a form of first person possessive pronoun. So when we read in English, my rock, my fortress, we see David intentionally pointing out his personal dependence on G-d. It is not just something he heard about. It was his experience with the Father that had taken him through the hard times of life. As David reviewed his life he saw G-d as all these things for him. The L-rd had been there for David at every turn and never let him down.
As we read through the Psalms we see this pictured over and over, such as Psalms 62:3, 7, 71:3, 89:27 and 95:1. These verses all point out King David’s personal relationship with the Father. For us in our world today can we look at these personal words of David and apply them to our own life? Of course we can.
Many times we go through experiences like David did. We might face hostility because of our faith. We might even face humiliation or discrimination. How do we process things like this? When we read Shaul’s words in II Timothy 3:16-17 we read where he emphasizes that, “All scripture is inspired by G-d and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction for training in righteousness.” What scripture was he speaking of? He was speaking of the Hebrew bible since that was all there was at the time. In Romans 15:4 Shaul tells us not to overlook these verses. We use all the Bible to teach us and give us strength.
We also do what King David did. We pray. We can use these words of David that we have looked at today. G-d is truly our rock. He is our salvation. His character never changes. We move when the pillar of cloud moves. We move when the pillar of fire moves. We stop when they stop. The Messianic scriptures are filled with verses that can help us in our struggles, reminding us of the words of David such as I Peter 5:6-7, Matthew 16:18. The days may sometimes be difficult and the night dark but G-d is still on His throne. He still loves us personally.
I would like to end with a quote concerning Passover from a friend and Bible teacher, Joe Shulam. “Passover is a holiday that is commanded by the apostle Shaul for the church in Corinth, a church that was comprised of Jews and non-Jews who had given their life to the L-rd and had been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Here is the text (I am not telling you what to do or not to do. I am just pointing out to you that the following words are the words of the apostle Shaul recorded for us in I Corinthians 5:7,8)
“Get rid of the old hametz (leaven) so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach (Passover) lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed. So let us celebrate the Seder not with leftover hametz, the hametz of wickedness and evil, but with the matzah of purity and truth.” Complete Jewish Bible
Bless each of you these last days of Pesach, renew your strength and having done all stand. Eph. 6:13