“O lovers of HaShem, despise evil! He guards the lives of His devout ones, from the might of the wicked He rescues them.” Psalms 97:10
The world is in turmoil! Fires are raging across entire states, simultaneous hurricanes striking, mass flooding, a pandemic, widespread civil unrest, national division, pretty much everything we have seen in Hollywood movies and television shows, which are now a reality! Very difficult times we currently live in!
As I put this Op together we are just a few hours away from the beginning of Rosh HaShanah i.e. the Day of Judgment when the Books are opened before HaShem and all humanity comes before Him to be judged and our fate determined for another year! It is a somber time to know we are being examined by HaShem, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Elohim of Israel, Sovereign of the Universe, Master of the Legions of Heaven! I have previously discussed Rosh HaShanah in the previous Op so I won’t do so here (Here is the link if anyone is interested: https://torahandtempleinvestigations.com/2020/08/29/tribulation-begets-salvation-part-2/)
Walking in the Ways of HaShem i.e. His Torah is NOT easy! It is full of pressures, troubles, attacks on all levels and is just plain difficult to say the least! The world despises HaShem and certainly despises His Torah and as such a follower of HaShem i.e. Israel, is NOT popular nor well received! I know, an understatement!
HaShem makes several references to how He knows very well how tough this walk with Him will be for each of us! To use the analogy of an escalator going down, the world is all going down and we, followers of HaShem and His Torah, must walk up that escalator against the flow of the world. This is what we will be discussing in this Op along with how HaShem reacts to a world gone mad with sin and rebellion i.e. the Day of Judgment!
But before we can jump into this, always remember the following characteristics of HaShem and His Torah:
- HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
- His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
- He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
- He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
- He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
- He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
- He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
- He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
- He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
- He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
- He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
- He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
- He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
- He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
- He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
- He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
- He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
- He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
- He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
- He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
- He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
- He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
- He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
- He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
- He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
- He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
- He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
A theme has emerged from our Torah portion studies which caused me to examine on a deeper level i.e. the command by HaShem for us “To be strong and courageous…“ per Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:6-7, which says “BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, do not be afraid and do not be broken before them, for HaShem, your Elohim, IT IS HE WHO GOES BEFORE YOU, He will NOT release you nor will He forsake you. Moshe summoned Yehoshua (Joshua) and said to him before the eyes of all Israel, ‘BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, for you shall come with this people to the Land that HaShem swore to their forefathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.'”
In light of Rosh HaShanah, the following verses sum it up well what each of us faces today in this utterly wicked world: “That is why He says, ‘Wake up, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Messiah shall shine on you.’ See that you walk exactly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are wicked“ quoting Ephesians 5:14-16. These verses are directly connected to Rosh HaShanah as they not only reference waking up i.e. resurrection from the dead, but to walk exactly i.e. walk in the Torah of HaShem and be wise not reject the Torah of HaShem and walk as the unwise going on our own way which leads to our own destruction. May it be so VERY, VERY soon in our days simply for the sake of the innocent who are being destroyed, exploited, trafficked and every other terrible thing happening to them by the wicked! I digress.
It takes courage to walk with HaShem! Especially in the world we live in today! In my delving deeper into this theme of Rosh HaShanah and being strong and courageous, it has led to me to explore some very interesting and surprising topics and I will explain. Before we go into this, remember, whatever is in the Apostolic Writings, MUST be found in the Tanakh (Old Testament) otherwise we have a major problem because there is nothing new under the sun nor anything new in the Apostolic Writings, its all one long, consistent narrative from Genesis through Revelation!
This all said, consider the following: “For the rest, my brothers, BE STRONG IN THE MASTER AND IN THE MIGHTINESS OF HIS STRENGTH. Put on the complete armor of Elohim, for you have power to stand against the schemes of the Adversary. Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenlies. Because of this, take up the complete armor of Elohim, so that you have power to withstand in the wicked day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, then, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one. Take also the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Ruach, which is the Word of HaShem.” Ephesians 6:10-17
I wanted to examine each component of the Armor of Elohim as listed here in Ephesians 6 as, in my opinion, they connect with the command by HaShem for each of us to be strong and courageous as we strive to walk out His Torah in this utterly depraved and wicked world. In the process of examining this information, it led me to Isaiah 59:17 which says “He (HaShem) donned righteousness like armor and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He donned garments of vengeance as His attire and clothed Himself in zealousness like a cloke.” These are the same elements of the armor described in Ephesians 6!
Now what really astounded me was in the commentary on Isaiah 59:17 where it says “He donned righteousness like armor…and clothed Himself in zealousness like a coat. This is the source for the line recited before the Kedushah of the ROSH HASHANAH MORNING SERVICE i.e. His raiment of righteousness, His cloak is zealousness. The various forms of armor mentioned in the verse represent HaShem’s righteous salvation of Israel and zealous revenge against their enemies. Each of these pieces of armor signify some form of Divine manifestation at the time of the Final Redemption, but we will not know precisely what they are until that time comes, speedily in our days!”
WOW…so the armor HaShem puts on is directly connected to the Day of Judgment i.e. Rosh HaShannah when He judges the enemies of Israel i.e. the World! Baruch HaShem! May it be so very soon in our days!
This is supported in Isaiah 26:19-21 among many, many other verses, which says “May Your dead come to life, may my corpse arise (Resurrection). Awake and shout for joy, you who dwell in the dust! For Your dew is like the dew that revives the vegetation. May You topple the lifeless wicked to the ground! Go, My people, enter your chambers and close your door behind you (Seven years in the Heavenly Temple for the Wedding of the Messiah and the Coronation of the King); hide for a brief moment until the wrath has passed. For behold, HASHEM IS GOING FORTH FROM HIS PLACE, to bring punishment for the sin of the inhabitant of the land upon him; and the land will reveal its blood, and no longer cover over its slain.” This event happens on a Rosh HaShanah i.e. the Day of Judgment!
Consider what some of the Shacharit (Morning Service) of the Rosh HaShanah prayers says. These are found in the Rosh HaShanah Machzor which contain the entire Rosh HaShanah prayer service. There is a machzorim for each Feast of HaShem. The intent for me to post some of these is to see the theme emerging i.e. The King being acknowledged i.e. Coronation of the King as well as HaShem going forth to stomp the living guts out of our enemies! These prayers are ALL derived from Scripture for those who would challenge the validity and authenticity of the Machzor.
The following are from the prayers from the First Day of Rosh HaShanah. I will put the Scriptural references where they are derived from in parenthesis:
Day One: “O King Who is girded with strength, great is Your Name in strength (Ps 65:7, Jer 10:6); Yours is the arm with strength. O King, Who garments of vengeance will don on the Day of Vengeance (Ps 89:14, Is 59:17); to His enemies He will repay to their bosom. O King Who grandeur dons, Who the seas dries up and the arrogance of the mighty suppresses (Deut 32:43, Ps 79:12, Ps 93:1). O King Who with ten garments has girded Himself for the sake of the holy ones of Israel. O Elohim Who is revered in the assemblage of holy ones O Holy One! O King Who dwells amid light, Who dons as if it were a garment of light our judgment may He bring forth like a light (Ps 89:8, Dan 2:22, Ps 104:2). O King, Who girded Himself with strength to give the Torah His right hand will be strengthened in vengeance, and let man feel strong enough to resist. O King Who dons righteousness and is sanctified with righteousness Yours, Elohim, is the righteousness (Ps 93:1, 89:14, 9:20, Is 59:17, 5:16, Dan 9:7). O King this One Who is majestic in His garment, with a helmet of salvation on His head O Elohim Who sits on His throne of holiness. O King bloodied garments when He tramples the traitors, He will cut down the arrogance of the nobles (Is 63:1, 59:17, Ps 47:9, 76:13).
O King Whose cloak is like snow at its whitest, He is pure and with pureness will whiten those who purify their deeds so as to triumph in judgment. O King Who is garbed in vengeance; He acts with great zeal and is greatly exalted; like a man of war He arouses His vengeance (Is 59:17, I Kgs 19:10, Ex 15:1, Is 42:13). O King from all the ends of the world they will bow down to the One Who is King over all the world, for He is coming to judge the world. O King on the day when He will arise to judge, every creature before Him will tremble; exalted and uplifted, He dwells forever (Ps 22:28, Zech 14:9, I Chr 16:33, Zeph 3:8, Is 57:15). O King Who rules the universe with His strength quake do mountains at His majesty and like rams skip at His rebuke. O King Who is awesome to the kings of the world, tremble intensely does the world; (Ps 66:7, 46:4, 114:4, 76:13, Ezek 30:16, Ps 97:4) before Him Who is enthroned upon the Cherubim quake does the world. O King to bear His fearfulness who can gather strength? But He sustains everything with strength; He Who gives to the weary strength (Ps 99:1, II Chron 2:5, Is 40:29).
O King when He persists in judgment on the Day of Judgment, He is judging the arrogant with harsh justice. O King Who penetrates the secret of those who devise deviously to conceal their schemes in the depths; He bares and reveals the hidden deviousness (Is 3:13, 29:15, Job 12:22). O King command from every direction that the powerful ones of arrogant spirit be surrounded by the torrent of the winds of Your anger (Prov 27:4). O King gather the kings of the earth. When He remembers the prophecy of Edom, He will also deal with the host of Edom’s messengers above (Is 21:11, 24:21). O King Who is exalted and lofty in judgment, Mighty is the King Who loves justice the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. O King Who judges in righteousness, before Him goes righteousness to advocate on behalf of those who pursue righteousness (Prov 99:4, 97:2, Ps 7:12, 85:14, Is 51:1).
O King Who is almighty in dominion, His throne is suspended on high; and His kingdom over all does reign. O King Who subjugated the world through His gaze; He makes tremble the very foundation with His gaze; over everything scans His gaze (Ps 103:19, 104:32). O King Who investigates every deed, everything that is done in the worlds below and above. O King, the Elohim Who is eternal, proclaim Him King, O nation of eternity; HaShem shall reign forever; the Holy One! (Is 40:28, 44:7, Ex 15:18).”
WOW…this should really open up our eyes to what Rosh HaShanah is truly ALL about…HaShem IS the King and as King all of His creation is acknowledging Him and declaring Him King as well as Him going forth to bring judgment to the wicked. This is why it will be on a Rosh HaShanah Messiah Yeshua (Not Replacement Theology Jesus) will be crowned King and the Wedding will take place while the seven years of the Birth Pangs are going on in the world! This is also why the resurrection of the righteous and the living righteous MUST be gathered up on Rosh HaShanah so we can attend the Coronation of the King and the Wedding!
So what is the point for all of this thus far? HaShem commands we are to be strong and courageous, don the armor of HaShem, walk in His Ways i.e. His Torah, submit ourselves to Him as our King all done out of love, devotion and loyalty unto Him. Sadly, we cannot do this perfectly right now, but we rely upon His mercy and compassion when we do fall. Baruch HaShem!
Now more than ever in the midst of all the utter wickedness, rebellion and debauchery our society is being consumed with, we need to draw ever closer to HaShem! Only He is our Source of Protection, Sanity, Provision, Shield, High-tower and Redemption! May His Great Name be honored and esteemed!
With the Books that are now open and the next TEN DAYS, known as the ‘Yamim Nora’im’ or The Days of Awe, as we head towards Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) when HaShem’s judgments are sealed, we trust HaShem that our salvation and hope of the Final Redemption is secure because of Messiah Yeshua. May it be so VERY soon in our days! Baruch HaShem!
Something to consider!
Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom!
SOURCE MATERIALS:
- The Schottenstein Edition Machzor for Rosh HaShanah by Artscroll
- The Scriptures by the Institute for Scripture Research
- The Milstein Edition Devarim Chumash with the Teachings of the Talmud by Artscroll