Ha'azinu (Hear)
Deuteronomy 32:1-52
Isaiah 55:6-56:8, 2 Samuel 22:1-51
2 Kings 22-23
Yom Kippur and the Song of Moses
It has been a long sermon for Pastor Moses. So far, thirty one chapters
of a message that in the end would be called the Book of Deuteronomy have
come forth during this sermon. He has given the people a summation of
the Torah and repeatedly told them the choice they have – follow
it or not – and the blessings and curses that will result from their
choice.
But how should a message like this end? How about with a song? It would
not be just any song though, but rather a song Moses would compose, right
there on the spot. But what would the song do? It would once again tell
them the choice they have regarding following Torah, and the blessings
and curses which would come from their decisions!
In this Song of Moses, a song which is sung by those in the Book of Revelation,
the summation is not of the Torah, but rather of the fall and redemption
of mankind. We see the love of a Dad to his children and the judgment
of a Father when they get out of line. We see the protection and nurturing
of one hand and the deserved judgment from the other hand. It is a song
of the highs of obedience and the lows of correction. It is a song which
brings the assurance of victory in the end and confidence of eternal reward
for those who remain faithful. No wonder it is a song sung during the
time of Revelation!
After the last note of the song is sung though, reality sinks in. Moses
is reminded of the walk he must soon take. It is a walk he will make alone,
the last walk that he will ever take in this lifetime.
I cannot imagine the emotions Moses must have felt during this time. He
had failed to "demonstrate My holiness" to the people. Striking
the rock had, and would, cost him dearly.
With this very sobering image in our minds, let's consider a question
for ourselves. How are we doing at "demonstrating His holiness"
to the world around us? How are we doing in this task with our spouse,
our family, our co-workers or just any person we come in contact with
on a daily basis? After the closing song is sung, what image of The Father
is being seen in our lives on a daily basis?
At this point I could continue about what it means to demonstrate His
holiness, or how Moses was apparently judged more harshly because of his
failure, or any number of other avenues available, but I won’t.
I simply end this rather brief but direct Torah commentary with a short
and direct question for each of us to answer, privately to ourselves and
to God, “How am I doing at ‘demonstrating His holiness?’”
In the coming week we will observe the day of Yom Kippur. How appropriate
it is to read and take to heart the Song of Moses during this week. Yom
Kippur is a day set apart from all the year. It is a day to take a very
serious look at our relationship with Father and our relationships on
this earth. It is a time to make things right before we enter the joy
of Tabernacles. Yom Kippur is a day to deny flesh the basic needs of food
and water in order that we may concentrate not on temporal matters, but
rather on what is truly important in life, the things money cannot buy.
It is customary in Jewish life to wish each other an easy fast on Yom
Kippur. I believe this to be a disservice to the meaning of the day. Rather
than praying for an easy fast for you and me, I would pray for a fast
and for a day which will bring much fruit to His Kingdom in the days ahead.
May it be a day for each of us to allow His Kingdom to be established
more firmly in our lives.
|