Daily Prophets
Day 67
“For You have been a refuge for the poor, a shelter for the needy in distress… In the day they shall say: This is our God; we waited for God and God delivered us. This is God whom we waited for; let us rejoice and exult in God’s deliverance.”(Isaiah 25:4,9)
Isaiah is reminding us of God’s care and concern for humanity in this first verse above. In this verse Isaiah is reminding us that there is no hierarchy in God’s World. No one is more important or less important as our Sages teach us in tractate Sanhedrin 37a. This verse reminds us that God is always caring for, has compassion and mercy for, and is the redeemer for the poor and the needy, the downtrodden and the oppressed.
After the prophet tells of God’s interference in the injustice of the rulers/tyrants he goes on to remind us about “In the day”. While the phrase points to a day in the future, it is not the far off future of the Messiah coming, to me. “In the day” is the day of our choosing. We can choose to send the tyrants packing, we can choose to banish the obstructionists from our midst, we can choose to cure the cancer of prejudice, we can choose to do these and more “In this day” also.
We do this by remembering, saying and living the principles of “our God”. We can make “in the day” today by rejoicing and exulting in God’s deliverance. We have to be aware of the deliverance, however. Gratitude for being alive is the beginning of this realization. Gratitude for what we have and what we don’t have, being able to rejoice in our portion in life, reaching out and helping the poor and needy, etc. are paths to this awareness. “In the day” we appreciate, acknowledge and rejoice in the knowledge that without God, none of this happens, makes “in the day” today.
Rabbi Heschel speaks about verse 4 above as signifying: “The grandeur and majesty of God do not come to expression in the display ultimate sovereignty and power, but rather in rendering righteousness and mercy. Isaiah speaks about God, and his true intention is to say that the Lord…finds His true exaltation in justice.”(The Prophets pg.214). What is important to God? As I read Rabbi Heschel’s words:justice, mercy and righteousness. This is the theme of the Prophets and is said in a myriad of ways and yet, we still don’t heed. Rabbi Heschel also says, referring to verse 9 above: “God’s anger must not obscure His redeeming love.”(ibid pg 194). We have to continue to remember this wisdom and act in ways that are loving in return and that honor God’s love for us.
Our political system needs to begin each day with a passage from the Prophets! Maybe then they would hear God’s call for the poor and the needy. Do these supposed ‘god-fearing men and women’ really believe that God will not be a “refuge for the poor and a shelter for the needy”? Do they believe that they can continue to worship at the altars of false gods and not be held accountable? Do they not understand that God will deliver us and God will save us from these disastrous times they have foisted upon us? We are not stooping to the level of hatred, prejudice and bigotry that they live at. No We, the People, are honoring the deliverance, mercy, righteousness and goodness that God has shown us and we are making “in the day” today!
In recovery, we rejoice in our growth and our gratitude to God for everything we have. We know we have been delivered, we know that God is our refuge and our shelter. We know that without a Power greater than ourselves, we would be lost, desolate, exposed and dying. We know that gratitude is a key element to our continued growth and our recovery. We know that each day is different from the one before it and/or the one after it. We know that living in today and accepting what is are essential elements of our recovery. We also know that being of service to those that suffer is crucial in our ability to carry out God’s Will which is our goal and our lifeline.
I have lived these verses many times in my life. I was poor and needy in material and spirit, yet going to Temple for daily services to say Kaddish for my father, gave me refuge and shelter. I heard God calling me in a jail cell and I didn’t blowout off that time and my life changed. I realize that God was a shelter and refuge for me long before I became aware of this Truth. Every day I rejoice and exult in God’s deliverance of me. Every day I am aware of God’s love, mercy, righteousness and goodness towards me. Yet, I don’t always keep up my end of the deal, there are moments in a day where I forget to be the refuge for the poor and, instead, get so angry about a situation that I lose my cool for a few minutes, speak out in a way that is harmful to the ones I am trying to help and make a mess of things. Yet, God’s mercy and goodness is so great that God provides T’Shuvah as a path back. Exulting and rejoicing in God’s deliverance is not about perfection, it is about returning and always belonging to and being welcomed back by God. I commit to being open to waiting for and welcoming back those who have hurt me and left me. I commit to continue to live the T’Shuvahs(amends) I make. I commit to make “in the day” TODAY and every day. How are you honoring your deliverance by God today? Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark