Daily Prophets
Day 170
“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.
I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God has helped me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He who justifies me is near; who will contend with me? let us stand together; who is my adversary?”(Isaiah 50:4-8).
In this chapter, the prophet is speaking from his own experience and to remind the people of the power, strength and love that emanates from one who has a relationship with God. The opening verse above is so powerful and interesting; the prophet has an experience with God opening his ears and his first words to us are that he did not turn away nor was rebellious. I believe this is important for all of us to think about. His experience is the opposite of the generation that stood at Sinai! The prophet is giving us a new paradigm with which to relate to God; no longer be at arms length, no longer let someone else do the listening, stop rebelling against God and the experience of God, no longer turn away from the Lord, no longer turn away from your authentic self. We are in need of these words today with all the challenges we face, with all of the hatred that is being spewed on the right and the left, with all of the turmoil in our inner and outer lives. The prophet is reminding us that God is near, God allows us to hear and we need to stop our rebellion and turn towards God, not away.
We gain the strength to endure the beatings and the torture when we join with God, when we allow God to be our strength and when we know we are connected. Not that the prophet is being a martyr, rather he is able to stay true to his soul, to God and that loyalty will allow him to endure the physical pain of the enemies of him and God. He is also able to stand up through the shame and the blame of these same people. He is feared, as are all people who stand with God, by the charlatans, the power seekers, the chameleons, the deceivers, the ones being deceived, etc. One who stands with God in truth and acts in the Name of God is always feared by those who act in their own self-interest, this is the bane of our existence; we hear the words and don’t watch the actions of these deceivers, these autocrats, etc, and we fall under their spell and work against our selves and God.
“The Lord has helped me” is the phrase that stands out most to me. How often do we miss God’s help and attribute it to our own cleverness, smartness, etc? The prophet is reminding us to acknowledge God’s help and be grateful for it, use it wisely and then we do not fall into shame and embarrassment. This teaching is at the crux of our mental, spiritual and emotional strength and health. When I acknowledge God’s help, when I experience God and don’t rebel, don’t turn away-I am able to withstand the lies, the shaming, the physical, emotional and spiritual beatings of the liars who want to be in charge and who want to run the show themselves, without the aid and help of God.
While these people are convincing, the prophet is speaking to our souls and we know it. God helps all of us, if we allow God into our being. With God’s help, we are neither ashamed nor broken, we realize that God justifies us and we do not have to seek outer validation-God’s inner validation becomes enough and we realize that no one can really contend with us, we are not afraid of anyone-because God gives us strength, resolve and love. The prophet’s call for all of us to stand together is the call of God to each of us. We get to let go of our need to ‘go it alone’ and to ‘suspect thy neighbor’ and allow those of us who know God, who hear God, who depend on God to join together and know that no one of these mendacious charlatans can defeat us. We are stronger together and even stronger together with God.
In recovery, we have stopped rebelling against God and we have stopped turning away from God. We listen for God’s voice in ourselves and through another(s). We are able to withstand the shame of our past actions and the guilt of our current errors, we know that no one can stop us from our spiritual, emotional growth and connection except us and we continue to grow along spiritual lines each and every day. In recovery, we know that we need each other, we gain strength from and with each other and we show up for life with excitement, joy, courage, stamina, love and kindness.
I have experienced everything the prophet is saying above. God has helped me overcome the shame of my actions and the shame that others put on me. By hearing God, turning towards God, I have been able to withstand the assault on my character and the hiding of my ‘friends’. I have been able to grow from the betrayals of those I have trusted and I have been able to face my own demons and errors in truth and without shame and defeat. God’s help is how I have been able to grow in my recovery, in my Rabbinate and in my life. I am not afraid of another(s) wrath, nor am I afraid of ‘what the neighbors will think’ as I am committed to standing with God, turning to God and remembering I am not God nor is any human being. I am able to withstand the beatings that my actions cause when I am in error and I am able to withstand the shame another(s) puts on my character because I am with God and God is with me. Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark