Holy Week

To the Leader: A lament of David when Nathan the prophet went to him after his affair with Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, Elohim, according to your merciful kindness let your great and tender compassion remove my defiance. Thoroughly wash away my guilt, and from iniquity cleanse me. For I know my transgressions; and my rebellion is ever before me. Psalm 51:1-3 Translation: BE

The word “sin,” usually used at the end of verse 3, has pretty well lost its relevance in the twenty-first century, but this pericope expresses the brutal honesty a person encounters when faced with the accusation of a standard. The Psalmist confesses his failure and pleas for mercy and the grace of reconciliation. We enter into the final days of Lent aware of our own estrangement from our Creator. We long for a union which will assuage our torn loyalties. The romance we found waving palm branches of self-absorption, self-conceit, self-righteousness, and self-delusion leads only to destruction. Holy Week celebrates the revelation of the truth that cleanses away our selfishness: Y’shua of Nazareth, the Incarnation - embodiment of Elohim, walked the sorrowful way through our own dissatisfaction to greet us at the other end of our trials. May this week be a time to consider how very brave Y'shua was to embrace our crosses. Shalom, Mother BE




website: www.woodlily.org

The Teacher

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are Elohim,  my comfort. Psalm 25:5

The Hebrew language has three primary names for the Holy One: Yahweh, Adonai, and Elohim. The latter is the earliest one and the name the scribes used for the Creator. Here the psalmist recognizes the teacher of truth as Elohim, who also brings comfort and health - the meaning of yesha which usually translates into English as "salvation." The context for the above verse is a prayer of King David for protection from his enemies, and a plea for preservation. Who better to ask for help than the Creator? Our enemies might be in the form of physical, mental, or spiritual threat. These different realms were created by Elohim for our well-being, and we can rest assured that all true things bring joy to our Creator, and ourselves. Falsehoods, enemies, erupt into the stresses that consume our energy. Sometimes, we need a reminder to remember that our Teacher's compassion does not remember our failings. Another note about Psalm 25: it's an acrostic lesson wherein the first word of each verse follows alphabetical order as a method for memorizing the text. Some versions of the Bible use marginal notations to indicate the Hebrew letters. For example the first word, after the salutation ("of David"), begins with aleph. The first letter of verse 5 is he, the fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and so on. 
Learn more about Divine Names from my Kindle Article by entering amazon.com in the address bar of your browser, then my name on Amazon's search bar, click "go." 
May you be blessed through the week! Mother BE