We are in the month of Elul, the 6th month in the Hebrew calendar. Traditionally, this is a month of repentance and deep introspection as we prepare ourselves to stand before the King on Tishri 10, Yom Kippur. During this time, in addition to normal reading, it is customary to add Psalm 27 as a daily meditation. In that light, I’d like to post a few notes over the next few days. Please share your thoughts on each verse selection as it comes up…
27:1 Yehovah is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
Yehovah is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Interestingly, one of the reasons this Psalm was selected millennia ago by the rabbis for preparation for the Fall Feasts is because there is an allusion to each of the feasts in the Psalm. The first phrase of the Psalm contains two of the three allusions.
Our first allusion is ‘light,’ and the word points to Yom Teruah, Day of Blowing (Trumpets), which is also known as the Day of Coronation. The King is coming and He will appear on the Day of Trumpets, some year in the future. He is Light and is the bringer and creator of light. More importantly, He is MY light.
Psalm 119:105 says,
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
In multiple places in Scripture we see the Torah being compared to ‘light.’ Ultimately, because the Torah reveals Yehovah, then the Word illuminates Him so that we see by His light.
Our second allusion to the feasts is that the King brings judgment… and salvation. The word for ‘salvation’ used here is from the same root for ‘Yeshua,’ also meaning ‘salvation.’ Both judgment and salvation are associated with Yom Kippur, the second of the Fall Feasts and the highest of holy days.
Yehovah doesn’t just bring salvation, He is salvation. Generally, we associate ‘salvation’ with Yeshua, but the verse here states, ‘Yehovah is my… salvation.’ Some time back we explored Who Is The Savior? and the connection between Yeshua and Yehovah.
Lastly, in this verse, we can ponder our King as the ‘stronghold’ of our life. Psalm 91 immediately comes to mind as well. It begins,
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
We can truly rest in the protection and strength of our Protector and Shield.
Enjoy and meditate on this tune by Mishkanim.
natsab 
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