Post by Mark on Jan 5, 2008 7:15:36 GMT -8
One of the things that I'm working on in our community is trying to help those coming from the gentile Church see the beauty and value of the Messianic Liturgy, as taken out of the Jewish Synagogue. I've been writing a paper each week on different prayers and thought some of you might be interested in what I've shared thus far. I'll start posting them in this area, as I go along, hoping that these generate some response of praise to Adonai our God, or stimulate questions on the Judaic perspective of our faith.
Me Kamokha
"Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorified in holiness
You are awesome in praise working wonders, O Lord
Who is like You, O Lord?"
Possibly the oldest hymn of Jewish antiquity, the Me Kamokha tells the story of deliverance from the Egyptian bondage… forever. We find the text in Exodus 15:11. It is a song that rises from the lips of Moses and the men of Israel as they see the bodies of the Egyptian armies washing up onto the shore.
The words that we sing in the Me Kamokha are not quite the same as what is found in the text. "Me Kamokha ba-alim Adonai" is "Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?" Yet, in the Hebrew text of Exodus 15:11 is "Me Kamokha aleh Adonai…" The Baalim are, specifically the deities of the Phoenicians, yet expands in Hebrew vocabulary to include all pagan idolatry. It is not an inaccurate statement, nor does the hymn pretend to be a direct quote of the Scripture.
The aleh is best and easiest described as "the mighty". "Who is like You, O Lord, among the mighty" is an accurate understanding and rendition of the text of Scripture; but the originator of the Me Kamokha wanted us to see more than that. When looking upon the shores of the Red Sea and seeing the mightiest armies utterly destroyed, I could say, "Me Kamoka aleh Adonai" and mean these soggy lifeless bodies. Yet, in whom did these men place their trust? Adonai is mightier than the baalim, the deities of these armies. It is in the tone of the Me Kamokha that David wrote Psalm 27:
"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear?"
Later, in the liturgy of Sabbath prayers, the question as answered in the Ayn Kamokha: There is none like You, O Lord, among the gods." Ayn Kamokha va-Elohim Adonai. There is none among the "elohim" which is the elongated or plural version of the aleh. The comparison must be on purpose, between the baalim and the elohim: they are those in which the nations place their trust. Together, these hymns produce an overwhelming appeal to us: that Adonai is worthy of our praise above all else, whether it be of the deities of our ancestors or of the mighty elements of life that seem to loom threateningly over us.
It doesn’t matter which circumstances of life may seem to threaten you, whether be demonic, financial, social or political. Adonai is greater, and He is awesome in power, working wonders.
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)
Me Kamokha
"Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorified in holiness
You are awesome in praise working wonders, O Lord
Who is like You, O Lord?"
Possibly the oldest hymn of Jewish antiquity, the Me Kamokha tells the story of deliverance from the Egyptian bondage… forever. We find the text in Exodus 15:11. It is a song that rises from the lips of Moses and the men of Israel as they see the bodies of the Egyptian armies washing up onto the shore.
The words that we sing in the Me Kamokha are not quite the same as what is found in the text. "Me Kamokha ba-alim Adonai" is "Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?" Yet, in the Hebrew text of Exodus 15:11 is "Me Kamokha aleh Adonai…" The Baalim are, specifically the deities of the Phoenicians, yet expands in Hebrew vocabulary to include all pagan idolatry. It is not an inaccurate statement, nor does the hymn pretend to be a direct quote of the Scripture.
The aleh is best and easiest described as "the mighty". "Who is like You, O Lord, among the mighty" is an accurate understanding and rendition of the text of Scripture; but the originator of the Me Kamokha wanted us to see more than that. When looking upon the shores of the Red Sea and seeing the mightiest armies utterly destroyed, I could say, "Me Kamoka aleh Adonai" and mean these soggy lifeless bodies. Yet, in whom did these men place their trust? Adonai is mightier than the baalim, the deities of these armies. It is in the tone of the Me Kamokha that David wrote Psalm 27:
"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear?"
Later, in the liturgy of Sabbath prayers, the question as answered in the Ayn Kamokha: There is none like You, O Lord, among the gods." Ayn Kamokha va-Elohim Adonai. There is none among the "elohim" which is the elongated or plural version of the aleh. The comparison must be on purpose, between the baalim and the elohim: they are those in which the nations place their trust. Together, these hymns produce an overwhelming appeal to us: that Adonai is worthy of our praise above all else, whether it be of the deities of our ancestors or of the mighty elements of life that seem to loom threateningly over us.
It doesn’t matter which circumstances of life may seem to threaten you, whether be demonic, financial, social or political. Adonai is greater, and He is awesome in power, working wonders.
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)