Rosh Hashanah

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites:  'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’ ’ ”

Leviticus 23:23-24

In Leviticus 23:1, God spoke to Moses, “…These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies .” The rest of the chapter describes the seven feasts. Tonight begins the fifth of the seven Jewish feasts - Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year! Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year.” It is the first day of the 10 Days of Awe, the days of repentance that conclude with the highest holy day of the year, Yom Kippur. It is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri.

In sessions 9 and 10 of the Bible study Jesus Lives, I teach in more detail about the seven feasts. God has told the story of Messiah and the story of the Jewish people through these feasts. For example, the Passover feast was a shadow of Jesus dying on the cross as the Passover Lamb, and the Feast of Weeks was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came to indwell in man. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets is a day of sounding the trumpets throughout the land of Israel. It is the only feast that occurs on the first day of the month at the New Moon when the moon is dark and only a thin crescent. All of the other Jewish holidays occur later in their months when the moon is bright. The trumpets were blown in Israel for specific purposes. The shofar, a ram’s horn, was sounded for the gathering of the Israelites. The shofar sounded a battle alarm. The shofar was also sounded to proclaim the inauguration of a king. At this feast, the shofar was blown to call the people to attention.

These trumpets begin the Days of Awe which last 10 days. Between the Feast of Trumpets and the sixth feast were 10 days. The books recording the deeds of people were reviewed by God. Each person stood accountable to Him. The Day of Judgment, Yom Kippur, was at the end of the 10 days.

It was a time of internal evaluation. The Jewish people examined their hearts and outward acts. These 10 days allowed the Jewish people time to evaluate their lives and to return to God. The Days of Awe gave them time to return to a merciful God who was ready to forgive. They had to complete these repentant acts and make amends before the next feast. It was a time to awaken the people from their slumber and to alert them to the coming judgment. Today when they celebrate this feast, they will cast lint from their pockets or pebbles into water as a symbol of cleansing themselves from any sin.

When you study these feasts, you see how they are prophetic of the end times. The trumpet will sound to gather God’s people. The trumpet will sound to warn the evil one that God has sounded His battle alarm. The trumpet will announce the coming of Messiah and the coronation of Jesus the King. God will regather the Jewish people and bring Israel into repentance.  God will deliver the Jewish people.

While no man knows the day or the hour that Jesus will rapture the church, knowing that Messiah has fulfilled the first four feasts makes me wonder how the last three feasts will be fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says the rapture will occur at the sound of the shofar, “Listen, I tell you a mystery:  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” While we are aware that Jesus can return any day of the year, and the calendars could be very different, yes, my friends and I who know our Jewish roots start to pray more fervently for our Lord’s return every Feast of Trumpets.

For you, my friend, are you ready for the Lord’s return? Are you a believer who has accepted Jesus as her Savior? If you are a believer, it is a good time for introspection. Ask God to show you any sin or give you the power to break a lifestyle of sin that you need to eliminate in your life. Let’s celebrate this feast and 10 Days of Awe by repenting and drawing nearer to God.

Pray with me:  Lord Jesus, come quickly!  We long for Your return.  On this Feast of Trumpets, we are reminded how we need to evaluate our lives.  We are each accountable before You for every word and every deed.  Pierce our hearts by Your Spirit, and may we be awakened from our slumber and sickened by our sin.  In the mighty Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.