These moedim appointed times of the spiritual year as given by our heavenly Father can be found in Leviticus 23.
These 10 days are a time to change our focus off of ourselves and our lives and look towards the Lord; in that we focus our attention on Him and our relationship with Him. It is a time of repentance and remembering what He has provided for us and that He is and always will be the Lamb of God Who gave His life for us; that His shed blood is on the kapporet crying mercy and forgiveness on our behalf.
We are to look only to the Creator of heaven and earth and we are warned in Isaiah 2:22whopoints to the necessity of placing trust in Him.
“Cease ye from man, whose breath/spirit is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”
This last week the 7th month and the first day is commanded in Leviticus 23:23-25
ראש השנה), (literally “head of the year”),
Feast of trumpets is the common name for this moed, despite the fact that it is not a feast and is only linked with trumpets, shofars or rams horns by inference, shabaton in the verse.
שַׁבָּתוֹן, ‘shabbaton‘ meaning ‘special Sabbath’.
“On the seventh month, on the first day of that month, you shall have a shabbaton [a day of rest], zichron tru’a, mikra kodesh [a day set aside for gathering], do not work,
There are a few facts that we can clearly see from this instruction. First we know that this moed falls on the new moon, so it would follow that it shares similar instructions with the other 11/12 new moons that occur every calendar year. The new moon determines the beginning of each Hebrew month on Israel’s calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar followed by the western worlds system. it is not listed in Lev. 23, there are specific sacrifices commanded for each new moon and the silver trumpets are to be blown. Numbers/Bmidbar 10:10.
Secondly, like many other moadiym, this moed is a holy convocation or sacred assembly.
Thirdly, on this day unlike the other ‘no regular work days,’
‘rest’
is specifically commanded, so this day is to be more restful than even the days of the spring moadiym/moedim.
The unique feature of this moed is found in the words
zik ron t’ruah
זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה
but the context here does not offer much help in understanding its meaning.
Reference for Hebrew text : https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/lev/23/24/p0/t_conc_113024
“t’ruah” (תְּרוּעָה) refers to the “blast” or “sound” of the shofar.
In other words we are supposed to remember or memorialize something. This is to done with, or caused by, loud blasts of sound.Psalm 81:3 invites us into a moment of celebration and reflection. The call to “blow the trumpet” in this verse emphasizes a significant time, marked by the new moon is referenced, a full moon and a feast day too.
This pattern only occurs on the 1st and 7th months. Because there is no special significance to the 1st months new moon as this one, is it meaning that the t’ruah can be made through the blowing of the shofar?
In Josh 6:20, there is a connection between t’ruah and the shofar but only by association.
And the people shouted – rua and blew – taka with the shofarot and it came to pass when the people shouted – rua with a great shout – t’ruah g’dolah and the wall fell flat.
Although the shofar is mentioned
it is not what made the t’ruah… the people did!
In other scriptures also, t’ruah is the sound of people shouting and making noise and loud sounds with their mouths. In other scriptures t’ruah is the sound of the shofar, as on Yom haKipuriym in the year of Jubilee, a shout of praise shout of joy and loud blasts of sound. Leviticus 25:9.
When truah is connected to the command for zikron it is for remembrance. To remember why we are celebrating these moedim after the long hot summer.
This zikron truah is the season of remembering the incredible provision, protection, atonement and deliverance of Messiah. We are to remember how great He is, of His goodness, faithfulness and loving kindness.
This moed has a strong command to it, however the traditions of Judaism have made it into the High Holy Day, second only to Yom Kippur. The traditions around this day are many and it is observed with great reverence. Already noted, traditionally it is known as Rosh Hashanah which literally means ‘head of the year.’ Judaism recognizes the 1st day of the 7th month as the beginning of the new civil year, now 5786. One of the main features of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, which according to Judaism fulfills the command to make t’ruah. Because this moed has become so closely linked with the shofar some Messianics and Christians have connected it with prophetic scriptures dealing with referring to the ‘day of the Lord’ or the 1 Thess. ‘catching away’; which has evolved to be tagged as ‘the rapture’. Since this moed has no direct scriptural link to the shofar, is there really any solid ground for making such a prophetic jump?
There is much confusion around this saying as it has been taken out of context and consequently taken on a life of its own; becoming a doctrine in some denominations. Earlier posts have addressed this subject.
This year more than most previous years, many ‘prophetic voices’ were pointing to the moed last week as the rapture day. The days came and went and once again disappointment settled in. The scripture ‘cease from men… ‘ quoted above, is to warn us not to put our hope in human dating. We are not to trust in those who state what, and when, our Heavenly Father, Creator of the universe is going to do things. Not all dreams are from the Lord God of Heaven and if they don’t line up with scripture they may be supernatural but are not of divine origin.
Recall the scripture, 2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
By masquerading as an angel of light, Satan seeks to imitate the appearance of goodness and divine truth, making his deceptions more convincing.
However well meaning these youtube videos on the internet are, many times they give false hope and misdirect our focus, making people look for the wrong thing. And when that hope is dashed, it can lead to loss of faith, depression and disillusioned thought processes that take people away from the truth of the Word. Our hope is to be placed firmly in Messiahs promises, in our Fathers plan and in His Word. The scriptures are clear, Yeshua/Jesus own words are those we are to pin our hope on. Not peoples words.
In Matthew 24:36 He said clearly
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Not even Him, the Son. ….So how do these prophetic voices know?
He will return, He said, as a thief, when no one is expecting Him.
A thief comes when no one is not only watching but no one is expecting.
This is so we will live according to His commandments every day, a lifestyle, and not just when we think He is coming on a certain day.
The Matthew 13;24 reference is another reason to think…why we are looking for a quick escape?….Here it’s the tares who are taken first, not the wheat. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Cease from men … The enemy will use our fears to give us false hope of escaping persecution and troubled times, however we should not be in fear; but in faith that our Heavenly Father is true to His word and He has everything under control. We are to be busy about our Fathers business, doing with all our might what He has called us to do. Doing the work of His kingdom. We know all things will be fulfilled but in His timing not when it suits us, thinking we are going to avoid hardships. Every day 1000’s of believers around the world are experiencing disasters and unthinkable situations, needing relief far more than those in the west.Matthew 24:13 says He who endures to the end will be saved.
As believers in Yeshua/Jesus we have plenty to celebrate. . He will not leave us nor forsake us, we are to trust only in Him, not in people.
We are to place our hope in Him and in a day when you least expect your Lord will come.
The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
We are to place our hope in His words, not peoples; we are to have faith in His promises, not peoples; because they are human and subject to failure. Our Father will not and cannot ever fail. Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away…Matthew 24:35
In Hebrews 13:5 The Amplified translation leaves us in no doubt of His promise “He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [ Assuredly not!]”.
During these 10 days of awe, the fall moedim, let’s focus on the Lord, His will, plan and purpose. Let’s rejoice in the remembrance of what Messiah has done and will do when He does return. Previous posts on the fall moedim are listed on Homepage. Only Our Heavenly Father is right – He is Truth – so our opinions are irrelevant, we are to simply study for ourselves and so, let the reader decide.
Shalom shalom and Happy New Year
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born again from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.
I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Time for a change of focus?
