King David, standing in faith before the revelation of King Messiah wrote, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no crookedness, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps. 32:1). David reveals something remarkable to us regarding repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation with the Living God: the forgiven, whose sin is covered, are renewed in the spirit, as the crookedness has been made straight.

It is likely David had Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, or the day of covering, in mind as he considered his position before the God of Israel.  As we know, David did not live a spotless and blameless life. He murdered. He shed blood. He committed adultery, among other sins.  Still, he understood that through the grace of atonement, as the innocent substitute is offered for the guilty, man can live a new life.

Still, the idea of a renewed life flies in the face of the philosophy that has influenced western culture for more than 2,500 years. Plato, Aristotle and other Greek philosophers believed that we are what we are, and this cannot be changed.  Some are born to be heroes; others to be rulers; some to be ruled; others were born to serve, while some were born to be served.  Nothing, in their estimation can change what is the natural condition of a man. A sure social philosophy for those who are on the privileged side of the equation; but the Lord disagrees with this philosophy in its entirety. 

Science tells us that are a mere accidental result of non-sentient gases mixing, reacting, exploding and over the course of billions of years non-thinking, non-reasoning, non-emotive matter developed into the wonder that we call human life. In the absence of a thoughtful Creator, life being the result of chance, loses meaning and becomes a subjective drama that is meaningless as we lay helpless upon our deathbed. Are we solely what our genetic material directs us to be?  Can it be that our lives, our struggles, our joys, and pain are meaningless?  Are we forever who we are; hopeless to experience real and meaningful change in our lives?

The message of Yom Kippur, and this season of repentance, gives us lasting hope and the opportunity for real change. The message of Yom Kippur is not only can we change, but the Lord expects and helps us to do so. The biblical teaching of repentance is premised on notion that we can change. We may tell ourselves that we cannot, but by His grace, we can. We are not too set in our ways. We are not too old. The ability to make lasting and meaningful change is a gift from the Lord Himself. 

When Moses explains the details of Yom Kippur to the children of Israel says, “For on that day he (the high priest) makes atonement for you, to cleanse you, to be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (Lev. 16:30). The act of the high priest changes us. The dirty are made clean. Those cleansed appear as new. Rabbi Dr. Joseph Hertz writes, “The name of the most sacred of Festivals is in the plural, ‘because it represents two streams of love.  As soon as the desire for reconciliation has been awakened in the sinner’s soul, and wings its way Heavenward, God’s grace comes down to meet it, calming his breast with the assurance of Divine pardon and forgiveness.”

Forgiveness is the fuel for change.  

Consider these changed lives: 

1. Moses: Insists that he is slow of speech, but he becomes one of the most eloquent speakers in history, as evidenced by Deuteronomy.
2. Pinchas: Transforms from zealous vigilante to peacemaker in Joshua 22.
3. Joshua: Changes from the quiet, hidden disciple of Moses to the bold leader of a nation.
4. The people of Nineveh: Given a warning of 40 days until their destruction; but they receive a reprieve because of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
5. Peter: Denies Messiah, flees for his life, but through forgiveness boldly proclaims Messiah even unto death.
6. John: From a son of thunder, to the apostle of love.
7. Paul: From persecutor of Messiah to proclaimer of the power of the Cross. 

What is the result of repentance, forgiveness and trusting faith in the promise of Messiah Yeshua?

The author of Hebrews writes, “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the defiled, sets apart for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more, shall the blood of the Messiah, who through the everlasting Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God…let us draw near with a true heart in completeness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies washed with clean water” (Heb. 9:13-14; 10:22).

Still, what is this conscience that has been cleansed?  The Greek word for conscience means to be aware, to see fully, to be informed.  Our conscience therefore is the knowledge that influences us, and when we were informed by sin, we followed it. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, reminds us that either we are or have been following the broad way to destruction; but His covering will change us. 

Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature—the old matters have passed away, see, all matters have become renewed!  And all matters are from God, who has restored us to grace with Himself through Yeshua the Messiah.” Why does Paul use this word ‘creature’?  The Greek root here means ‘formation;’ and the idea portrayed by this word is similar to what we read in Isaiah, “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”  

This re-formation stands in direct opposition to who we were in our sin condition.  If you recall the testimony of Genesis, “And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The Hebrew word ‘inclination’ means ‘formation.’ Therefore, having been cleansed of sin, being removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12), gone forever, we are now free to allow the knowledge of godliness lead us in the Spirit. This change living demonstrating our change in nature.  

He has freed to walk in this: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17).  Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote, “We have to be free, we have no choice!” My friends, you are greater than the sum of your parts, because He has formed you, forgiven you and conformed you to the image of His Son, Yeshua/Jesus (Ro. 8:28-29).  

Maranatha. Shalom. 

If you are reading this, you are probably familiar with the name of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, literally “the head of the year..”

Yet, Rosh Hashanah is also called by four other names:

1. Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembering.
2. Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment.
3. Yom Harat Olam, The Day the World was Conceived, in God’s plan.
4. Yom Tru’ah, the Day of the Broken Sound, the name of the holiday in Leviticus 23.

Each name is ripe with meaning, and leads one into deep reflection. As we approach the High Holiday season, consider the above names, but as questions:

1. What am I remembering? What am I thinking on, dwelling on, or bringing into living? Is it reflective of the new man in Messiah, or a lingering presence of the old? Also, what or who am I forgetting, and in need of remembering?
2. Who is the judge? Do I set myself in His position, or am I allowing His grace to penetrate the hard shell that the human heart is prone to develop?
3. What has God conceived me to be in Messiah? What has He purposed for me to do while on this earth?
4. Why is my sound broken, when He has made me whole in Messiah? What are you called to by the shofar (trumpet)?

Rosh Hashanah awakens the heart to a season of new beginnings, renewal, and anticipation for the coming of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus (Rev. 7:9). The sound of the shofar causes “us to turn away from to,” as we look to see the sound.

As you prepare for this holiday season, reflect on the above questions, but also allow your mind to construct your own, specific to your situation. Look to the Word of God for answers, direction, and correction. Hear the shofar, and anticipate with joy all that the Lord has planned as He moves you through this season.

Maranatha. Shalom.

In this week’s double Torah portion called Nitzavim (נִצָּבִים/“standing firm”)/Vayelech (וַיֵּלֶךְ/“and went”), in Deuteronomy 31:10-11 we read, “And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.” This is the conclusion of a series of years ending on Sukkot, or Tabernacles. Two cycles of three years followed by the year of release in the seventh year. We find this pattern of seven throughout the Bible, having religious, agricultural and prophetic meaning.

Here Moses commands the Torah to be heard at the Sukkot/Tabernacles gathering by the entire covenant community. Still, for the disciple of Messiah, the hearing of the Torah on Sukkot takes on an even greater meaning when we consider the Word made flesh: Yeshua/Jesus (Jn. 1:14).

The annual festival calendar beings on the new moon of Nisan in early spring, signifying renewal. It continues to Passover and the deliverance of His people. Bikkurim/first fruits follows revealing resurrection. The Lord then commands a daily counting called the Omer, teaching preparation. Finally, the spring feasts conclude on Shavuot/Weeks/Pentecost with the empowering of the people of God with the Word and the Holy Spirit. These are feasts and appointed times in the spring, which lead us into summer and fall.

We are quickly approaching the beginning of the fall feasts. Next week is the observance of Yom Teruah, or Rosh Hashanah (Ezek. 40:1), which is commanded in Leviticus 23:23-25, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a Shabbat rest, a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation. You are to do no regular work, and you are to present an offering made by fire to the Lord.”

Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets begins on a new moon: בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, “in the seventh month, on the first day of the month…” “Month” חֹדֶשׁ, meaning moon or month, is from חָדַשׁ, meaning new, renewed or repair; so, each new month has an element of “repair” or “renewal” in them. As we will consider, the Lord through the sound of the trumpet is calling us to return to Him; yet as so often happens, we get caught up in the very human drama of our lives, and we need to be called to attention.

When was the last time that you admired a sunset? Or the last time that you lay in bed, looking out the window in awe of a sunrise? When did you last share those types of moments with loved ones and friends? If we cannot pause to admire this beauty, what of the beauty of our Messiah and King who is ever close at us?

Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashanah, is called in the Torah: זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ, “a memorial of trumpets, a holy gathering to rehearse before Me.” Of the Day of Trumpets, Maimonides writes:

“The Scriptural injunction of the Shofar for New Year’s Day has a profound meaning. It says: Awake, ye sleepers, and ponder over your deeds; remember your Creator and go back to Him in penitence. Be not of those who miss realities in their pursuit of shadows and waste their years in seeking after vain things which cannot profit or deliver. Look well to your souls and consider your acts; forsake each of you his evil ways and thoughts, and return to God so that He may have mercy upon you.”  

The ram’s horn (קֶרֶן/keren, from which the Shofar is made) is called the glory, or beauty of the ram. It is their crown, but it is broken. Still, with this broken crown we cry out with a sigh, a deep moan, and a primal yell from the very depths of our souls unto the Lord, a cry for change and renewal. Yom Teruah, Day of Trumpets, means: the day of the broken sound.

The understanding that the Day of Trumpets is a Day of Judgment comes from the “t’ruah,” or the wailing cry of the Shofar, which suggests a cry from the depths of our soul, in repentance and return. It is traditional to read Genesis 22 on this feast, the binding of Isaac. As we know, it was the ram caught in the thicket by his horn (קֶרֶן/keren) that would become the substitutionary sacrifice for Isaac, saving him. Here we see in type the “only begotten Son” of the Living God who would come as the “keren yeshua” spoken of by Zechariah 1:69, meaning the “horn of salvation.” The Shofar/trumpet, then, has come to symbolize the Lord’s grace and mercy by substitutionary sacrifice.

Paul writes, “For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first” (I Thess. 4:16). Who is the Lord’s shofar? Well, none other than the keren yeshua (κέρας σωτηρίας) spoken of by Zechariah, as John writes, “I was in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, and I heard behind me a loud voice like that of a trumpet saying … Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me …” (Rev. 1:10, 12). And Who is this voice? Yeshua/Jesus.

John begins his revelation of Messiah with the shofar/trumpet. John needed to hear and pay attention, just as we do. The shofar wakes up the sleepers (Rev. 2-3), coming from the long summer months, who need to be awakened and renewed in the 10-day period leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the harvest to Sukkot, the marriage feast of the Lamb.

On Rosh Hashanah we hear the Voice of the Trumpet once again, anticipating. We consider our ways. We wake up. We return to Him. We prepare for that day when we will hear the voice of Messiah in power and glory. Why do we gather in messianic faith for this feast? To hear and rehearse, to listen and obey, to rejoice and worship the One in Whom all the types become realized.

Maranatha. Shalom.