Rosh Hashanah

Thought for the Week

God never created a separate calendar with separate holy days for Gentiles. The biblical festivals are God's appointed times. Unless Gentile believers were meant to never have days of worship or religious festivals, the appointed times of the LORD are also meant for them.

Commentary

And Abraham made a great feast. (Genesis 21:8)

The appointed times of the spring--Passover, Unleavened Bread, the Omer and Pentecost--have all seen some sort of Messianic fulfillment in the passion of our Master Yeshua and the giving of the Holy Spirit. The lull between the spring festivals and the fall festivals can be compared to the long years of waiting between Messiah's first coming and second coming. Appropriately, the appointed times of the fall commence with a trumpet blast. The first day of the seventh month is a special Sabbath. The Torah refers to it simply as a "reminder by blowing of trumpets." It is a day of trumpet blowing.

Just as Messiah's second coming will be heralded by the blast of trumpets, the first day of the seventh month begins with an appointed time referred to as the Feast of Trumpets.

For disciples of the Messiah, the Feast of Trumpets is a reminder of that appointed time yet to come when the Master "will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." (Matthew 24:31). It is a day on which we anticipate the coming judgment, the trumpets of the book of Revelation, and the beginning of the end. It is a glimpse of the future, a shadow cast backward through time. As such, the Feast of Trumpets is relevant for everyone who believes in Messiah's return. It is an important festival for the all disciples of Yeshua.

In Jewish tradition, the Feast of Trumpets is called Rosh Hashanah, a title that literally means "Head of the Year." It is called Rosh Hashanah because the first day of the seventh month is regarded as the biblical new year. Unlike conventional, secular new year celebrations, the Jewish new year is not a drinking party. On the contrary, it is a day of sober reflection and introspection. We consider our behavior over the past twelve months and use the occasion to make amends, offer apologies and repent for our misdeeds. This process is an important part of the cycle of sanctification. The new year is a time for correcting the mistakes of the past and making resolutions to do better in the coming year. This cleaning-of-the-slate process is meant to prepare us for the holy Day of Atonement that comes ten days later.

Obviously the appointed times of Leviticus 23 should be celebrated by Jewish believers, but should they also be kept by Gentile believers? Of course! Gentile believers have a divine invitation to participate in the cycle of sanctification. If God is throwing a party, and He has invited all of His children, all of His children should come.

The biblical calendar is a wonderful gift. Observing the holy days infuses the entire year with sanctity and godliness. The festivals draw families and communities together and focus their attention on God. Moreover, each of the biblical festivals uniquely foreshadows the work of Messiah and the plan of redemption. The appointed times communicate deep spiritual lessons to those who practice them. Every festival draws us closer to the living God and His holy Son.

Article by First Fruits of Zion, www.ffoz.com

September 8, 2008

Oh, Adonai, give me the words that I may bless Your heart.

Exactly what is the purpose of continuing my long and laborious journey up and then down this hill of self-standard, then up once more, only to go back down, and so on and so forth? It must be only one thing: pride. And pride makes one self-preserve. And to self-preserve is to obsessively attempt to take control of one’s life, to steer it where self wants to go. And then, when it doesn’t get there at all, then self applies the desperate measures. It is all pride and fear. This needs to stop for me. It must stop.

The last week or so, I have struggled in my feeling of love for G-d and sensing His closeness. I have been recently taught that despite how you feel about your encounters with the Almighty, if He is your Master, then whatever happens within those encounters must be His will. And then, the hard part is to remember to be content with those encounters, because it’s His will, not ours.

Tonight, I read Streams in the Desert and looked up today’s devotional portion. It was Psalm 4:1 to be exact. “Thou hast enlarged me while I was in distress.”
Even though I am young, only 28 right now, I have had my share of distresses and difficulties. Now, I won’t let anyone despise my youth because of what I have and haven’t experienced. However, I know that I am not done here yet. My life is bound to have more ups and downs. Nevertheless, in the midst of those ups and downs, I  must never go up or down. My Yeshua is steadfast, strong, and gentle. He is meek, not weak. And when I keep my eyes on my Yeshua, I stay steadfast, dependent upon His strength and meekness, and I am gentle, and kind, and balanced. I am so grateful for that.
I have heard it said that life is hard. And it’s the hard that makes it great. I honestly couldn’t agree more. Although my flesh wars within and abhors it’s fate, my spirit is jumping for joy, just as Yochanan the Immerser leapt within Elisheva’s womb as the Meshiach Yeshua, within His mother, came near to them! Oh, how my spirit leaps within… as my Yeshua came nearer to me tonight as I read the devotional portion. It was as if He said, “You feel far away from Me, but you are still here with Me. You are just trying to do things within your own strength. And in all the times that I have allowed you to feel estranged from Me, I was only bringing you closer to My heart as you reached and groped for My garments and My hands. I have used your wildernesses and the sufferings of sorrow’s chain to enlarge you and to strengthen your faith in Me. Keep searching for My eyes, you will find them. I am grasping on to you. Keep trusting in what you can’t possibly see with your human eyes. I am here, and I am going NOWHERE!”

Why be so fretful when I have a Master who is so… good? (I have no human word to describe Him.) I have no reason to worry. He isn’t done with me yet.

It’s okay. Life… all of it, is so good. And it’s time to start living it.

My friend, Michele, has been one huge blessing in my life. I met her in 2000, through a mutual friend who is now her husband, and since then, our friendship has just steadily grown.
I moved from my native California in 2005, due to the call of G-d for ministry here in North Texas. After my husband and I, with our then-one-year-old daughter, relocated alone, without anyone else (my family eventually met us out here since they were also in the ministry), Michele and I kind of halted our contact. We didn't stop because we were upset or anything. I was just... gone! And she had friends & family of her own, and things were changing radically in both of our lives. I wish we would have stayed in better contact. We connected a bit here and there over the next 4 years. Regardless of what I wish we would have done, I missed her A LOT!
She was one of my better friends who just loved me for me, and didn't expect me to be like her. She wasn't judgemental, and she was willing to open up her home for us whenever we came over. She was simple, calm, and serious, with a well-directed fiesty side.  I really have always admired her for her maturity when it comes to things in life, like kids and homeschooling, ministry, and homemaking. I seem to always be so wound-up, over-concerned, and many other adjectives that require the use of a hyphen. So when it came to seeing her personal collectedness and calmness while in her home, raising & homeschooling 5 kids with a broad age-range, and relying on and taking care of her husband, Mr. Successful Entrapenuer- who managed his own business and their financial investments and whatnot (would be VERY difficult for me to trust, in that respect)- I thought to myself, "I want to be more like that!"
I can't speak for Michele (her perception could be way different than what I was observing), but what I saw in her pushed me forward to allow G-d to mature me in several ways. Just this year is the first time that I have really seen any fruit of maturity come forth in my life. I could chalk it up to age, more challenge in my life- Ya'akov (James) chapter 1- or experience. But overall, I can only give glory to Adonai for the fruit and the reasons behind the fruit. He's the One who has started it, and will finish it! I am confident of that!

Earlier this year, Michele and her family took a little road trip, visiting family and friends along the way. One of their stops was HERE. It was the first time I had seen them since I had left California. And can I tell you, what a breath of fresh air!! I seriously think they must have brought some of the Southern Cali air with them- something I haven't smelled in a long while. Every state and place has it's own unique smell to it. I think I subconsiously crave California air (of course, without the smog- which we didn't have much of where I came from), even though the North Texas air I breathe now is quite clean!! Anyway, it was so HEALING for me to be able to sit down with them and catch up on life. And the best part about everything is, well, 2 things: 1) G-d was the center piece to every conversation, and it was almost always about Him alone, so the atmosphere automatically became saturated with the presence and witness of Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit), and 2) it seemed as if NOTHING had changed since we last talked. We just picked up right from where we left off, and it was so heart-warming. That is when you know you have a true friendship. No matter how much time transpires, how many different events occur, or how much you have changed, the friendship is still so rich, salty, and substantial. I loved it.

My friend, Michele, is the one who has been recently encouraging me, whether she knows it or not, to excel in what I am passionate for (because she excels)- and it just so happens to be similar to her own passions. She is the one who encouraged me to start a homeschooling support group in my area for Messianics, the one who encouraged me to start this blog, and the one who encouraged me to keep learning all I can about homeschooling and how it works, despite my own experiences being partially homeschooled as a kid. It is different to teach homeschool than to be homeschooled! And she has pushed me forward to achieve more and more, to find what fits right, but allows me to just make up my mind and do what I know is the best for me and my family, according to what the L-rd is telling me. I love her passion, her drive, and her zeal for the simple, truthful, and real things in life.

Thanks, Michele, for being there!!!!!! You mean so much to me. And I hope y'all get on out here soon!! It will be SO GOOD to have a friend close by again.

~Shoshannah

*TEXAS OR BUST!*