“Appointed Times” of God

“Appointed Times” of God 

Do you know that today is the 5^th Day of the 10 Days of Awe?

Are you aware that 5 days ago, we could greet one another saying, “Happy New Year”?

If you’re a Gentile (not Jewish), like me, you likely didn’t know these things.

And if you’re a Christian, like myself, you might find today’s post interesting and informative. The reason being, the Jewish holidays, set up by God Himself, point to the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus, the Messiah. 

So let’s get a snapshot look at the Fall Feasts for 2015: 

This past Sunday rang in the Jewish New Year <> sundown, September 13 – September 15. This holiday is Rosh Hashanah, also called the Feast of Trumpets.

“The blowing of the shofar (ramʼs horn) or trumpet heralds the Jewish New Year or Head of the Year. It recalls the time of the victory at Jericho. Trumpets are blown to herald the entrance of a King.

The Bible notes a time when all Israel is gathered back to the land by the blowing of a great ram’s horn (Is 27:13) and also of a time when all believers will be gathered to Jesus the Messiah (1 Thess. 4:16-18). Therefore the blowing of the shofar has prophetic significance.” (1)

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:16-18

“Traditions: Eating of apples dipped in honey to signify the traditional greeting Jewish people say at this time of year ~ Shanah Tovah ~ which means ‘have a good (or sweet) year’.” (1)

A couple years ago and again this past Sunday, I had a small Rosh Hashanah celebration with one of our grandsons and a young cousin.

We celebrated with apples and honey and recited the Jewish blessings.

Here are a couple of the Rosh Hashanah blessings:

May it be Your will, Adonai our God, and the God of our ancestors, to favor us with a good and a sweet year.
 

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree. (2)

The boys loved the experience and asked that we be sure to do it again next year. 

Coming up in just a few days is Yom Kippur, also called the Day of Atonement, <> sundown, September 22 – 23. 

“Beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are the 10 Days of Awe or the Days of Repentance. According to Jewish tradition, this is when God decides each person’s fate for the next year. Prophetically it points to the time when Israel with be gathered to her Messiah Jesus.

Let us pray for the eyes of the Jewish people to be opened so they will receive cleansing from their sin and impurity through the atoning work of Jesus. May they look upon Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10).” (1)

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10

The idea of the 10 Days of Awe really got me thinking. I also did a little more reading on the subject. These 10 days are a time to be set aside for introspection−a time of deep soul searching and repentance.

To spend a few days dedicated to prayer and asking God to reveal flaws and sins within would be a valuable experience for any of us. Then a period of sincere repentance before the Lord can give a person a new lease on life.

These 10 Days of Awe could really set a person up for a higher level of ministry, productivity, and abundance of life.

The third of the fall feasts is Sukkot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles <> sundown September 27-October 4.

“The building of Sukkahs (booths) during this Feast is a reminder of how God cared for His people while they sojourned in the wilderness. It is also known as the Feast of Ingathering and is a very joyous feast when the Jewish people celebrate God’s provision and how He tabernacled with them.”

“Prophetically it points to God’s relationship with man through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. The dwelling place (tabernacle) of God is with man (Rev. 21:3). It also points to the time when the nations will be ingathered to honor the King of Kings and Lord of Lords by celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem every year (Zechariah 14: 16-18).” (1)   

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post today. It's likely many of you know more about Jewish feasts and holidays than I, and perhaps some of my readers are Jewish. Whether Jew or Gentile, I’d be happy for you to post comments telling of your own experiences celebrating the Fall Feasts. 

Shanah Tovah! Have a sweet and prosperous New Year! Shalom!

 

(1)  http://files.ctctcdn.com/e7378a9e001/366ca0f0-5e7a-4066-83af-7cfb43131a39.pdf, a Women of the Word resource.

(2)   http://jewishappleseed.org/apple/rosh.htm

©Connie Wohlford 2015