With the month of Tishri, we are entering the month of festivals. It starts with a special Rosh Chodesh called Rosh HaShana, followed by the Ten days of awe, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Thora. Why is this month so packed with spiritually significant moadim, times of appointment?
Tishri is the month when the winter rainy season is about to begin, a period that determines the fate of the entire region for the rest of the year. If early rains fail to come, the nation faces drought. This is why the Bible commands a special month of appointed times before the onset of the new agricultural year.
In this month Israel starts to pray about the coming rainy season and, therefore, becomes acutely aware of their dependency on God. He appears as judge and this idea sets the tone for the whole month, which is the most intense month in the Hebrew calendar. It is about life and death. The idea of dependency on God and trust in Him permeates the whole holiday season: the main theme of Sukkot is to remember how God protected the Israelites on their way from Egypt. During Sukkot, people are commanded to get out of their comfortable dwellings, be exposed to the elements and trust in God rather than man-made protection. The message is clear: we cannot rely on our real estate, our money, even on our skills or health. We are fully dependent on God. Therefore, the call to repentance, to return to the Lord with all our hearts and minds is in order.
The call to repentance is particularly strongly connected with the first day of the month, Rosh HaShana, which is a special edition of Rosh Chodesh. The defining passage is found in Numbers 29:1-2:
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the shofar (Yom Teruah). You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish.
The main commandment is to blow the trumpet, or shofar. The sound of the shofar serves as a wake-up call. When we know it, a phrase we often hear in worship songs takes on a deeper meaning:
“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.”
It is Psalm 89:15. In Hebrew, it actually says, “blessed are the people who know the sound of teruah”, or the sound of the shofar. In other words, there is blessing in heeding the call for repentance. These are the people who walk in the light of His countenance. This is exactly what John says, in 1 John 1:5-8:
“… God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The sound of teruah is a wake-up call, inviting us to leave darkness and walk in His light. We were once darkness, but now we are light and should walk as children of light. Let us take a moment and ask God to show us if there are areas in which we still walk in darkness and need to repent. Repentance in Hebrew is tshuva, which literally means “return, come back”. Change the direction of your walk, turn around.
The shofar blast is also connected to God’s judgement, which will be revealed in the last days, and also to the restoration and regathering of Israel. Consider the following Scriptures: Zechariah 9:9.14, Isaiah 27:12-13.
The blowing of the trumpet is echoed in the New Testament: see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Revelation 11:15. It has a prophetic significance, it is a sign of things to come.
Finally, another aspect of Rosh HaShana is worth mentioning: in light of what has been said so far, it might seem that somber atmosphere would prevail when marking that great day and thinking about judgement. In fact, though, Jewish celebrations are rather joyful. Why? It is an expression of faith.
Jesus said in Luke 21:28:
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
We have assurance for the day of judgement (see John 5:22-24).
So, let us embrace the day of trumpets with assurance and joy as a sign of our trust in Him. Blessed are the people who know the sound of teruah. Let us walk in light, embrace the freedom Jesus bought for us, and abide in Him with confidence and joy.
Commentaires