Rosh Hashanah
Text: Num 29:1-6
Theme: Prepare your hearts
Doctrine: second coming
Image: blowing of trumpets
Need: repentance
Message: repent and believe
Rosh Hashanah
Num 29:1-6
In the book girl meets God, Lauren Winner tells of her conversion from Judaism to Christianity. She grew up in a home with a Jewish father, and a non-attending Southern Baptist mother. At one point she chooses to become an Orthodox Jew, but “even as she was observing Sabbath rituals and studying Jewish law, Lauren was increasingly drawn to Christianity.” (back cover) The book covers a year in her life as she attempts to reconcile both sides of her spiritual identity. As she struggles to adjust from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, she tries to make the split complete. She gives away all of her books relating to Judaism. She throws out her prayer shawl. She begins to break the dietary laws and eats a can of Campbell's Clam Chowder soup.
As she continues her journey, she realises that something is missing. She feels as though the Christianity that is being preached in the churches she attends is only a part of the story. She feels as though they had appropriated the story of the Messiah, without truly understanding who the Messiah was. Her attempt to break completely with her Jewish past does not work, and by the end of the book she returns to the book store of her youth, West Side Judaica, and restocks her library. She realised that she needed to understand and remember her Hebrew heritage to grasp the full meaning of Christ.
Those who follow Christ as their saviour, also follow him as the Jewish Messiah. It is important for us to have some understanding of the main characteristics of Judaism in order to understand how Jesus fulfils it. Tonight we are going to take a small glimpse into the life of Orthodox Judaism so that we can gain a clearer picture on who the Messiah truly is. Tonight we will look at the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
During the time of the temple, this feast day required a large number of sacrifices. Picture the chaos and the confusion as all the various sacrifices were offered on this day at the temple. We read that the Israelites were to offer one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs, and a male goat, along with their respective grain and drink offerings. This was in addition to the regular monthly sacrifices offered on the new moon, which were two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling lambs, with their corresponding grain and drink-offerings. This was also in addition to the regular daily sacrifices of a yearling lamb in the morning and evening, with their grain and drink-offerings. This makes a grand total of three bulls, two rams, and sixteen yearling lambs and a male goat, This was a lot of animals to kill, clean, and burn on the altar.
My cousin owns a ranch in the foothills of Southern Alberta and every year he calls the neighbours together for an old fashioned calf branding. In one day about 400 calves are rounded up, then roped and drug into a circle of people who vaccinate them, castrate them and pole them if necessary, and brand them. Quite often I would go out to help, and by the end of the day I would be covered in mud, and blood. No matter how many times I showered, I would stink like burnt hair for the next week. I think when the priests got through with the celebrations at the temple, they would look and feel about the same way I did; covered in blood and gore, stinking from the burning hair and flesh on the altar.
When you enter a synagogue on Rosh Hashanah you are entering on one of the holiest days of the year. This is a feast day, but also a very solemn day. The Un'tanneh Tokef is one of the prayers recited on this day in synagogues across the world. Listen to a portion of it.
“We will celebrate the solemn holiness of this day, how awesome and fearsome it is. On this day your rulership is lifted up, your throne is established in mercy, and you sit upon it in truth. Truly you alone are judge, arbiter, discerner, witness, recorder, sealer, inscriber, and reckoner; and you remember all forgotten deeds. You open the book of records and it reads itself, and everyone's signature is there.” (David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, pp 697-8)
The most characteristic feature of the celebration of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, or trumpet. Leviticus 23:23-25 says this;
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blasts of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.'” (Lev 23:23-25, ESV)
This day is to be a memorial proclaimed with blasts of trumpets. While it is not clear what exactly is to be remembered, there are many things which are associated with the sounding of trumpets throughout the scriptures.
There was a loud trumpet blast when God descended on Mt Sinai after bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.
The trumpet was used to signal the people of Israel when to break camp in the desert, and when to gather before the tent of meeting.
The trumpet was used to call the people of Israel to war.
The trumpet was blown at the start of the Jubilee year.
It was blown during the coronation ceremonies of the king.
It was blown to warn of danger approaching the cities.
The blowing of the trumpet was also to be a sign of the regathering of the people of Israel from Exile, as it says in Isaiah 27. “In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. (Is 27:12,13)
Interestingly enough, the two recorded celebrations of this festival in the scriptures happen after the return from exile. The first is in Ezra 3. King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and the first thing they do is rebuild the altar within the temple precincts to perform sacrifices. This is what it says in Ezra 3:1-3,6.
“When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. ... 6On the first day of the seventh month (Rosh Hashanah) they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.” (Ez 3:1-3,6)
Despite the fear that the Israelites had of the people around them, thy do not first build a wall around the city. The first thing they do is rebuild the altar so that they can give the sacrifices that are required by their God. On Rosh Hashanah the people of Israel returned to God from the scattered nations of the world and began to offer sacrifices again.
The other time this festival was celebrated was also with Ezra and it is recorded in Nehemiah 8.
“When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. ... Ezra opened the book ... and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (Neh 8:1-3, 5-6)
The people returned from exile. They rebuilt the altar. They rebuilt the temple. They rebuilt the city of Jerusalem. They rebuilt their faith. They stood together and listened to the word of God. They listened to the reading of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. They heard how God had created everything. They heard how his creation had rebelled against him. They heard how he sent a flood to destroy the world, buy saved Noah and his family. They heard how he chose one man, Abraham to make him into a great nation. They heard how God guided his offspring and how he drew them out of Egypt when they became oppressed. They heard how God had brought them through the Red Sea and led them to the promised land. They heard God's law and instructions. They heard God's promise of rejection if they were unfaithful, but they also heard his promise of reconciliation if they returned to him. So here they were, on the first day of the seventh month; recently returned from the land of exile where they were sent because of their unfaithfulness. Here they were listening to the power and care of God and they fall down on their faces and worship him.
The blowing of the trumpet on Rosh Hashanah is a call to repentance, it is a reminder of the power, holiness, and righteousness of God, and our own sinfulness. It is good to have days like Rosh Hashanah to remind us of our standing before God. It is good to take some time to truly have a hard look at ourselves and how we respond to God's grace in our lives. Take a look at your life over the past year. How many times did the Spirit prompt you to do something, and you refused? How often did the Spirit urge you not to do something, and yet you did it anyway? When we read through the scriptures do we have the same response that the Israelites did in Neh 8? Do we fall down on our faces because of our sinfulness? Can we look at our lives and not be horrified by what we see? We do not live lives that are honouring to God at all times. We do not live at peace with one another. We do not place the needs of others over ourselves. We do not love God above all else and our neighbours as ourselves.
We are saved by grace, not by works, but as we were reminded from James, true faith is evidenced by works. True believers do not continue to do things they know are wrong. If we continue in our old lifestyle then how can we say that God is at work within us?
The Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 87 asks this question.
Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and impenitent ways?
A. By no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like is going to inherit the kingdom of God.
Rosh Hashanah reminds us that we are to live lives which are markedly different from those of the people around us. We are saved by grace, but we are still called to do good in the world.
Conclusion
Next week we will look at the festival of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. We will see how this day was partially fulfilled in Christ's death, but will be fully realised when he returns to judge the living and the dead. The great Day of Atonement is coming. Christ will return and he will demand an accounting for the gifts which he has given us. While we need not worry whether we have done enough good to get us into heaven, we do need to worry about what we have done with the one called Jesus. How have we responded to God's offering of salvation? Do we know how great our sin and misery are, do we know how to be saved from this misery and sin, do we thank God for the deliverance he promises us?
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 2 asks us this question.
Q: What must you know to live and die in the joy of [the comfort of belonging to Christ]?
A: Three things:
first, how great my sin and misery are;
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
Let us, over the coming week, prepare ourselves for Yom Kippur, for the Day of Atonement. Take time in this coming week to be with God. Let us take some time and read the scriptures to see what God promises us. Read through one of the gospels, or through the book of Romans, or through the letter to the Hebrews. Take time to study what God did through Christ. Take time to repent of your sins, to ask for forgiveness, and to commit yourselves to following him.
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always, and feed on his word; ...
thus led by his Spirit to fountains of love,
thy soon with be fitted for service above.
Amen