For Such a Time as This… Days of Awe!
Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Today is Yom Kippur… one of the most important feasts of the Jewish year. Traditionally, it is the Day of Atonement (covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling). The day when the Book of Life, which has been opened ten days ago for God to write His verdict of our life, is closed for this year. Today begins with fasting in order to TURN our eyes and hearts to God on His throne, that we might see… confess… repent… and be reconciled before He closes and seals the Book of Life for the year.
This is the day we have our most candid conversations with our Creator – the only One qualified to assess the days of our lives and give the verdict for what was, what is and what will come.
Isaiah 58:9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
For some, this is the day to stand, waiting for the sentencing of the Judge. To these poor souls, the song “I Did it My Way” is their life choice, there is no need for fasting or even a conference with God (IF He exists) as it will change nothing because independence is their chosen yoke. There is only one relationship worthy to be called priority in a life such as this – well maybe three relationships – me, myself, and I…
For the rest of us, who suspect that OUR way may not end well, we have been given the opportunity be yoked with God, Himself.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Israel, God’s first possession and the family we Gentiles have been grafted into, was given Rosh Hashanah (Days of Awe) – 10 days to celebrate the “New Year” of being written in God’s Book of Life, with Yom Kippur being given as the last day. Though this day (Yom Kippur) is a day of God’s assessment (judgment) of a life being lived, this day is to be seen as a day of celebration… a time to come boldly to God’s Throne Room… expecting love not punishment!
A Time Such as This… God’s revelation of His Will… from corporate celebration (a new year of Rosh Hashanah) to an individual face-to-face celebration (fast of Yom Kippur) with the One who created us and is at work in us.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
I am not a Jew who is called by God to observe the feasts He put in place, I am grafted in (Jews who believe that Yeshua is the Messiah are sometimes called “Completed Jews – I like to call myself a “Completed Gentile”) and yoked to God by the death and resurrection of His Son – our Lord Jesus (Yeshua)!
Therefor… I, like my Jewish brothers and sisters, am called to observe God’s appointed times… 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
I am called to observe and remember… “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully.” (Deuteronomy 5:1).
The “completion” difference… we are called to observe them daily!
My Rosh Hashanah (the opening of my book of life) and my Yom Kippur (the sealing of my book of life) took place when I observed and remembered and gave myself to Jesus, who became my full covering, canceling, pardon, and reconciliation with God our Father.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
A new year… A new creation…
I celebrate EVERYDAY and ENTER God’s Throne Room for His assessment and training up through our face to face conversations (sometimes referred to as prayer).
Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
For such a time as this… When you KNOW Jesus… EVERYDAY is a Day of Awe!
Isaiah 58:11-12 “And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible