Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Shalom *|FNAME|*,
The Equip – Day 23: https://gatesofzion.net/blog-articles/jb-bernstein/the-equip-series-40-consecutive-days-of-equipping-in-jewish-evangelism/the-equip-series-day-23-lose-your-life-and-find-it/40
I want to set the stage for a message given to Shomair by Jerry Miller when he first addressed the congregation on Sukkot. The message was labeled “Sukkot and Revival.” He spoke it with eloquence, but we didn’t get it recorded, so I asked Jerry for his notes and he graciously provided them.
Rabbi Trail: I’m having eye surgery (cataract removal) about 2 hours after writing this RR, so there may not be an RR tomorrow. I don’t know yet. End RT.
Jerry started his message with this Scripture. The “former rain” speaks of the first coming, and the “latter rain” speaks of the second coming.
Hosea 6:1 Come, let us return to Adonai. For He has torn, but He will heal us. He has smitten, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us. On the third day He will raise us up, and we will live in His presence. 3 So let us know, let us strive to know Adonai. Like dawn His going forth is certain. He will come to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.
The feasts of the Lord are broken into 3 parts. At the beginning, and again at the end, we have Shabbat. First, the day of rest when God completed His work of creation. Then a final Shabbat when all things are once again “very good” and at rest in His kingdom. Together they form part 1.
Then we have the spring feasts that form part 2. These 3 feasts image the first coming of the sacrificed lamb Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Passover is the first. It images the crucifixion as the ancient Hebrews were saved (passed-over from death) by remaining in their homes behind a cross of blood. Three days later, they came to the Red Sea and were as good as dead with Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them. But then they were given new life by the parting of the sea. We also have been given new life, by the resurrection of Yeshua.
Rabbi Trail: It is an amazing reversal, from death to life. We are more familiar with the natural way of thing, from life to death. But God’s kingdom is usually exactly opposite the way of this world. In God’s kingdom we go from death to life. And that new life is eternal life (never to see death again). End RT.
The third feast of part 2 is Shavuot, or the “Feast of Weeks.” On the 50th day (following the resurrection – Red Sea deliverance) we memorialize the giving of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2). This is that, which Yeshua promised… John 14:16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper so He may be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him. You know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you.
Then we go exactly half way around the calendar to the fall feasts, part 3 of God’s plan. And yes, there are 3 of them too. (Amazing how symmetrical and orderly God is.) Now we will see how these three fall feasts image the second coming of Yeshua. Yom Teruah, the day of sounding the shofar. The day Yeshua will appear… Revelation 1:7 “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of Him. Yes, amen!” The trumpets (shofars) are sounded to crown Him King. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first.
Ten days later we have Yom Kippur, aka the Day of Atonement or the Day of Judgment. There will be a great separation on that day. Matthew 25:31 “Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
But wait, that’s not all. There’s more! Four days later, the Feast of Tabernacles. This images our dependence on God as we “tabernacle” together with Him. Zechariah 14:16 Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot.
And there you have it. God’s plan for all eternity is imaged in the Feasts as described in Leviticus 23. With increasing anticipation we celebrate these feasts of the Lord.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue 12-Oct-2021 6th of Cheshvan, 5782
Ge 13:5-18 Jos 13 Ps 13 Mt 11 (2 Pet 2)
Week 42
Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13 But now these three remain— faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
206 10/11 Monday: 1 Corinthians 5-6
207 10/12 Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 7-8
208 10/13 Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 9-10
209 10/14 Thursday: 1 Corinthians 11-12
210 10/15 Friday: 1 Corinthians 13-14