1.Monday evening is the beginning of Yom Teruah. A literal translation of Yom Teruah is “Day of blowing.” Why does scripture say we should celebrate on this holiday? Why is the shofar blown? Where in scripture is the sound of the shofar mentioned?
Monday at sundown Yom Teruah begins.
The literal translation of Yom Teruah is “Day of blowing,” meaning the blowing of the shofar.
What does Scripture say about why we celebrate Yom Teruah?
Scripture isn’t really clear about why we celebrate this holiday.
Other holidays are to remember something that happened in the past.
For instance, Passover is a celebration of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
All we are told in Scripture is
on the first day of the seventh month,
we are to observe a memorial proclaimed with the blowing of trumpets
and to present a food offering to the L-rd.
Leviticus 23:23-25, “And the L-rd 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 blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the L-rd.”
How is teruah or blowing of a trumpet used in Scripture?
It is often connected to the idea of prompting a response
It is saying pay attention
Something is about to happen
Numbers 10:1-10 gives us examples
Scripture says it is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
Numbers 10:1-10The L–rd said to Moses: “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. If only one is sounded, the leaders—the heads of the clans of Israel—are to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out.At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the signal for setting out. “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the L–rd your G-d and rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your G-d. I am the L–rd your G-d.”
So, here we see this idea of prompting a response.
That is the purpose of teruah.
Yom Teruah—the day of blowing the trumpets—is intended to prompt a response from us.
But what type of response is the L-rd looking for on this day?
It is prompting us to do some introspection
when necessary to ask for forgiveness, to prepare for Yom Kippur.
We are being called to be ready.
Where else in scripture is a trumpet or shofar used to sound an alarm?
Joel 2:1–2, “Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm [teruah] on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the L-RD is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness!” Joel describes what that day looks like: it’s a time of humility and repentance.
Revelations 11:15, “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our L-rd and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
I Corinthians 15:52, “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Psalms 89:15 (English verse 16 Hebrew), “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound(Heb. teruah = shout, signal, alarm, or joy)! They walk, O L-RD, in the light of Your countenance.”
2.In our English translations Deut. 30:3 is usually translated “G-d will return your exiles.” Literally this should read, “G-d will return with your exiles.” What is the difference?
Joseph hints at the difference in Genesis 48:21,
“Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but G-d will be with you and take you back to the land of yourfathers.”
Some religions taught that their gods were regional.
There was a god over the crops, a god for fertility, etc.
G-d is saying He is G-d Almighty and will never leave them.
His arm is not short.
He will bring them back to the land.
During their hard labor G-d was there
G-d was always there.
Psalms 91:15, “He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
Why does this give us hope?
G-d isn’t some uninvolved conductor of the choir
He does not remain aloof from our trials
He is with us.
As our Father He is distressed when His children suffer.
He is with us when we choose life, He is there to return with us.
Isaiah 27:12 says, “In that day the L-rd will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, 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 L-rd on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”
Hebrews 13:5, “G-d has said, ‘ Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
John 14:18 Yeshua says, “ I will not leave you as orphans.”
We know G-d suffers when we suffer.
He hurts when we hurt
He returns with us when we return.
He is not far away but sticks closer than a brother.
I pray that each of us can hold on to this assurance every day, no matter what happens to us. He is there, not only in Heaven but right there with us loving us and caring for us.
3.In Deut. 29:11 Moshe asked the people to enter into the covenant with G-d. The word translated as “enter” is the Hebrew word “avar”. This, in almost every case, means to “pass over or cross over”. What exactly is he asking them to do?
Moses is asking them to do more than sign on a dotted line
He is asking them to cross over from one realm to another.
He is asking them to cross over from the kingdom of sin to the kingdom of life and G-d.
Deut. 29:15-20
Moses asks them to check their hearts (confront their sins).
He warns them that this is serious,
They cannot get by with doing whatever they please.
Deut. 29:21-28
He tells them to consider the price.
He reminds them of the curses and blessings, don’t go into this lightly.
These verses reminds me of how the Father deals with us.
Our lives change when we enter the kingdom of G-d
It is not to be taken lightly.
It will cost us something.
We serve a new king and there are consequences to sin.
What better section to read before Rosh Hashanah.
I ask you to go through your own life and search out those hidden things that need to be brought out into the light of G-d.
4.Our Haftarah portion this week is Isaiah 61:10-63:9. Isaiah 62:4 says, “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah for the L-rd will take delight in you, and your land will be married.” What is the significance of the name changes? What is the meaning of Hephzibah and Beulah? What does this mean as far as their relationship to G-d?
Hephzibah was the name of King Hezekiah’s wife
and the mother of King Manasseh.
Rabbinic literature suggests that the prophet Isaiah was Hephzibah’s father.
2 Kings 21:1, “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.”
2 Kings 21:3,” He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed.”
Hephzibah is a Hebrew name meaning “my delight is in her”.
Isaiah 62:4
G-d declares a new name for Jerusalem.
Instead of forsaken it would be Hephzibah
the land, instead of being called desolate would be called Beulah.
The Hebrew word Beulah means married woman.
As in a covenant of marriage this indicates a covenant relationship between G-d and His chosen people Israel.
This pictures a restored city
signifying G-d’s favor and delight in His people.
The name embodies a state of divine favor and prosperity.
You can see why these chapters in Isaiah that are read preceding Yom Teruah would have been an encouragement for the Jewish people who were suffering in exile. They are a promise of a wonderful future for the people of Israel and the land of Israel.