Ten Days of Awe

ימים נוראים (Yamin Noraim) the “Ten Days of Awe”   The days that fall between רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה  Rosh Hashannah and יוֹם כִּיפּוּר Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement are the Ten Days of Awe in which we beseech God. They are days of repentance with the Shabbat being called Shabbat Shuvah (meaning turn) this word is related to Teshuvah meaning repentance. During the Ten Days of Awe many special prayers are recited; selichot prayers or prayers of repentance, and with more familiar Psalms which are recited such Psalms as 17; 27; 32; 51; 65; 85; 102-104; 130. The two prophetic aspects of Yom Teruah - Day of Blowing (better known amongst Christians as the Feast of Trumpets). In the Jewish community, this is called Rosh Hashannah meaning the Head of the Year, according to tradition the world was created on this day. There are two prophetic themes in this holy season, one for Israel and one for the Body of Messiah. For Israel, it is a call to come back to the Promised Land (Isaiah 27:12-13) “13 It will come about also in that day that a great shofar will be blown, and those ....”. Since 1880 we have seen this call to the Jewish people and God is still calling them back. For the Body of Messiah it is a different calling, for those in Messiah will be taken to heaven when the trump of God calls (1 Thessalonians 4:16) “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (Shofar) of God: and the dead in Messiah shall rise first”. It will be for All believers in Messiah when He will descend to the clouds and comes to take us. The Day of Atonement The Biblical Hebrew name is י֧וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִ֣ים Yom HaKippurim, the day of Atonements because God forgave Israel from the last Yom Kippur to this Yom Kippur and from this Yom Kippur even to the next, in other words, our forgiveness is past, present and future. It was only the High Priest who was invited into God’s presence, out of all the world, God chose one nation, from that one nation Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6  & 14:2), God chose one tribe, the tribe of Levi (Numbers 18:20 & Deuteronomy 10:9). From that one tribe one family Kohath (Exodus 6:14-27). And out of them One man (Numbers 17:8), Aaron and his sons who may serve in the tabernacle, but only one of them may enter into His presence and make atonement for Israel. So what was it that Aaron and his descendants were to do? They were to offer daily, weekly, monthly and annual sacrifices (Numbers 28-29) They were to enquire of the LORD on behalf of the people (Deuteronomy 17:9) They were to educate the king and train him in writing on a scroll (Deuteronomy 17:18) They were to educate the people (Deuteronomy 24:8; 27:9-; Nehemiah 8:9-12) They are to carry the throne of God (Joshua 3:3; 8:33) They were to be part of the choir  (2 Chronicles 5:12) They were to bless the people (Numbers 6:24-27; 2 Chronicles 30:27) Prophetically we know that there will always be a Levitical priest serving God (Jeremiah 33:21; Ezekiel 43:19; 44:15), though from Hebrews 7:11 we know that one day in the future they will serve as part of the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek They were to make atonement for individual Jews (Leviticus 6:7) They were to make atonement for national Israel (Leviticus 16:27) Yeshua the Messiah is not part of the Levitical priesthood, He is part of a greater priesthood (Psalm 110) but He too fulfils some of these duties. In a future newsletter, I will focus more extensively on the priesthood of Messiah. But let me bring two important points before you, He offered up one sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10-14), and is currently making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Friends join us as we will seek the Lord and His grace, let us turn (shuvah) from our ways, repent (teshuvah) and seek the Lord and His righteousness for the coming year. Let us recite these psalms and pray that we all may serve as ministers in His kingdom. What a blessing that would be. Shalom in Messiah Yeshua Paul Cohen