Return&Reward

                                                                    Blowing the Shofar 

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      This week's Sabbath reading is a continuance of last week's title Va-yelech, meaning "Then he went out" from Deuteronomy 31, as well as being the time of Shuvah, meaning "Repent/Return." It is Shuvah because this Sabbath is also the Feast of Trumpets, in Hebrew: Yom Teruah, also know as Rosh Hashanah. This Feast of the LORD is known for the blowing of the shofar trumpet. This date of the Feast this year also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, which impacted not only one nation, but the world.

     In Deuteronomy 31, the LORD gives Moses a song which he must teach to the Israelites who are about to enter the Promised Land. The LORD told Moses that the purpose of the song is to lead the people back to Him because, the LORD prophesies, "Behold, you (Moses) will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-covenant which I made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured...Now therefore, write down this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-song for yourselves, and teach it to (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the children-of-Israel; put it in their mouths, that this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel...Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel." (v. 16-22, excerpt).

     This song was an *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega son for the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega children of Israel. It is a song that calls upon heaven and earth to testify of the truth that the LORD found Jacob/Israel in the wilderness, taught him, encircled him, instructed him, kept him as the apple of His eye. The LORD carried them on His wings to the heights of the earth and supplied them with every good thing. Then they forsook the LORD and scorned the Rock of their salvation. They worshipped demon gods. The LORD turned away from them and hid Himself because they were children of no faith. They would suffer disasters: arrows, hunger, pestilence, beasts, serpents, the sword. Their vine was of the vine of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the LORD will judge His people with compassion. He will turn His anger on their enemies instead. Then there will be rejoicing instead of calamity: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement (kapar - atonement, reconciliation, forgive, purge away, merciful, cleansed, pardon, to cover over) for His land ('adama - ground, land, whole inhabited earth/red/blood) and His people." (Deut. 32:1-43, excerpt).

     We can see that the purpose of this *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-song is to cause the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-children-of-Israel to return to the LORD, even from the most corrupt sins, where the LORD provides His merciful atonement (see kapar above) healing and restoration. We understand that Jesus Messiah/Christ is the blood Atonement covering that purges, cleanses and pardons us of sin and causes us to return to the Shepherd of our souls. (see 1 John 2:2 and 1 Pet. 2:24-25). John wrote: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 Jn. 1:9-10).

     As part of this Shuvah (Return/Repentance) Sabbath, the reading portion includes the Word of the LORD from the prophets Hosea and Micah. From Hosea 14: "O Israel, return (sub - return again, turn back, revive, restore, refresh, recover, deliver, recompense) to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you and return to the LORD." (v. 1-2). As a result, the LORD promises to heal them, to love them, to make them fruitful and beautiful. Also: "Those who dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon." (v. 7).

     From Micah 7, the prophet proclaims that he will arise out of darkness and the LORD will be a light to him. Even though the prophet has sinned against the LORD, the LORD will plead his case for him and execute justice for him. Also: "He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness." (V. 8-9).

     As we can see in the Hebrew word sub above, meaning "return", the return is directly connected to reward: miraculous revival and the restoration. The concepts cannot be separated. One must follow the other. There is a reward received upon the sub return to the LORD.

     We can see from the presence of *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega above that the provision for return and reward is not limited to the "Old Testament", also called the Tanakh. Jesus applies the same concept to His Churches in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3 as He calls those Churches to return to Him and repent and promises the rewards they will receive as a result of following the voice of repentance and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

     There are several interpretations as to what these seven churches of Revelation mean or represent, but, at face value, we can perhaps agree that Jesus chose to speak to these churches because the challenges, successes and failures that had beset them also besets many churches and believers today. He reminds several that they are sitting in the middle of the place of Satan's throne. These churches were in danger of falling under the challenge of evil and darkness rather than standing against it in Christ and in His works, His Name, His Word and the Spirit. This same challenge is eternal and present with us today. This time of the holy fall Feasts of the LORD is accompanied by the call of the shofar trumpet to repentance, return to the LORD and the receiving of His rewards for us if we will hear and obey.

     According to articles written by rabbis, the sound of the shofar trumpet calls to God's people as a loud voice - a prophetic voice and the voice of the LORD Himself. (see Isa. 58:1, Rev. 1:10, Rev. 4:1-2). It's a call of warning and judgment, of gathering together, of return to the LORD and repentance. The sound of the shofar, the rabbis wrote, is the voice of heaven forming a bridge between heaven and earth. The voice of the shofar leads to revelation and causes closed hearts to be opened and repentant. The sound of the shofar stirs God's compassion and mercy. The sound of the shofar stirs Jewish hearts to call for the appearance of Messiah/Christ. The shofar proclaims the birth of creation and man and is the sound of rebirth and new life that comes forth from repentance and a changed or transformed heart. The breath of the shofar joins with the breath of the Spirit of God bringing forth divine breath into the world. The breath going forth from the shofar becomes spirals of light in the world, and darkness flees.

     In the Book of Acts, the disciples said that they were compelled to speak forth (laleo - to utter a voice or to emit a sound) the Name of Jesus when religious leaders tried to silence them. They were compelled to make the sound. (Acts 4:18-20).

     If you would like to learn more about the return to the LORD and His awaiting rewards, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father and Great King above all the earth, Your voice goes forth like a trumpet summoning me to return to You and to repent through Your Son of Atonement and Forgiveness, Jesus. Lord Jesus, Your voice as a trumpet is calling me to return to my first love - a love and devotion to You. I hear the shofar trumpet of Your Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, please give me a heart to obey what the Spirit is saying to me. Although You are a Rewarder of those who diligently seek You, Lord, I return to You because You are worthy. I return to You because You have not forsaken me, nor lost me out of Your Good Shepherd's hand. Even when I have been in the darkness of iniquity and worldly cares, You have been a Light to me, showing me the way back to You and beckoning me into Your Presence. Especially in this season, I pray that the whole earth would hear the voice of the shofar trumpet and would return to their Creator, to their Savior, because this is the season of great harvest. I ask this in the Name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

AWE

This Sabbath falls on the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. Trumpets have a special significance to the LORD, and to His people. Trumpets announce a warning, a call to battle, a time to rejoice, and they are a call to assemble together before the LORD. For believers in Christ, trumpets also signify the sound of the return of the Lord Jesus to gather His people, both the living and the dead, to meet Him in the clouds, and to be with Him from that moment forever forward (1 Cor. 15:51-57). From the day of the Feast of Trumpets until the Day of Atonement, which is also signified by a great trumpet, there are ten days that are referred to as The Days of Awe. The appointment of the ten days interim by the LORD was not an accident. These ten days are set aside as a time of prayer, self-examination, and repentance. The Hebrew word for the number "ten" is eser/asar, which means "ten, 10x/tithe, tenth, enrich, wealthy, prosper, happy, to be straight". The number ten also represents the complete congregation, body, kingdom, gathering, union. Ten, in the pictographic Hebrew alphabet, is represented by the letter yod, which means "hand", and "a finished work". The number ten also portrays the time of judgment when men either receive rewards or receive divine justice against themselves. So spiritually speaking, something of great importance in the eyes of the LORD is accomplished and finished in these ten interim days between the two feasts. The blessing said to one another on the Feast of Trumpets is "May you be inscribed (in the book)". A believer in Christ understands the "book" mentioned as "the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world", as mentioned in Rev. 13:8-9. The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Va-Yelech, a kind of "part 2" to last week's reading. This week's Sabbath is also called Shuvah, which means "to return". This is a tine to return to the LORD, which is the goal of the Ten Days of Awe also. I know that we feel many things for the LORD, but do we feel AWE? One definition of the word awe is "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder". Do we reverence Him with the reverence which He deserves? It seems to me that we treat our Great God more with familiarity than reverence. Do we enter church or synagogue in a spirit of reverence knowing we are about to open His Word, and stand before His Presence in worship and praise? When we come before our God in prayer, is it with reverence and wonder, or is it instead with a shopping list of our needs and desires? Do we fear our heavenly Father in the same way that we might fear or dread disappointing our earthly fathers? Are our hearts and days filled with wonder (a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or inexplicable) at His words and works? Most of us, being honest, may admit that the answer to these questions is "no", or perhaps "sometimes". We too then need a shuvah return to our Lord, our first love, our primary focus and reason for being (Rev. 2:4-5). Do we feel reverence and wonder when we consider how Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, for us as our High Priest, sprinkling His own sacrificed blood upon the Mercy Seat of God in heaven in order to cover the curse of the Law that comes against those who break it? (Heb. 9:11-15). It is Christ's fulfilment of this Feast that became the redemption for our transgressions because "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (see Heb. 10:28-31). We cannot treat this as "a common thing" (v. 29). The reverence, fear, and wonder of this finished work of God should be with us every day. If it is not, then, again, we need a shuvah return to our Lord. In the readings from the prophets for this Sabbath, the Word of the LORD calls God's people to return to Him. Hosea wrote: "O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled (kasal - waver, tottering, stumble, stagger, feeble, made weak, bereaved, overthrown, wearied, fail) because of your iniquity; Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods'. For in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hos. 14:1-3). Often in scripture, the LORD must deliver judgment upon His people because they have left Him, and have chosen the ways of evil and wickedness, including the harming of others. However, I do not hear this kind of judgment when I read these words in Hosea. I hear God being concerned because He sees His people stumbling and falling, growing weaker because of the iniquities which they carry. They have relied upon other men, and the work of their own hands instead of Him. The LORD tells them to return to Him, and He makes it very simple for them: "Take words with you". They need only bring Him "the sacrifices of our lips". Immediately, the LORD promises: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall grow like the lily...his beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon." v. 4-6). The beauty and reviving pleasure of the LORD awaits us in our shuvah return to Him. Just take your words with you as you turn to Him. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading from the prophet Micah we can read: "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me...He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness...Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Mic. 7:7-9, 18-19, 2 Cor. 5:21). Psalm 25 says: "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way...For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity for it is great. For who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses." As we saw above, the number ten is associated in part with the completed, unified body or congregation. With all of the divisions that exist within the congregation of the God of Israel, the Ten Days of Awe are a perfect opportunity, given to us by God, for the complete congregation, both Jews and Gentiles, to be unified in returning to the LORD our God. There is a time when God will judge all unrighteousness, and scripture tells us that the judgment begins in the House of the LORD (1 Peter 4:17). These Ten Days of Awe, which the LORD has provided for us, calls His people to assemble together in order to bring our words and return to Him. He will revive us in the beauty of His holiness, as the prophet saw, and He will revive our reverence, fear, and wonder of Him. If you would like to know more about returning to the LORD, you can join with me in prayer: "LORD God, I bring my words to You, to return to You, to have reverence, fear in honor and wonder towards You, and Your mighty works. . The trumpet will sound, and I will remember and proclaim the atonement that was made for me by the blood of the Lamb of God. The trumpet will sound, and I will rejoice that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life- the Lamb who was slain for my salvation, and redemption, from before the foundation of the world. The trumpet will sound, and I will call upon Your mercy and pardon. The trumpet will sound, and I will fall to my knees in reverence and AWE. The trumpet will sound, and I will be taken up to meet Jesus, to remain forever with Him. In Jesus' name, I pray this. AMEN."

Shuvah

This is the first sabbath of the new Jewish calendar year. It is also the sabbath that comes between the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah, which has recently passed, and the most solemn Feast of the LORD, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which will occur in a few days. This time between the two feasts is called Shuvah, meaning "return". It comes from the Hebrew root word shub which means "return, recover, come/go back, to restore, refresh, repair, be brought back". At the same time, shub can also mean "turn away from, refuse, hinder, reject". When we return to God, we are purposefully turning away from, refusing and rejecting those things that are not of God, refusing and rejecting them. As we will see in one of the sabbath readings, the people of God are not always aware of how far they have drifted from God, but God is aware, and calls His people to return. Jesus found this same condition even among those who believed in Him. They could not see how much their sin had enslaved them, and that they needed Jesus, the Son, to set them free from it. In fact, they were offended that He would contend such a thing (see Jn. 8:30-40, Jn. 9:39-41). However, the systems of this world, and even our own flesh, are continually working to separate and distance us from our God. We can all use this precious time allotted by God to return to him. As I read this week's Sabbath scriptures and other verses, it seemed to me that we were being told about a serious but magical time in the LORD. I know that the use of the word "magical" might seem strange when applied to a discussion about the things of God, but that's the word that came to mind. When I looked up the definition of "magical", I found that it included "supernatural, mystical, extraordinary, exceptional, remarkable, superlative, amazing, unparalleled" and so on, so I'll stick with the use of the word "magical". In fact, Shuvah is so magical, no one would want to miss experiencing it when they find out what it means, and its far-reaching results. Here is our first example of the magic of Shuvah from this week's sabbath reading: "O Israel, return (shub) to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity; take words (dabar - utterance, promise, precept, a royal mandate, oracles, a thing done) with you, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria (in the sense of being, or relying on, one who is fortunate, successful, prosperous) will not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands (meaning by the strength of our own efforts and the idols we create), 'You are our gods.' For in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hos. 14:1-3). The return to the LORD begins through the words out of our mouths, as is mentioned three different ways in v. 2, above. The prophet Jeremiah also wrote of what our declaration should be as we return to the LORD, as we are also turning away from the abominations that exist apart from Him: "...And you shall swear (saba - swear, take an oath, repeating a declaration seven times), 'The LORD lives', in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory." (Jer. 4:1-2). Even the nations will be affected by the declaration of those who return to the LORD. That's magical! We can also see in the verses from Hosea 14 above, that whether we do or do not have earthly fathers, we are "fatherless" unless we can recognize and say that we need God as our Father. Now here is the "magic" of shub, or return, as the LORD says in response: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him, I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; his beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return (shub- see above); they shall be revived (haya/hava - saved, have life, be restored to life or health, revive from death/ breathe, declare) like grain, and grow like a vine. Their scent (zeker - remembrance, memorial, bring to remembrance) shall be like the wine of Lebanon...Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." (v. 4-7, 9). In Hosea 13, the LORD also declared: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. 'O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!' Pity (for Death) is hidden from My eyes." (Hos. 13:14). When the apostle Paul wrote about our resurrection in Christ (1 Cor. 15:51-55), he quoted these verses from Hosea, adding "Death is swallowed up in victory." which he repeated from Isaiah. However, the seeds of it all were planted in Shuvah, return. Our way of return to our Father, and resurrection, or Shuvah revival from death, is Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life (Jn. 14:1-7). In another reading from this week's sabbath in Micah 7, we can read about the far-reaching effects of Shuvah return. The prophet saw the condition of the people: "The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net...Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, like those who glean vintage grapes; (but) there is no cluster to eat of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires." (Micah 7:2, 1). The prophet described these terrible things that he saw, and the resulting lack of the first fruits that signify the favor and provision of God for His people, which would include the first fruits of the resurrection, Jesus (see 1 Cor. 15:20). The prophet then turned to the LORD and said with his mouth: "Therefore I will look (sapa - look well, keep watch, lean forward and peer into the distance, to shine, to be bright, to overlay with gold and silver) to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me...'Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your heritage...as in days of old...Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?' He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue (kabas - bring into bondage, tread down, conquer and subjugate) our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 'You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old." (Micah 7:7, 14, 18-20). In Malachi 3, the LORD said to His people: "Return (shub - see above) to Me, and I will return (shub) to you." (Mal. 3:7). We can see clearly here that Shuvah return is reciprocal, rather than a one-way activity. His people weren't even aware of how far they had drifted from the LORD, and had to ask Him (Mal. 3:7, 13). After explaining how they had departed from Him as revealed in their tithes, offerings and their words, the LORD promised this if they returned: "And try Me now in this...if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes...And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land', says the LORD of hosts." (Mal. 3:8-12). Even a book of remembrance will be written before the LORD "for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. 'They shall be mine', says the LORD of hosts..." (v. 16-17). Here is a "magical" Shuvah transformation from Isaiah: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return (shub) to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon...For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands...And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isa. 55:7, 12-13). Even creation experiences the magic of a Shuvah return according to Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah wrote that a Shuvah return is so magical, that the resulting effects in the earth will be an everlasting sign to all. It is always wise to enter into the Shuvah return to the LORD that is traditionally observed during the ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, and not ignore the opportunity. Why would we not want to return, especially in these perilous times, considering the power, blessing, and "magic" found in the return of God's people to Him? If you would like to enter into a Shuvah return to the LORD, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, I am returning to You. So many things have pulled my eyes off of You, and pulled my heart away from You. I recognize the sin in my life, and confess it in my return to You. You gave Your Son as my Shuvah Return, as my Atonement, and as my Sacrifice for my sin. I declare with the words and saying of my lips that You are my Father, my Shepherd, my Reviver, and my Restorer. You have saved me, and revived me from death to life and health. As I return to You, LORD, pour out Your Shuvah blessing and "magic" upon the earth, so that all nations and all creation may see it, and that it may be to You 'for a name, and an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off'. You are an 'amazing, extraordinary, superlative, unparalleled' God! I return to You in Jesus' name, AMEN."