According to Jewish traditions, Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets) is the celebration of the Jewish New Year, the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, a day of judgement, and the sounding of the shofar. I never realized this holiday encompassed all of these celebrations. I think we could also add that it is the birthday of the universe.
What can we learn from the Feast of Trumpets as found in Leviticus 23:23-25 and how can we apply it to our lives today? The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.”
In rabbinic literature, Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of creation, the day of judgement, and a day to renew the bond between God and Israel. Most Jewish people do not refer to this day as The Feast of Trumpets, but rather as Rosh Hashanah which means “the head of the year” because they believe it is the day that God created the heavens and the earth.
One takeaway from this feast is a call to stop work and remember the Lord. It is interesting that the timing of this Feast is right around when Labor Day is celebrated in the United States—a day when most employees are given the day off from work. Maybe as Christians, instead of honoring workers and a day off, we would stop and reflect on the Lord as God told Moses to instruct the Israelites to do on this day.
As believers, I think we can look at Rosh Hashanah and Labor Day as a celebration and recognize what the Lord has done. He created the universe and is coming back for His children. On that day to come, the trumpet will blow and those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior will be united with Him. Matthew 24:31says, “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” How awesome and exciting that day will be!
Birthdays and anniversaries are times to celebrate and honor a person or a particular day. To celebrate the day the world was created, we only have to look at the Person of Jesus Christ. How do you celebrate and honor someone who gave their life so that we can live free, delivered, prosperous, healed, and whole?
Celebrate His life by getting to know who He is. One way might be looking at the different names of God. His name reveals His nature and character. Here are several to get you started:
| Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord God our provider | Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord God our banner |
| Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord God our healer | Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord God our peace |
| Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord God our righteousness | Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord God who sanctifies |
| Jehovah Rohi, the Lord God our shepherd | Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord God who is present |
On this Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah weekend, celebrate and honor God by spending time with Him. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you and to show you how much He loves you. He wants to be your Healer, Provider, and Shepherd. It is who He is.
As a born-again believer, His nature and character lives on the inside of you—that is the too-good-to-be-true news!
Happy Birthday/Anniversary, Universe!
~Donna Jones