Our God is a God of order. He set up the cycles of life for us to be in the order He created. He chose to regulate our times and seasons by the moon. He showed us His design as He set these times and seasons in place from the beginning of time as we know it. His pattern is a day starts at evening. Each week ends on a Sabbath rest. Each Hebraic month starts at a new moon.The new month appointed time is called Rosh Chodesh.An important maker in God’s cycles to keep all other appointed times on the appointed day of the Lord. God knew our need to have set times to meet with Him even though we have constant access to His presence
·Psalm 104: [19] He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. NASB
·Gen.1:[3] Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. [4] God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. NASB
·Gen.2: On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. [3] And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. NLT(By the way this was the first act of creation He called Holy up till this act He called everything good.)
·Psalms [3] Blow the trumpet at the new moon (Rosh Chodesh), at the full moon, on our feast day.
Rosh Chodesh means, literally, “head of the month” or “first of the month.”It is the first day of any new month on the biblical calendar. It is the appointed time to have a monthly celebration of the New Moon. God’s biblical calendar follows the lunar months. Why the lunar months? Simple God said so.
In ancient times the day after the new moon appeared there was a festival. To announce the festival there was the sounding of the shofar, commemorated with solemn convocations, family festivities and special sacrifices. Rosh Chodesh is an expression of First Fruits. It is an opportunity to sanctify the month, your time and your money.
Why do we celebrate it? God said so.
Numbers10 [10] “Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months (Rosh Chodesh), you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God.” NASB
If I am to understand that correctly it is a time He will remember us as we remember Him.
Is Rosh Chodesh an Old Testament only celebration? No, in Isaiah God tells us the following.
Isa.66 [22] “For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will continue in my presence,” says ADONAI*, “so will your descendants and your name continue. [23] “Every month on Rosh-Chodesh* and every week on Shabbat*, everyone living will come to worship in my presence,” says ADONAI*. CJB
In ancient times, the new months were determined by observation. Each month began when the first sliver of moon became visible after the dark of the moon. Observers would watch the sky at night for any sign of the moon. If they saw the moon, they would report their sightings to the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the supreme council of the Jewish people. This ruling body would interrogate the observers to make sure that they were not mistaken. When two witnesses were in agreement. Then the Sanhedrin would declare the new month and send out messengers to tell people when the month began. Shofars were blown, and fires were set from mountain to mountain as a means to give notice to those in surrounding areas.
During the period of Syrian-Greek persecution that culminated in the miracle of Chanukah, Rosh Chodesh was one of three commandments whose observance were prohibited by King Antiochus. The other two forbidden commandments were the Sabbath and circumcision. The fact that Rosh Chodesh was considered important enough to forbid is sufficient indication of its great significance.”
Why is it that stopping these Feasts was important to the enemies of God’s people?
The book of Daniel makes reference to the plan of Satan to change the feast and holy days. Satan hates these appointed times because they are rehearsals for the time when Yeshua will reign from Jerusalem.That reign will end satan’s reign on earth.It is important for us to realize if we are to embrace the ways of God it would be wise to embrace what God has deemed important enough to be continued when Yeshua returns.
Dan.7 [25] And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. AMP
Could it be that Satan knew as we pull away from the cycles of God to rest on Shabbat, Worship on Rosh Chodesh and enter into His appointed times of refreshing and remembering we become depleted and worn out?
Numbers 10:10 above lays out what God expected of the Israelites. Blow the trumpets over your brunt offerings and your peace offerings.
What is the burnt offering?There is so much to be learned about it but briefly it was the sacrifice that symbolized entire surrender unto God. It was called the sacrifice of devotion and service. It burned continually on the altar as a sweet smelling savoir to the Lord. The offeror would place his hand on the head of the sacrifice as an act of transferring all his strength his very being as well as his sin upon the animal. The entire sacrifice was consumed.
Yes Yeshua the Lamb of God is our burnt offering but we still must lay our strength and sin upon Him and allow Him to exchange His life for ours in turn we must be willing for that exchange of our life for His.
The peace offering was the most joyous of all the offerings and always followed all the other sacrifices. There were three kinds of peace offerings. The thank-offering was in response to acts of divine benevolence. The votive offering in grateful response to a petition fulfilled. The free-will sacrifice was a voluntary response from a truly loving heart full of gratitude for the happiness received from the Lord that promoted a deep sense of humility.
So, each month as the trumpets were sounded over the offerings it was a time to cleanse one’s heart and surrender to His unfailing love and mercy with great humility and joy for His goodness.
God gave us cycles of remembrance for own good and His pleasure. Weekly to meet Him at Sabbath, monthly to meet Him at Rosh Chodesh and yearly at each appointed time. Both Jews grafted back in to the Olive tree of Romans 11 through recognition of Yeshua their Messiah and Gentiles grafted in by the same recognition.It must be understood that the root supports us both and provides our nourishment.
May I suggest you might consider embracing Rosh Chodesh and gather friends and family to celebrate each Moed with you?It would be a wonderful opportunity to worship and take communion together. Remember communion is as a time of acknowledging your covenant relationship with the Lord and each other. It is a time to remember all Yeshua/Jesus accomplished on the cross. It is a time to affirm your commitment and love to that covenant. It is a time to give testimony of the goodness of God in your last month and seek the Lord together for wisdom and direction for the coming month.
Today as we enter in it is a time to be led by the Holy Spirit, in words and in prophetic declarations and actions.
To Help you in your understanding of God’s directions for each month. This page will have a monthly teaching by myself and others.In light of that, it is my privilege to Introduce Christine Vales and her chalk talk teachings. I also encourage you to check out her calendar / journal on our book list as a tool to greater understanding of God’s cycles.