by Joan Masterson
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 that actually starts in the evening. Instead of the dawn indicating a new day, the evening began the cycle of a new day. Each week ends on a Sabbath rest. Each Hebraic month starts at a new moon. The new month’s appointed time is called Rosh Chodesh. An important maker in God’s cycles is to keep all other appointed times on the appointed day of the Lord. Although we have constant access to His presence God knew our need to have set times to meet with Him.
Psalm 104: [19] He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. NASB
Genesis 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
Genesis 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 until this act was completed 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 “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 including your time and your money.
Why do we celebrate Rosh Chodesh? Because God said so.
Numbers 10 [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 this 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,
Isaiah 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 the moon became visible after the dark of the moon. At night, observers would watch the sky 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, the Sanhedrin would then declare the new month and send out messengers to tell people that the month had begun. 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 observances 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 a 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 feasts 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.
Daniel 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 would become depleted and worn out?
Numbers 10:10 above lays out what God expected of the Israelites. Blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your peace offerings.
What is the burnt offering?
What is the burnt offering? There is so much to be learned about the burnt offering, but briefly, the sacrifice symbolizes the entire surrender unto God. It was called the sacrifice of devotion and service. It burned continually on the altar as a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord. The offerer 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 to receive 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 was in grateful response to a petition fulfilled. The free-will sacrifice was a voluntary response that promoted a deep sense of humility. It was from a truly loving heart full of gratitude for the happiness received from the Lord.
So, each month as the trumpets were sounded over the offerings, it was a time to cleanse one’s heart with great humility and surrender to His unfailing love, mercy, and joy for His goodness.
God gave us cycles of remembrance for our own good and His pleasure. To meet Him weekly at Sabbath, monthly at Rosh Chodesh, and yearly at each appointed time. Both Jews and Gentiles are grafted into the Olive tree according to Romans 11 through the recognition of Yeshua as their Messiah. It must be understood that the root supports both Jew and Gentile and provides our nourishment.
May I suggest you consider embracing Rosh Chodesh and gathering friends and family to celebrate each Moed with you? It would be a wonderful opportunity to worship and take communion together. Remember, communion is 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 experienced 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, 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 either myself or other believers. With this in mind, 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 a greater understanding of God’s cycles.