Happy New Year!

Numbers 29:1‑6 – Happy NewYear!

The first day of the first month of 2015. The New Year is almost here. And just as it was for the Jewish people of old, this is a special day for all of us. I will admit that for most of us, nothing changes. The routine that follows this day is much the same as the routine that precedes it. But for most, it holds the promise of new beginnings. Starting over. A leaf turned over. A chance to do it right. In our minds, old accounts can be wiped away and we all start fresh. That’s why people look to this day with anticipation and excitement. That is why tremendous celebrations accompany the day.

For the Jewish people, it was called Rosh Hashanah, Head of the Year, The Feast of Trumpets. In Numbers 29:1-6 we come to the celebration of the Jewish New Year. Of course their New Year began on the first day of the seventh month, but it was the time when God commanded them to celebrate – a time of new beginnings for the people of Israel. It was a day of sounding the trumpet, the shofar. The shofar was used to awaken worshipers to their need for prayer and repentance. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jews were reminded of their need to wake up and be honest and objective about their lives: Who they are, where they had been, and which direction they were headed. The Teruah blast resembles an alarm clock, arousing the worshiper from their spiritual slumber. The shofar brings clarity, alertness, and focus. Rosh Hashanah was a day of memory, a day of appreciating who God is. It was a day of judgment. It was the first day of a ten day period of deep introspection and repentance leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It was the day of new beginnings.

For the Hebrew people in the Old Testament, it was a special day. As I mentioned before, their year began on the first day of the seventh month, just before the harvest season would start and the physical blessings of God would be manifested. This was a day of special celebration. You see, Rosh Hashanah was first and foremost a day of rejoicing – sort of like it is for us. Normally, we spend the day eating black-eyed peas and watching parades and football games. It is a day of rest for most in the United States, but only so they can recuperate from the parties of the night before. Unfortunately, January 1 is typically anything but a holy day in the United States of America. Instead of a day of rejoicing, it is usually a day of recovery. We, the people of God, could take a lesson from the Israelite people. With so many people searching for something new and different in 2015, what better place to start than by consecrating the year to the Lord. How about you? Will you rejoice in His presence this year?