New Month – New Moon

New Moon – New Month

Pastor Israel shares the importance God places on celebrating His times and seasons.

In the beginning, God ordained the sun, stars, and moon as celestial markers of His divine times and seasons. The stars were designed to delineate the seasons, the moon to measure the months, and the sun to govern the days. When God set aside the people of Israel from the rest of the nations, He created a calendar through these heavenly bodies that would forever mark His and His joyous feasts and occasions. A calendar that man would be unable to change so they could celebrate Him and His joyous occasions.
 
Dedicate
Rosh Chodesh (heb. Beginning of the Month; Head of the Month) is a minor holiday observed at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It was all about celebrating God’s cycles and dedicating a new month to Him. By celebrating Shabbat, we dedicate each week to God.  By celebrating Rosh Chodesh, we dedicate each new month to the Lord.
 
 “And on your joyous occasions—your fixed festivals and new moon days—you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being.” Numbers 10:10
 
This Shabbat Friday, we will be celebrating Rosh Chodesh, the new moon, for the Hebrew month of Sivan. The Torah (Old Testament) portion reading for this upcoming Shabbat/Rosh Chodesh is book of Numbers, chapter 28. 

In this teaching, the people of Israel learn the importance of offering God their very best and dedicating everything they have to Him. After bringing the finest offering to the Lord, the people would sit and eat it in the presence of the Lord. It was a representation of partaking with God and Him sharing with His people what they brought to Him.

Commune with Him
What a remarkable symbol of God’s desire to spend time with us! He invites us to dine with Him at His table, the table of blessings, joy, and celebration. In a world where we are surrounded by sorrow and grief, God gave us cycles of joy and celebrations, so we always have those moments when we sit at His table like family.
 
It is our prayer that this new month of Sivan to be a blessing to you and yours! May it to be a time of celebration and a new month of blessings in the Lord’s presence, goodness and loving kindness. Have a blessed Rosh Chodesh — New Moon!  
 
Please remember the suffering of the Israeli people during these turbulent times, keeping them in your thoughts and prayers. Christians should also be aware of the times and seasons. As we see the day of the Lord’s return approaching, we should be diligently about the Lord’s work, bringing the gospel message of hope and love to our lost brothers and sisters. Stand by Israel by partnering with Voice of Judah Israel to bring comfort and aid to our friends across the sea.