Rabbi Schneider - The Lord's Holy Days
Did you know that the Creator has a calendar? That's right. Even as we have calendars in America and other parts of the world commemorating certain days, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Veterans Day, etc., the Lord, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of you and I, He also has a calendar. It's slightly different than our Gregorian calendar. By Gregorian I mean the name of the Solar System calendar that's used across the world to track time. The Lord's calendar is not based on the sun. The Lord's calendar is based on the moon. It's called a lunar calendar. It's similar in length to the solar calendar but not exactly.
The Lord marked His calendar, this lunar calendar that He's given us, He's marked it with certain appointed days. In fact, this is so important that the 23rd chapter of the Book of Leviticus that we call in Hebrew Vayikra actually walks us through every appointed day on the Creator's calendar. "The Lord's appointed times, which you shall proclaim as Holy Convocations. My appointed times are these".
So when the Lord tells us that He has holy days, which are to be times of holy convocation, days that are set apart for His people so that He can have a special meeting with them. I think those of you that love God would agree with me today we don't want to miss one of God's sacred days because we don't want to miss one of His appointments. The Lord is actually giving us His appointments. He actually said, "These are my appointed days".
Leviticus 23:1, "The Lord spoke again to Moses saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, "The LORD's appointed times..".'" get that phrase. "The Lord's appointed times". So let just take a step back for a moment and digest what we just read. These days, although originally given to Israel are not just for Israel only because the Bible says that all of God's elect, Jew and Gentile alike, in Yeshua, in Jesus have now become the Israel of God. So the church is known prophetically in the Brit Chadashah (the New Testament) as the Israel of God.
Now the church has not replaced Israel and spiritual Israel has not replaced national Israel. But the point is, is that you have been grafted in if you're a Gentile, through your living faith in Yeshua, you've been grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel. I say all that to say this. These appointed days of the Lord, beloved ones, are for you as well if you're a believer in the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also the God of Israel. So I just want to pray with you right now.
Father God, we love you today. And as we're entering into this holy time of year, these days that you said are your appointed days, we don't want to treat them casually. Father, we don't want to just push them aside. We don't want to say, "Oh, that's interesting," and not pay any attention to them. Father, you take them seriously and we take them seriously. Father, you said these are your appointed days for us. That you've made an appointment with us. And Father, we don't want to miss the appointment. Father, deliver us from not showing up to meet with You when You want to do something very special for us. Father, we love You today. And I pray that You would prepare all our hearts to receive everything that You have for us in King Messiah Yeshua.