When the holiday of Shavuot comes around in the late spring, families gather together to celebrate the fruitfulness of the land, read the book of Ruth, and ponder the giving of the Law. But why should this festival, a purely agricultural feast in the Bible, have come to be so closely associated with the revelation at Sinai?
Read MoreThe epic story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt begins with God remembering His covenants. In celebrating Passover, we too should remember.
Read MoreTu Bishevat celebrates trees and reminds us of our eternal call to cultivate the world as gardener-kings. In this meditation, trace the roots and branches of the Tree of Life as it weaves throughout the Scripture.
Read MoreTu Bishevat celebrates trees and reminds us of our eternal call to cultivate the world as gardener-kings. In this meditation, trace the roots and branches of the Tree of Life as it weaves throughout the Scripture.
Read MoreLeviticus 23 lists the appointed holidays that the Lord gave for the people of Israel to celebrate. Hanukkah is not on that list, nor is it found anywhere in the Old Testament. Is Hanukkah an unimportant, man-made holiday, or does it have a truly valuable and Scriptural message for us?
Read MoreThe LORD commands that Israel observe her annual Feast of Booths, "Sukkot," by remembering how they lived in booths during their wilderness wanderings. Strangely, the actual Exodus doesn’t mention that the people of Israel slept in booths when they left Egypt.
Or does it?
Read MoreYom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, commanded to be observed annually in Leviticus 16. That chapter opens, however, with Aaron’s two sons, who “drew near to the LORD and died,” tragically highlighting humanity's fundamental problem: how can we draw near to God when our sin means approaching Him is death?
Read MoreAt first glance, the celebration of Rosh Hashanah doesn’t seem very important. The Israelites are commanded to rest, to eat, to drink, and to make an offering to the Lord. But they are also commanded to gather together and remember the blast of the trumpet. What trumpet blast are they supposed to remember, and why is it crucial in recognizing the Messiah?
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