Of The Heart…

The fall festival season begins with a 40-day period called, in Hebrew, Teshuvah,which means “to repent or return.”

At this time every year in the Hebrew calendar is a season of self examination.Prophetically: Teshuvah’s 40 days of repentance, Prepares Believers For Messiah’s Appearing.

“I Tell You A Mystery: We Will Not All Sleep, But We Will All Be Changed— In A Flash, In The Twinkling Of An Eye, At The Last Trumpet (Shofar). For The Trumpet Will Sound, The Dead Will Be Raised Imperishable, And We Will Be Changed.” 1 Cor 15:51-52

Create in Me A Clean Heart Oh Lord/Adonai and Renew a Right Spirit Within Me. Psalm 51

Elul is the 6th month of the Biblical Calendar year. This month is set aside for Teshuvah/Repentance in anticipation of the Fall Feasts. The month of Elul is a time to prepare for Yamim Nora’im, The Days of Awe by getting our SPIRITUAL HOUSE IN ORDER.Jeremiah 24:7

This is a time to look into our hearts and ask the Ruach HaKodesh to search our hearts and reveal any hidden sins, resentments, forgiveness, pride, anger, bitterness etc. and to repent, make Teshuvah and work at walking according to the Spirit and not the flesh.The root of this important word is shuv which means to turn back. Teshuvah is as much a state of mind (faith / creed) as it is a step of action (Faithfulness / Deed).

The call to make teshuvah is a call to leave one’s own path and turn to The Lords/Adonai’s. It is a call to submit one’s will to God’s will.Perhaps the most important dimension of teshuvah to grasp, is that it requires more than simply turing from sin. One must be willing to turn to the path of righteousness. The cry of the penitent one says, ‘My soul desires what Your soul desires!’

Primarily, repentance calls for the abandonment of the way of sin and the inner resolve never to return to it, and not the outward acts that accompany it.

Note: In Hebrew a person is called a Ba’al Teshuvah who turns to the Lord/Adonai, from a life of sin. Literally this means, a Master of Repentance. It describes the reality that TESHUVAH IS NOT A ONCE AND DONE ACT! As followers of Jesus/Yeshua we live a life of turning back to The Lord/Adonai.  We are ever turning from self to The Lord/Adonai.

The 40 days of Teshuvah begins on the first day of the sixth month, the month of Elul. Elul last for 30 days, (known as the month of MERCY, the month when The Lord/Adonai draws near to His people.)

It concludes with the 1st of Tishrei, the 7th month, which is also the mo’edim/appointed time, known as Yom Teruah or The Day of Trumpets. (Leviticus 23:23-25)

Ten days later, on the 10th of Tishrei, is Yom Kippur or the “Day of Atonement”. (Leviticus 23:26-27). The days in between these two Biblical festivals are called Yamim Nora’im which literally means the “awesome days”; commonly called the Days of Awe. This 10 day period, coupled with the 30 days of Elul, make up the 40 days of Teshuvah. (Literally: “returning”; a Hebrew term for repentance.)

The Rabbis said that this is the time when “the King is in the field”. The heart of HaShem is for His beloved to make teshuvah.We are the beloved of Adonai/The Lord. It is His love that draws us to repentance thus, in love, He beckons us to return to Him. Deut. 4:30The month of Elul is sometimes called the month of love and compassion based on the acronym formed from,

     I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine. Song of Solomon 6:3This poignant verse alludes to the mystery that God is our heavenly groom and we are his betrothed. God is the great lover of our souls and the greatest mitzvah/commandment of all, is to keep faith in his covenant promise of love. Romans 8:24 Our beloved is coming Jesus/Yeshua our Messiah, will soon be here chevarim (friends), don’t miss the bridegroom’s call. Return to the passion of your first love. Rev. 2:4

Jesus/Yeshua illustrated the idea of Teshuvah which means returning to God, by telling the story of the prodigal son. Luke 15:11–32.

After squandering his father’s inheritance a wayward son decided to return home full of shame and self-reproach. That while he was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him and he ran to his son threw his arms around him and kissed him.The father then ordered a celebratory meal in honor of his lost son’s homecoming. When his older brother objected that father said, we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found.

In the parable reveals that teshuvah ultimately means returning (shuv) to the compassionate arms of your heavenly Father.God sees you while you are still a long way off. Rom. 5:8

He runs to you with affection when you first begin to turn your heart toward Him. Indeed Gods compassion is so great that He willingly embraces the shame of your sins and then adorns you with a fine robe a ring and sandals.Your Heavenly Father even slaughters the fattened calf Jesus/Yeshua so that a meal that celebrates your life may be served.

Why did Jesus/Yeshua come? He was like the father in the parable who was actively looking for his lost son. He came to seek and save the lost Luke 19:10

Jesus/Yeshua likened Himself to a shepherd who left his flock to search for one lost sheep and after finding it laid that sheep on his shoulders rejoicing. Luke 15:3–7He also likened himself to a woman who lost a coin but diligently searched for it. After she found it she called together her friends and neighbors saying rejoice with me for I have found the lost coin. Luke 15:8–10Jesus/Yeshuas first words of public ministry were REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. Mark 1:15

The word repent is metanao meaning to change your thinking and the word gospel means good news. From good and message. We could translate the verse as: change your thinking and believe the message of God’s good will toward you. The good news is that we are to be set free from the curse of the law and futile efforts of seeking self justification before heaven. We no longer need to live in fear of God’s conditional acceptance of us and therefore of our conditional worth.

As Paul later preached, let it be known to you therefore brothers that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38–39The Jews had known about repentance teshuvah for a long time of course. They understood the rituals and mitzvoth/commandments that were required to keep the law and they even devised legal formulas for making your defense before the Almighty. (ie the Kol Nidre service recited before Yom Kippur which was, we exonerate ourselves for failing to keep our word.) If Moses and the law could have saved us we wouldn’t need to be declared righteous by God’s grace through the redemption in Jesus/Yeshua. Romans 3:24  and we would not need the cross. All we’d need to do is work hard at repentance, perform additional mitzvoth/good works but clearly Jesus/Yeshua meant something other than this when He made the call to repent.The repentance that Jesus/Yeshua preached was inextricably connected with the good news that He alone is God’s answer to the problem of sin. Jesus/Yeshua was born to die as the divinely appointed Sin bearer of the world. Hebrews 10:5-7

He came to the earth and emptied Himself of His regal glory and power in order to be the high priest. After the order of Malki –Tzedek and the mediator of the new covenant. Hebrews 5:6; 9:15; Psalm 110:4; 1 Timothy 2:5;

He came to Jerusalem, to Moriah for the explicit purpose of suffering and dying and being raised from the dead. Matthew 16:21 Luke 9:22

Jesus/Yeshua died not only for our forgiveness but also to deliver us from the law of sin and death.i.e. the power that  sin holds in our lives. He died to set us free so that we could become the beloved children of God. Jesus/Yeshua surely was not calling people to become followers of the scribes and Pharisees, who were blind guides and hypocrites Matthew 23:13–36. He did not want people to become slaves to rituals or religion, now he called people to follow Him.

Take up your cross and follow Me.

Turn your thinking around.

Die to your religion.

Be comforted because there is good news from heaven.Gods unconditional acceptance is given to those who trust in the righteousness of Jesus/Yeshua in place of any self righteousness that might be gained by performing the works of the law. Galatians 2:16, Titus 3:5

Jesus/Yeshua is the goal of the law for righteousness for all who believe Romans 10:4–13

 Dying to the religious project of attaining self-righteousness is to admit the need for radical deliverance from the law itself.Jesus’/Yeshua’s message of salvation was rejected by the religious establishment of His day, just as it is likewise rejected by all other karma-based religions and philosophies that believed that good deeds are sufficient for your place in heaven. After all the religious Jews assumed they already understood the requirements for repentance and the means for finding atonement with God through the rituals and practices surrounding the high holidays.Their religion was essentially a meritocracy based on the performance of good works. That were thought to impart zechut and righteousness to the soul.

But Yeshua explained to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, that a person is not justified on the basis of their supposed good deeds or merits but entirely by appealing to God’s compassion and mercy.

It was the despised tax collector not the self-righteous Pharisee that left the temple justified: Luke 18:10-14

The talmud (Hebrew Commentary) draws a distinction between those motivated by:

Teshuvah me-yirah, “return out of fear” (of punishment),

And

Teshuvah me- ahavah, “return out of love” (of god).

Of the former, their intentional sins are accounted as if they were unintentional;

Of those who return out of love, their intentional transgressions become like merits.

The concept is that the human personality is capable of regeneration and renewal.

Thus teshuvah is an experience of transformation.

When performed out of fear, it lessens the burden of sin but does not give victory over the sin.

Teshuvah undertaken out of love accomplishes a fundamental transformation, in which healing and purification are complete ‘for the baal teshuvah, the man who returned.’

During this season of teshuvah, we must always remember that the Lord is for us and not against us.

He died while we were yet sinners. Romans 5:8

He is the loving strongman who rescued us forever.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Rom 8:31–39

We are literally saved in this hope. Romans 8:24

Peace – Shalom!