Rosh Hashanah--A Feast of Trumpets

In ancient Israel the seventh month began with an important spiritual holiday. It is referred to as the Feast of Trumpets and begins the most holy month of the year. The month is Tishri, and even though it's not the first month like January on our calendar, it's the equivalent of New Year's Day. It is still celebrated in Judaism today as Rosh Hashanah. In Hebrew it literally means "head of the year." You can find this feast and all feasts in Leviticus, of course, in Chapter 23. Can you tell I'm addicted to Leviticus? And we don't even touch it in Gospel Doctrine.

The Lord said to Moses, "In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord" (Leviticus 23:24-25).

The main ceremony was the blowing of the trumpet, and this trumpet is a ram's horn, symbolizing the power of the resurrected Lamb of God. It is the sounding of the shofar. You can hear the shofar by going to http://www.jewfaq.org/sound/shofar.mid. 

THE TRUMPETS BLOWN AT JERICHO

The sounding of the trumpet played an important part in Israel's history, and it plays a major role in modern Church history. You will remember that the priests at the time of Joshua compassed the city of Jericho bearing seven rams' horns. On the seventh day when the seven priests had circled the city seven times and had blown the trumpets of rams' horns, Joshua gave the command to shout; and the walls of the city fell flat and Jericho was conquered (see Joshua 6:3-16). 

THE TRUMPET AND SWORD OF GIDEON

During the time of the judges, the Lord saves Israel from the Midianites by separating out 300 men (who drank water hand to mouth) and they were divided into three companies, bearing pitchers of light and trumpets. When Gideon blew the trumpet, the men in the companies broke the pitchers and blew the trumpets and the Midianites were in disarray and fled (Judges 7:6-22). The people shouted, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." By the way, the Lord does have a sword and bible scholars consider this to be kingly paraphernalia matching the sword of God's justice referenced during Samuel the Lamanite's speech to the Nephites. Samuel said, "Four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people (Helaman 13:5).

TRUMPETS OF THE WATCHMEN ON THE TOWER

Ezekiel was commanded to warn the Israelites as the Lord said, "Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people" (Ezekiel 33:2-3). Notice there was a sword in this reference also.

The sound of the trumpet, or shofar, became an announcement of victory or some other great event, and it also became a voice of warning.

MORONI'S TRUMPET

This year (2014) the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah will occur on September 25. In the year 1827, Rosh Hashanah occurred on September 22 (see www.hebcal.com). You may remember the significant event occurring on September 22, 1827. It was the day Joseph Smith received the golden plates containing the Book of Mormon record from the hands of Moroni (see Joseph Smith History 1:59). Joseph also received a warning that he must protect this sacred record. And today, you can see Moroni blowing his trumpet at the pinnacle of each temple, as he announces a new era at the head of a new dispensation, to prepare for the great Millennial feast of fat things spoken of by Isaiah (chapter 25). It will happen in the seventh seal, matching the Feast of Trumpets occurring in the seventh month.

And yes, there is a sword. In the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says:

"Wherefore the voice of the Lord (like a trumpet) is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear:

"Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

"And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth" (D&C 1:11-13).

Day of Atonement--Filling the Hand

The tenth day of the month of Tishri, the seventh month, is considered to be the most holy of any Old Testament holidays. It is recognized as Yom Kippur on the calendar. The presiding high priest of the Aaronic order would perform a series of atonements on behalf of Israel. Ancient priests were warned not to come into the tabernacle, and especially the Holy of Holies, except at particular times. Jehovah would come and appear in a cloud in the Holy of Holies above the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:2). The mercy seat was the covering of the Ark of the Covenant and was considered the throne of God.

The sacred nature of this ordinance is expressed in the clothing of the high priest. The scriptures record, "He (the priest) shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on" (verse 4).

The priest would cast lots on two goats and make a sin offering of one of them. The other would be the "scapegoat" and would be led into the wilderness to carry away the sins of Israel. Then it gets interesting.

"And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

 "And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not" (Leviticus 16:12-13).

So the priest would take a shovel full of coals from the brasen altar situated in front of the door of the tabernacle. Sacrifices were offered on this altar, so it represents a willingness on our part to sacrifice those things required by the Lord. The burning coals become a cleansing agent as iniquities are burnt away. When Isaiah receives his calling, as a prophet, he records, "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged" (Isaiah 6:6-7).

But this is not just any old sacrifice, it's a total consecration. Remember the Hebrew words for consecrate, male and yad, meaning "to fill the hand." Notice the plurality of hand, as both hands are filled with sweet, refined incense, as it is brought into the Holy of Holies. Frankincense was an offering fit for the Savior as a young child (see Matthew 2:11). To get incense you had to follow the incense trail and risk robbery or your very life to secure the precious substance. And this isn't just any old incense; it is beaten small. It is refined and chosen in the "furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10).

The veil referenced is not the outer veil leading into the tabernacle, but rather the inner veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The precious incense would then be scattered on the burning coals to create a cloud of smoke to cover the mercy seat. This would allow the high priest to come very near to the Lord without being consumed by His glory. Remember, this is Aaronic Priesthood and does not have the keys spoken of in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 84, verse 22, where it says, "For without this (Melchizedek Priesthood) no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live."

There is another connection with the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The mercy seat, which serves as the lid for the Ark of the Covenant, has a special Hebrew name. The Hebrew word is kapporeth and it is related to kaphar meaning atonement. So this is a place of atonement. The mercy seat was made of pure gold, and the Ark was overlaid with pure gold (Exodus 25:11,17). This would create a golden platform for Jehovah, matching other descriptions, such as His appearance in the Kirtland Temple, where the Lord was "standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber" (D&C 110:2). The mercy seat was the throne of God in ancient Israel.

There is also a Gethsemane connection here. Jesus went alone into the garden. The high priest was also alone in the tabernacle. Leviticus states:

"And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel" (Leviticus 16:17).

But the high priest could only imagine my sins, pains, or infirmities. He could only guess at the struggles you and I face. Jesus, as the Great High Priest, actually experienced your sufferings and mine in Gethsemane. The author of Hebrews (And I personally believe it to be Paul) expressed:

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Jesus also prepared the way for all of us to "enter into the holiest" realm of celestial glory through the veil of His own flesh. This is highly significant. In a later chapter of Hebrews it is written:

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

"By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:19-20).

I am so grateful for this truth and bear testimony of it.

A Free Bird

In Old Testament times there was a rite for cleansing lepers which is highly symbolic. There was a priest, two birds, three sacrificial lambs, some flour, and oil involved in this ritual. As a recovering alcoholic and addict, I can relate most to the free bird involved in this ancient ordinance. The entire cleansing process is found within Leviticus 14, and I am still having Leviticus withdrawals. It is one of my favorite books of the Bible, which you may think strange, and I know I am weird.

"The priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper" (Leviticus 14:3). The priest has two roles. He will eventually "pronounce him clean" (v. 7), and it's the priest's responsibility, as his judge in Israel, to determine if the person is ceremonially clean enough to enter sacred space. The priest will also serve as a mediator as he will "present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation" (v. 11). The candidate is "presented before the Lord" at the door of the tabernacle, at the threshold of sacred space. The tabernacle, of course, was a portable temple. He serves as a type of Christ here as an "advocate with the Father" (D&C 45:3). Today, bishops act in a similar office as administrators of the Aaronic Priesthood.

The next steps of the ceremony are highly symbolic.

"Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop" (v. 4).

Cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop are all elements of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The cedar wood represents the wooden cross. Before the crucifixion they placed a scarlet robe on the Savior (see Matthew 27:28). And during the crucifixion they put vinegar on a sponge and put it upon hyssop and put it to His mouth (John 19:29). Hyssop was also used at Passover to put the blood from the paschal lambs upon the lintels and doorposts (Exodus 12:22).

 "And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water" (v. 5).

Jesus announces Himself as "living water" to the woman at Jacob's well (John 4:10-14). After the crucifixion His body was placed in an earthen vessel, or tomb.

"As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:"

"And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field" (vv. 6-7).

This is beautiful imagery. The living bird is saved by the blood of the bird killed in an earthen vessel over running (or "living") water, and the living bird is released into a open field. The imagery of a bird flying freely over an open field is a perfect symbol of freedom. It is also interesting that the vision of the bird would be greatly enhanced as it looks down from the heavens.

Verse 9 describes the process of spiritual rebirth:

"But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean."

When the cleansed man shaves off his head, beard, and eyebrows, he has the appearance of a newborn baby. He is symbolically born again.

After I was sober for about two years I once went for a long walk on a Saturday afternoon. I passed an open field on a hot summer day and was listening to great music on my headphones, when I spotted a hawk circling over a freshly plowed field. It was circling the field and could see something I could not. I asked myself who was more free--the hawk or me! Each of us can become a free bird through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Advocate with the Father, who has the ability to wash us clean from all transgression.

The Ram of Consecration and Filling the Hand

The act of consecrating priests in ancient Israel has its connections with ordinances performed in modern times. There is a pattern pertaining to priesthood keys and also ties to a well-known Book of Mormon account.

The congregation was assembled at the door of the tabernacle where the priest was washed with water, clothed in garments, robe, sash, ephod, breastplate, Urim and Thummim, and cap. He was then anointed with the anointing oil, and the scriptures record:

"And he (Moses) poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him" (see Leviticus 8:3-12).

Two rams were offered for this ordinance. One ram would become the burnt offering and would be a representation of the priest's willingness to surrender his own will to God. The other ram would become the ram of consecration and would be sacrificed in order to consecrate the priest to the Lord and His service.

The ram was slain and some of the blood was put upon the priest's right ear, his right thumb, and upon the great toe of his right foot (vv. 23-24). This was perhaps to represent the idea that the priest should listen to the word of God, walk in His ways, and abide in a covenant relationship with God. It is significant that Peter cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant as Jesus was being arrested (see John 18:10). The high priest and his servant are no longer listening to the word of God in this case. The right hand is the covenant hand, and those covenants would be passed on to others.

"FILL THE HAND"

Now we get down to the gory details. Here is the process:

"And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder:

"And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:

"And he put all upon Aaron’s hands, and upon his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord" (Leviticus 8:25-27).

The unleavened cake and oiled bread point to Jesus Christ. The Jews referred to unleavened cakes as "pierced bread" because of the perforations in the bread itself. The Hebrew word is challah and comes from the root chalal meaning to pierce or wound. Isaiah prophesies, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). The word here for wounded is chalal. Thus, this is "pierced" or "wounded" bread and represents the Savior's body which was "bruised for our iniquities." It would be a forerunner to the sacrament. Oiled bread would be "anointed" with oil, as Christ (or the Messiah) was the Anointed One (see Leviticus 2:4; Exodus 29:23). Jesus Christ was our Great High Priest and Mediator with the Father.

Then the unleavened cake, bread, wafer, fat, rump, inwards, caul, kidneys, and right shoulder were "put upon Aaron's hands" and they were waved before the Lord. The priest would literally "have his hands full," and that is a good thing because the Old Testament word for consecrate comes from two Hebrew words--male and yad (see Strong's # H4390, H3027). It literally means "to fill the hand." You can also find this in your Bible Dictionary under "Priests" in the fifth paragraph.

The concept of consecration is explained in the ritual in Leviticus 8:28-29:

"And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

"And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses’ part; as the Lord commanded Moses."

The priest's hands are filled again on Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, and this will be the subject for the post after next.

THE BROTHER OF JARED

Now I want to move to another story of consecration in the Book of Mormon. The brother of Jared is seeking light for his vessels to travel across the great waters, representing the journey of mortal life. The account in Ether is enlightening (pun intended):

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord" (Ether 3:1).

It is interesting that the brother of Jared lived during the time of the Tower of Babel. While others are seeking to build a tower to get to heaven, and their attempts are based entirely on their own merits, the brother of Jared relies on God's grace. He scales a tall mountain, symbolic of temple, and when he runs out of mountain, he turns to the Lord. But notice the consecrated effort of "filling the hand." His hands are filled with white, clear stones. In modern revelation a white stone becomes a Urim and Thummim, part of the priestly apparel, and is given to everyone entering into celestial glory. On the white stone is written "a new name" (see D&C 130:10-11).

So what is the brother of Jared carrying in symbolic imagery? He is a type of Christ as he carries celestial beings in his hands. He is carrying you on your celestial journey! Peter once said, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). The Greek word here for lively is living. You are the stones.

The brother of Jared is redeemed from the fall through Jesus Christ and brought back into His presence. There is an important lesson here:

"The Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man" (Ether 3:6).

The brother of Jared approached God in an act of consecration by "filling the hand" with precious stones. So what is a consecrated life? It is a life where the Savior has touched you and me--one at a time, and caused you to shine forth to "give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness" (Ether 6:3).

HE FILLS OUR HANDS WITH PRIESTHOOD KEYS

The Lord commanded Moses, "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty" (Deuteronomy 16:16). In other words, don't show up with your hands empty.

But I like to think this is not a one-sided affair. The Lord wants us to bring our best to the table, and then He will make an exchange and fill our hands with blessings.

After the dedication of the Kirtland (Ohio) Temple, the Lord appeared in glory on an Easter Sunday on April 3, 1836. Moses returned to restore the keys of the gathering of Israel, Elias committed the keys of the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, and Elijah committed the keys of the sealing power. Then the Lord says, "Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors" (D&C 110:16).

The Burnt Offering

I have been a little negligent in this blog as of late. But it was for a good cause as my entire family (mom, dad, brothers, sister, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and all of our families) assembled in Salt Lake and took siege of the Marriott Hotel. Really, we only took over one floor on Friday night and the restaurant buffet on Saturday morning. I have the most wonderful family on earth and love them more than I can express. They are the greatest!

I had to teach Gospel Doctrine in my ward today (just as a sub, thank goodness) and had to teach this weird story in Numbers 22 to 24 about Balaam and a talking donkey. There were lessons to be learned as Balaam seems bent on bending God's will to match his own desires for fame and fortune. He doesn't follow the command of Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel directly, but chooses instead to entertain Balak and his cast of evil messengers, and eventually he entices Israel to false worship and immorality to keep them from being blessed of God. At one point in the story it reads, "Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place" (Numbers 23:3). Of course, the high place is a place of worship.

But the burnt offering seems a little odd here as it does later in the story of Saul, who offers an unauthorized burnt offering. Saul rationalizes to Samuel, "The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering" (1 Samuel 13:12). Really, Saul tries to "force" his own will on the Lord, which is the opposite of a burnt offering.

The burnt offering is described in Leviticus, chapter 1. It was supposed to be a "male without blemish" as a symbol of Christ's Atonement. It was a voluntary surrender (not forced) to be presented at the door of the tabernacle before the Lord (v. 3). "And he (the sacrificer) shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him" (v 4). The animal now becomes a substitute for the sacrificer. Then the animal is slain and its blood is sprinkled around the brasen altar outside the door of the tabernacle (v. 5).

Verse 6 tells us, "And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces."

All Mosaic ordinances point to Christ as the Book of Mormon explains:

"And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal" (Alma 34:14).

The flaying of the animal points to Jesus Christ, who was stripped of His raiment (see Matthew 27:28). The animal is cut into pieces, reminding us of the soldiers who "when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout" (John 19:23). The coat (actually an inner garment) would match the "coats of fine linen of woven work" made for Aaron and his sons, the high priests (see Exodus 39:27). We recall that Jesus is the "Great High Priest" (Hebrews 4:14).

Also, the idea of cutting the animal relates to the Hebrew root of the word covenant. The Hebrew word for covenant is beriyth (see Stong's # H1285) and it literally means "to cut." Remember that Abraham cut the animals into pieces and a "smoking furnace and a burning lamp" passed between the pieces as a token of the Abrahamic Covenant (see Genesis 15).

The next step in the burnt offering is as follows:

"And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:

"And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar" (Leviticus 1:7-8).

The wood is symbolic of the wooden cross and the fire reminds us of the modern "burnt offering" of a baptism by fire. In the Book of Mormon the Savior said, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 9:20).

Then we get to the real meaning behind the outward ordinance of the burnt offering. Leviticus 1:9 states:

"But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord."

The distinguishing aspect of the burnt offering was the burning of the whole animal upon the altar. The concept of allowing the animal within us to be consumed is a major sacrifice. The brawny beast is just like us in the physical realm. It only seeks pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

But there is another component to this sacrifice. The Hebrew word for burnt offering is olah, and it means "to ascend." The smoke of the offering ascends to heaven and it represents one's own will going up in smoke. We offer up our own will in favor of the Lord's will for us, just as He did in Gethsemane when He said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).

I want to talk about one other aspect of this ordinance. The animal was sacrificed on the north of the altar (Leviticus 1:11). The typology is distinct here. If you look on your Bible Map 12 you will notice Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, to be directly north of the walled portion of the city and directly north of the temple where the altar is located. Also, the properties lying outside walled cities could be redeemed in the Year of Jubilee, thus Jesus would give His life in an area subject to redemption (see Leviticus 25:31).

Today, Jesus asks us to give the true burnt offering and not just allow the smoke of the animal to ascend heavenward, but to allow our own wills to go up in smoke and be swallowed up in the will of the Father (see Mosiah 15:7).

As a recovering alcoholic I remember going to my first week of AA meetings and reading Step Three which says, "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." I thought there had to be an easier way. I didn't want to surrender my will to God. I guess I was a little like Balaam. But I have found in nearly 25 years of recovery that as I am able to do this (and I confess I still don't do it very well) I am truly blessed of the Lord. It becomes a "sweet savour" for both the Lord and me!