5.6.26 – God's Timing

Last week we finished perusing the Torah portion Emor, which included the instructions regarding God's prophetic calendar. These instructions deal with experiencing the holiness of time and space in the 21st century (Lev. 23).

From the beginning, God has sanctified time by setting aside a period for us to connect with Him, who is timeless. We see this at the end of the creation story when He makes the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1–3), and we find it as the first command given to His people before they exit Egypt (Ex. 12). Time is the most valuable commodity we have. Once it is used up, it is gone forever. You cannot relive any exact moment in the past. Hence, we must make the most of every opportunity within our grasp (Ps. 39:5).

Redeeming the time is a concept familiar to most, but there is much more to time than just a tick on a clock (Eph. 5:16). There is a duality to it that often gets overlooked. As we examine Scripture, the day seems to have two beginnings: one in the morning, when His mercies are new, and one in the evening, when becoming clean (tahor) starts fresh. During the daylight hours, morning and evening are highlighted with morning, noon, and evening prayers after the pattern of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ps. 55:17).

When it comes to years, there are no less than four new years in Scripture:

  • The 1st of Elul is for tithing animals.

  • The 15th of Shevat is the new year for trees.

  • Nisan 1 is the first day of a new chodesh (what we call "months"); it was when God gave Israel the command to exit Egypt, to dedicate the Tabernacle and the priesthood, among many other new beginnings.

  • The new year begins six months later on Tishri 1.

Only time comes in two forms, as last week's Torah portion, Emor, revealed: the Sabbath on one hand and the festivals on the other.

Why the separation? Shabbat and the feasts were set apart by God for all time. The Sabbath and festivals are to be set apart by mankind to make them holy. On Shabbat, we focus on blessing God who sanctifies time; it is our date day of the week and our wedding ring for the world to see. At the festivals, we praise God who sanctifies His people within the holy times. Even within the festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot), there is a duality of time. Each marks a new beginning in the history of God's prophetic calendar. The other holidays display the formation of the number seven—with the numbering of the moedim (appointed times): the Sabbath day, the seventh month, the Shemittah year, and the Jubilee (in this week's Torah portion). These holidays focus less on history and more on the responsibility of man and his moral responsibilities, recognizing that God is the owner and creator of the universe.

The prayer focus at each time is different. At Passover and Sukkot, there is a focus that He chose us. On Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Unleavened Bread, and Yom Kippur, the focus is on His provision regarding judgment toward everything that lives.

Why all this duality? Because God is the God of nature and all humanity. He is the God of scientific law that applies to everyone, and the ethical, covenantal law that applies to His people. We encounter God cyclically, as in nature, and through the working of the Holy Spirit in linear time, as it occurs in history. This duality reveals the ministry of the prophet who sees God in history and the priest who sees God in the annual cycles and guides us to the King and His Kingdom.

From the beginning of time, mankind has been looking for that exact moment when time could be captured explicitly. However, time is much more complicated than that. In reality, we need to see life from at least two perspectives to perceive our three-dimensional world: through time and space.

The relationship that God provides to us through revealed Scripture gives us direction to understanding time and space with the ticking clock, the growing plant, the aging body, and the ever-deepening mind.

May this 23rd day of counting the Omer be a special day where you experience victory with the use of your time, while you make history in memoriam.

Shalom!
Alan

Let me encourage you to read the article, "The Sabbath: A World of Blessing." 

Shalom, and may you continue to walk in His appointed times! 😊 

Alan

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