9.7.26 – Shout It Out!

There are a lot of visible, powerful acts of nature happening in America and around the world right now. Are they acts of judgment from the Creator?

In less than one week, traditionally, we will enter the month of Tishri, the seventh month on God's prophetic calendar. It is the month that opens with the "Hidden Day," the Day of Shouting—also known as the Day of the Awakening Blast, or Yom Teruah. Ten days later comes the Day of Atonement(s), Yom HaKippurim, and five days after that, the Feast of Tabernacles, Chag Sukkot.

Right now, we are in the month of Elul, which is all about intimacy within the community (Psalm 133:1–3). It is about preparing our hearts so that we can shout together—teruah—and welcome the fall Moedim (Psalm 47:2; 66:1; 81:2; 100:1). Yom Teruah is also called Zichron Teruah, the "remembering the shout of the shofar" (Leviticus 23:24). I know this might sound like a lot of technical jargon, but it is important to know where we are headed so we can evaluate our progress along the way!

This day of remembrance is really about closeness with our Creator as a body of people. It is about remembering the shofar blast and the unified confession we made at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19–24). It is about waking up to the reality that the Lord God—Yahweh Elohim—is our Master and our King. So now, we prepare for that day when we will collectively recognize Him as such. At the same time, this season leads us toward a time of judgment—Yom HaDin—which is like a physical and spiritual audit of our lives over the past year. It is not about heaven or hell; it is about weighing how I am doing in light of who I am in His Kingdom economy. Some areas will no doubt be stronger than others. The big question is: How am I aligning myself with His standard? This is not about self-punishment—it is about encountering the Lord God. It is about closeness. It is about relationships.

Life is complicated. We have families, work, and leisure pursuits. Sometimes we forget that He wants us to live that life with Him, not just around Him. How are our businesses, our families, and even our simple pleasures part of His story? That is what Yom HaDin and Zichron Teruah are about. It is the time when all of us, as His sheep, pass under His rod. He who formed our hearts and knows our actions (Psalm 31) wants to keep working with us, shaping us into His glorious image (Romans 8:28–29).

This is not like the courtroom dramas we see in our cities. Those judgments are never based on all the facts. They do not know your heart, your motives, or your full story. But the Father of Lights knows every detail of your life—the good, the bad, and the ugly. He formed your heart. He understands the true nature of all your deeds. And He judges us subjectively—and that is a good thing. That is the judgment of our merciful and loving Father, the all-knowing Leader of His people.

There is a lot of talk these days about the judgment of God. Maybe it is true. Maybe it is not. But either way, the one thing we are responsible for is preparing ourselves to teruah as a community—to remember the covenant confession we made together at Mount Sinai, when the shofar blasted, and we entered into a marriage relationship with our Creator.

So let us prepare to be one again. Shout it out—teruah!

Shalom!
Alan