Need Prayer? Call us now at 888-637-4545|team@marilynandsarah.org

Monthly Archives: September 2023

Seeing Jesus in Sukkot

In 2023, Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) follows the Feast of Atonement on September 29-October 6. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they spent 40 years in the wilderness. God visited them and took care of them, providing food, water, clothing, even helping them defeat their enemies.  Though they lived in tents, their needs were always met.

The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated every year because they wanted to remember and celebrate how God not only took care of them, but how His presence came down and lived with them.  Every year, each family set up a little tabernacle in a tent, and for seven days the family lived in the tent, celebrating the presence of God with them during those hard times, celebrating that He brought them into the promised land.

As the seventh feast, symbolizing the day of rest, God called them to rest and to enjoy His presence.  Seven is also the number of completion.  All the other feasts were very busy, but the seventh one was a big celebration full of rest and enjoyment.

This feast emphasized the presence of God with us—no matter where we are, His tabernacle is with us, in our hearts.  Where we are, He wants to be.  This is seen in the original building of the Tabernacle, in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and in the greatest presence of all, when He comes down and lives in our hearts.

This is a blueprint of Jesus.  Through the Feast of Tabernacles, we see God’s plan for us, the sending of His Son so we could have His constant presence, not just once a year, but every day! Tabernacles also represent that one day, Jesus will come back and establish the ultimate tabernacle, His Kingdom.

To see more about the Jewish Feasts, click here.

2023-09-20T11:39:53-06:00September 25th, 2023|

Seeing Jesus in Yom Kippur

This year, Yom Kippur (the Feast of Atonement) is September 24-25. In Leviticus 23:26-32, the Feast of Atonement was special, and required a 24-hour feast of repentance.  This feast isn’t for the church, but for the Israelites—God’s old covenant people.  For 24 hours they reflected on the previous year and repented of their sins.

On that day, no one was to work, only spending time focusing on how they had sinned, seeking repentance, and asking God to have mercy on them. This feast was all about cleansing Israel with an offering of a lamb (blood sacrifice), covering their sins in full.  God gave us a future picture with this feast because Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to take away the sin of the world, for both the Jew and the Gentile.  Jesus’s blood atoned for (covered) our sin so we could walk in freedom.

Zechariah 12:10 tells us there’s coming a day when Israel will look on Jesus, the Lamb of God, who they pierced and know in an instant that He is their Messiah.  A nation will be saved on that day.  They will see Him and know Him as the wounded one, the Bread of Life.  They will feast on the Bread of Life.  This feast has everything to do with you because the Old Covenant is your foundation, and we’ll be blessed when we pray for Israel.

Remember, Jesus is our Feast of Atonement!

To see more about the Jewish Feasts, click here.

2023-08-23T13:18:18-06:00September 18th, 2023|

Seeing Jesus in Rosh Hashanah

The Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year) starts on September 15 this year. In the Old Testament (Leviticus 23:25), it was in preparation for the Feast of Atonement and announced the voice of God and His might in warfare, gatherings, and coronations. When the feast was eaten, the people knew that were eating victory, that nothing was impossible with God, and that they could be free from anything.

During this time in history, the ram’s horn was very important, serving as a representation of Jesus’s victory in our lives. Every feast began with the blowing of the shofar (a trumpet made from the ram’s horn), then the people would feast on who God was, giving them a revelation of their true Messiah. The first time we see the horn of a ram mentioned in Scripture was when Abraham was about to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord, but God provided a ram instead, sparing Isaac’s life (see Genesis 22:13).

Several hundred years later, the Israelites blew the trumpets as they conquered Jericho. They marched once around the city for seven days, then on the seventh day they marched seven times—each time they marched around, the priests blew their trumpets. This blowing of the trumpets gave the people confidence that they were going to win because God would make them victorious.

Seen throughout the Bible close to 20 times, the blowing of the trumpets had several different meanings and announcements to the people:

  • Trumpets were blown before going into battle, claiming victory (Numbers 10:9).
  • In the year of Jubilee, the trumpets were blown to kick off the celebration (Leviticus 25).
  • The trumpets were blown for a calling to repentance, and repentance led to victory (Leviticus 23).
  • Trumpets were blown when someone became king (2 Samuel 15:10; 2 Kings 9:13; 11:14, 2 Chronicles 23:13).
  • Isaiah 27:12-13 reveals the prophecy of the coming of Jesus through the blowing of trumpets. This meant that Jesus would raise the believers from the dead and take them to heaven to be with Him eternally.
  • The harvest resurrection will start with the sound of a trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The greatest Feast of Trumpets will be when Jesus comes back, and we are all caught up to be with Him in heaven. Just as the trumpets were blown for the coronation of a king, the trumpets will again sound when the King of Kings comes to reign victoriously forever!

To see more about the Jewish Feasts, click here.

2023-08-23T13:18:44-06:00September 11th, 2023|

A Study of Psalm 118

This month’s verse is Psalm 118:24. To give context for this verse, a study of the entire Psalm is excerpted below from my book, Experiencing God’s Heart: The Book of Psalms for Today. I pray you are blessed today and throughout the month of September as we discuss the theme of hope and joy; and celebrate the Jewish Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

Psalm 118

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

5 I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will a]”>[a]destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastenedb]”>[b] me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.

21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.

29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

Author of Psalm 118: Anonymous

Background: Psalm 118 is the last of the Great Hallel psalms and was sung following the Passover meal. Nearly a century after the return of the Jewish people to Palestine, Nehemiah engineered the reconstruction of the walls around Jerusalem in 52 days! We believe this psalm, which was sung by our Lord and His apostles (see below), was written commemorating this joyous occasion.

Theme: The eternal merciful nature of God inspires thanksgiving and trust. To those who confidently call upon Him in times of distress, He will valiantly deliver.

Psalm 118 Quoted in the New Testament: Verse 6 is quoted in Hebrews 13:6 by the author of Hebrews in his instructions to the Jewish people regarding godly living. Verse 22 is quoted by Jesus (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; and Luke 20:17) and by Peter (Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7) referring to the rejection of Jesus by Jewish leaders. Verse 26 is quoted in Matthew 21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; 19:38; and John 12:13 referring to Jesus as the Messiah.

Personal Application: Christians experience varying levels of trials while walking with Jesus and are frequently challenged to exercise faith. Whatever situation you are experiencing right now, have faith that God is able to deliver you. Read Psalm 118 many times and think about the great trial Jesus faced as He prepared to die on the cross. Be courageous and joyful knowing full well that the same God who resurrected Jesus is also working on your behalf!

2023-08-24T09:15:55-06:00September 4th, 2023|
Click to access the login or register cheese
x Powerful Protection for WordPress, from Shield Security
This Site Is Protected By
ShieldPRO →
Go to Top