Emor (Say)

Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Ezekiel 44:15–31

“Timing is Everything”

POSTED 09 MAY, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The Lord's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them”’” (Leviticus 23:1-4).

As you consider Emor, more commandments are listed that carry on the theme that has been established in recent weeks of study. As priests of the Most High, the people of Israel are continuing to receive more instructions about how to maintain a state of holiness before the Creator. The Lord continues to give Israel more details on how to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. It is apparent that He really wants the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be holy ones as described in the previous reading.

When you look at these four chapters of Scripture, as the Book of Leviticus winds down, you will detect a preponderance of three Hebrew verbs that indicate that God is trying to communicate some important concepts to His people. The Hebrew verb amar (rma) is seen throughout this portion. Amar “is translated in various ways depending on the context…In addition to vocal speech, the word refers to thought as internal speech” (AMG).[1] Another synonym is the Hebrew verb davar (rbD), which is written twenty-two times in this passage. Davar has a variance of meanings, including: “to speak, to say,” “to promise,” “to sing or chant,” “think,” “prounounce judgment” (AMG).[2] Finally, the Hebrew verb qara (arq) is used many times, and means “to call, to declare, to summon, to invite, to read, to be called, to be invoked, to be named” (AMG).[3] The problem is not that God is speaking, but are His poeple hearing, listening, and most of all, obeying these instructions?

Appointed Times

While considering these additional commandments for the priesthood, perhaps the most significant passage that is instructional and applicable to us as Believers today can be found in Leviticus 23. Here, we see a summary of the moedim (~yd]Am) or appointed times of the Lord and their importance, as God uses all three communicative words in His opening statement:

“Speak [davar] to the sons of Israel and say [amar] to them, ‘The Lord's appointed times which you shall proclaim [qara] as holy convocations—My appointed times are these’” (Leviticus 23:2).

Whether you are telling, speaking, saying, proclaiming, commanding, advising, asserting, addressing, declaring, crying, or shouting, the bottom line is that the Holy One is making sure that the reader or listener hears the importance of these appointed times. For an entire chapter of Scripture, the Lord expresses the details about the designated times and holy convocations that He expects His people to observe and remember as permanent regulations for all time.

Without any attempt to obfuscate the truth, our Heavenly Father begins by telling us that the weekly Shabbat is considered to be one of the holy convocations:

“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3).

Without equivocating, God makes it abundantly clear that Shabbat is the weekly reminder that we are committed to our positions as His priests and servants. Obedience to this preeminent “feast” was so important that it was included in the Decalogue. The Prophet Ezekiel declares that by sanctifying Shabbat, it would be a sign between God and His people:

“I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God” (Ezekiel 20:19-20).

The willingness to take one day out of seven, in order to spend time with our Creator, is recognized as a distinct sign between God and His chosen people. This unique activity among the people groups of the world declares that Israel had a very special relationship with their God. Today, we recognize that as the Prophet Isaiah states it, Israel was to be a light unto the nations. Ultimately, this light was to point to the salvation provided in the Messiah of Israel:

“He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth’” (Isaiah 49:6).

In many respects, observing and remembering Shabbat is a very special privilege that we have the responsibility to maintain, especially in lieu of the priestly function between the Creator and His creatures.

The Spring and Fall Feasts

In a like manner, the feasts of the Lord that are further listed in Leviticus 23 are also a privilege to honor and observe. Here, the festivals of Pesach (Passover), Chag HaMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread), Yom HaBikkurim (Day of First Fruits), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) or Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonements), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), and Shemini Atzeret (Eigth Day Assembly) are detailed. The Lord has established a very meaningful series of feasts for His people that are to be repeated annually for a number of reasons.

Pesach is to remind Israel of its historical and future redemption and salvation. Deliverance from bondage to slavery in Egypt and from the clutches of Pharaoh is recalled and the reality of our freedom in Yeshua should also be remembered at this time of great celebration.

Chag HaMatzah and the eight days of avoiding leaven is a great time for personal reflection and dealing with some of the sin that can creep into one’s life. Sanctification and purification from transgression are powerful reminders of our need to take personal responsibility for our actions.

Yom HaBikkurim is a great time to be reminded of the Father’s sustenance for us as His people. Here, the Day of First Fruits is also a great reminder of the first fruits of resurrection as epitomized by the Resurrection of Yeshua from the sting of death.

After following the command to count the omer or sheaf for fifty days, Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks honors two wonderful events. On this day during Moses’ era, the Decalogue was given from the heights of Mount Sinai. Some 1,300 years later, after the Ascension of the Messiah, the day of Pentecost was celebrated with the giving of the overwhelming power of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Each year on this date, we can remember these two powerful events and pray for additional power and revelation.

After the hot summer months have come to a close and we enter the harvest season, the Fall feasts are commemorated. This begins by remembering the Day of Blowing or Yom Teruah. In Jewish tradition, it is observed as Rosh HaShanah or the civil New Year. Historically, this season for Israel has been a time of teshuvah or return in thankfulness to God for His faithfulness to us. But it is also a time to mark the beginning of the ten days that lead up to the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement is considered the holiest day on the Hebrew calendar. Here, once a year, the high priest of Israel bore the sins of the people and presented himself in the Holy of Holies for forgiveness. This unique day is the one “feast” where God’s people are instructed to deny themselves or afflict their souls. Fasting and prayer are the major parts of this day. Today, we can reflect upon the finished work of Yeshua, who is not only our High Priest, but also the required sacrifice for our sins.

The final feast is another eight-day celebration that is known as Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles. Here, thankfulness, praise, and worship for the provisions made for us should be the focus. It is also beneficial to look forward to the coming days when the Messiah Himself will come to tabernacle with us.

As we begin to get into the rhythm of life as designated by this chapter of Scripture, our minds should naturally become more amenable to the other basic instructions. Just consider the basic commandment to observe or remember Shabbat. Imagine what obedience to the Fourth Commandment would result in, as opposed to what can come from flagrant disobedience. Thoughts of Deuteronomy 28 come to my mind:

“Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God…The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 9).

“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 45-47).

Can you imagine what a difference the blessings of the Lord mean to Israel as opposed to the curses? Do you not think that these same blessings and curses apply today?

Maybe we should seriously consider observing the moedim or appointed times of the Lord. Thankfully, the Messianic movement is increasingly learning to obey these very basic mitzvot. What about you and your family? The meanings of the words “perpetual” and “forever” have not been conveniently erased from the Bible. These commandments were not simply established for those living in the desert with Moses, but also for all future generations of God’s people.

Apostolic Times

Of course, this was not just an ancient calling for the people of Israel, but something that the Apostle Peter reminds his readers about, who knew they where inheritors of the covenantal promises given to all Israel:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

The challenge we have as modern-day Messianics is whether we are going to answer the call to be set-apart among the myriad of people who inhabit our planet. Since we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, how are we going to handle that tremendous blessing? If we accept the responsibility to be priests in this wicked and perverse generation, then it will definitely require a cost. Yeshua said it best when He declared the price expected for discipleship to the rich young ruler who was looking to inherit eternal life:

“A ruler questioned Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Yeshua said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.”’ And he said, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’ When Yeshua heard this, He said to him, ‘One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Yeshua looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.’ Peter said, ‘Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.’ And He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life’” (Luke 18:18-30).

In this often quoted passage, Yeshua first points to the Father as being the only One who is good, taking the focus off of Himself. He then directs the rich young ruler to the blessing obtained from adherence to the commandments and giving all he has to the poor. Then comes the difficult part, “Come and follow Me.” This is the place where those who are serving mammon depart. In other words, Yeshua requires total commitment to Him. As you might recall, you must lose your life to find it:

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).

Concluding Thoughts

As you consider Emor, is the Holy One “speaking” to you about how you approach His appointed times? Do you consider the weekly Shabbat a holy convocation that should be observed along with the more “traditional” feasts? Are you truly interested in allowing the appointed times of the Lord instruct you in His ways? If you are committed to a weekly study of the Torah, certainly a serious dedication to observing Shabbat and the other festivals is not too difficult a task. This undoubtedly would be an example of following the Messiah of Israel. After all, we have been called out to be a light unto the nations. How will people know we follow Him without us giving them a sign such as our commitment to His appointed times? Let us remember what Qohelet had to say about time:

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11).

Let us remember that part of our work on Earth is to be a priest and God’s representative among humanity. Just like the rich young ruler who asked what must be done to inherit eternal life, eternity and eternal destiny is set in the heart of people. Whether people want to admit it or not, everyone is aware of time, and as one ages, the brevity of time tends to generate even more questions and concern.

Our testimony as keepers of the Lord’s appointed times might be a sign to those who are concerned about their eternal destiny. Perhaps, because of our witness and the blessings that are the byproduct of basic obedience, our family, friends, and neighbors will be drawn to ask us about our relationship to our Heavenly Father. Then as Isaiah has reminded us, we can point them to the Light of the world and His redemptive power.

Have you synchronized your life with God’s appointed times? This could be one visible sign that you have given up your life and decided to follow Him. Yes, brothers and sisters, timing is everything!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.

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