Loving Greetings to our Fields Family,
One of my greatest joys is to blow the shofar. There is no sound like it. As if echoing from the dawn of time, it is the strange blend of its animal origin and the voice of God.
This Yom T’ruah (Day of Trumpet Blast, also known as Rosh HaShana) I blew the shofar together with my 12 year old grandson, Tzuriel. I cannot describe the thrill it was to proclaim God’s cry to return to Him, along with this boy—who was unashamed to stand before the Lord and His people at a sacred moment.
Stepping Aside to Reflect
In this update I want to step aside from our format of sharing your vital role in the activities, testimonies, and intercession of Fields of Wheat. In these profound days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (known as the “Days of Awe”), I’m inspired to reflect on the significance of the holy seasons God has given us. I especially want to listen with you for His message to our hearts through the sound of the shofar in these last days.
Summoning, Sobering, Speaking…at Mt. Sinai with Moses
We know that through the annals of Scripture, the shofar has signified courage, faith, and breakthrough for dramatic change. The penetrating capacity of the shofar is a call to our heart. To alert, awaken, and arouse us. Let’s explore briefly how this applies to us through the turning point experiences of Moses and Joshua.
Summoning. When God instructed Moses to gather all Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai, He said “When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain” (Exodus 19:13). The sound of the shofar summons us out of our daily routine, to listen for the all-important voice of God in the midst of a world that acts as if He does not exist.
Sobering. Then, amidst thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain (it must have really been scary) there was “the sound of the shofar was very loud so that all the people in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16). No way they could ignore the divine presence that literally shook the mountain. Are we sufficiently cognizant of the Lord of the universe? Are we basing our life on His pre-eminence, His mercy, His design?
Speaking. The mountain was covered with smoke, “because the Lord descended upon it in fire…and when the blast of the shofar sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him by voice” (Exodus 19:18,19). Phew! How intense. The sound of the shofar and the sound of God’s voice came in parallel. I want to hear God’s voice—all the more as the day of Yeshua’s return is nearer and nearer. It doesn’t have to be audible. But I crave His guiding, His shaping, His ‘I’m in charge, don’t worry’ voice within me.
Breakthrough…at the Walls of Jericho with Joshua
If anyone ever needed a breakthrough it was Joshua. Faced with an impossible task and newly responsible for an entire nation, God said to him, in effect “Son, the shofar will bring the breakthrough you need.” You know the story. The priests made their first circuit around Jericho blowing the shofars continuously.
This continued for six days. Seven priests. Seven shofars. The armed men before them, and the ark following. The seventh day dawned and this time on the seventh circuit, “when the priests blew the shofars Joshua said to the people ‘Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.” And so the sound of the shofars and the great shout of the people broke through the thick walls of the city.
Where do you need a breakthrough?
Life seems to get more and more complicated, with ever-arising problems, conflicts, and new challenges that want to rob the peace and joy that Yeshua paid for by the agony of the cross. I can think of major areas in my life where I long for breakthrough. Perhaps you do too. I pray that this brief exploration of God’s voice through the shofar has renewed your sense of His involvement, His desire to bring break throughs in your life.
The Shofar is for All of Us!
It’s true, I am a blessed grandpa to blow shofars with my grandson. Yet the sound of the shofar is for us all. It says “Listen up. It’s not business as usual. Things are changing rapidly and radically.”
Yeshua will return with the sound of the shofar (1Thessalonians 4:16). The Messiah, King of Israel is coming—both to judge the earth (Psalm 98:9) and to bring everlasting peace (Isaiah 11:1-10). He has bound our hearts as one—Jewish and Gentile disciples—that we may prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3; 57:14; 62:10).
We are ever grateful to be laborers together with you in Yeshua’s harvest field.
Eitan
P.S. And, I just want to remind you that God has provided—through you—the resources to touch hundreds of young Israeli believers, drawing them into His empowering grace to be his harvesters at this critical time in Israel’s history.
%20I%20blew%20the%20shofar%20together%20with%20my%2012%20year%20old%20grandson,%20Tzuriel.%20I%20cannot%20describe%20the%20thrill%20it%20was%20to%20proclaim%20God’s%20cry%20to%20return%20to%20Him,%20along%20with%20this%20boy—who%20was%20unashamed%20to%20stand%20before%20the%20Lord%20and%20His%20people%20at%20a%20sacred%20moment.bStepping%20Aside%20to%20Reflect/bIn%20this%20update%20I%20want%20to%20step%20aside%20from%20our%20format%20of%20sharing%20your%20vital%20role%20in%20the%20activities,%20testimonies,%20and%20intercession%20of%20Fields%20of%20Wheat.%20In%20these%20profound%20days%20between%20the%20Feast%20of%20Trumpets%20and%20the%20Day%20of%20Atonement%20(known%20as%20the%20“Days%20of%20Awe”),%20I’m%20inspired%20to%20reflect%20on%20the%20significance%20of%20the%20holy%20seasons%20God%20has%20given%20us.%20I%20especially%20want%20to%20listen%20with%20you%20for%20His%20message%20to%20our%20hearts%20through%20the%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20in%20these%20last%20days.bSummoning,%20Sobering,%20Speaking…at%20Mt.%20Sinai%20with%20Moses/bWe%20know%20that%20through%20the%20annals%20of%20Scripture,%20bthe%20shofar%20has%20signified%20courage,%20faith,%20and%20breakthrough%20for%20dramatic%20change/b.%20The%20penetrating%20capacity%20of%20the%20shofar%20is%20a%20call%20to%20our%20heart.%20To%20alert,%20awaken,%20and%20arouse%20us.%20Let’s%20explore%20briefly%20how%20this%20applies%20to%20us%20through%20the%20turning%20point%20experiences%20of%20Moses%20and%20Joshua.bSummoning.%20/bWhen%20God%20instructed%20Moses%20to%20gather%20all%20Israel%20at%20the%20foot%20of%20Mt.%20Sinai,%20He%20said%20i“When%20the%20trumpet%20sounds%20long,%20they%20shall%20come%20near%20the%20mountain”%20(Exodus%2019:13).%20/iThe%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20bsummons%20us%20out%20of%20our%20daily%20routine,%20to%20listen/b%20for%20the%20all-important%20voice%20of%20God%20in%20the%20midst%20of%20a%20world%20that%20acts%20as%20if%20He%20does%20not%20exist.bSobering./b%20Then,%20amidst%20thunderings%20and%20lightnings%20and%20a%20thick%20cloud%20on%20the%20mountain%20(it%20must%20have%20really%20been%20scary)%20there%20was%20i“the%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20was%20very%20loud%20so%20that%20all%20the%20people%20in%20the%20camp%20trembled”%20(Exodus%2019:16).%20/ibNo%20way%20they%20could%20ignore%20the%20divine%20presence/b%20that%20literally%20shook%20the%20mountain.%20Are%20we%20sufficiently%20cognizant%20of%20the%20Lord%20of%20the%20universe?%20Are%20we%20basing%20our%20life%20on%20His%20pre-eminence,%20His%20mercy,%20His%20design?bSpeaking./b%20The%20mountain%20was%20covered%20with%20smoke,%20i“because%20the%20Lord%20descended%20upon%20it%20in%20fire…and%20when%20the%20blast%20of%20the%20shofar%20sounded%20long%20and%20became%20louder%20and%20louder,%20Moses%20spoke%20and%20God%20answered%20him%20by%20voice”%20(Exodus%2019:18,19).%20/iPhew!%20How%20intense.%20The%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20and%20the%20sound%20of%20God’s%20voice%20came%20in%20parallel.b%20I%20want%20to%20hear%20God’s%20voice—all%20the%20more%20as%20the%20day%20of%20Yeshua’s%20return%20is%20nearer%20and%20nearer.%20/bIt%20doesn’t%20have%20to%20be%20audible.%20But%20I%20crave%20His%20guiding,%20His%20shaping,%20His%20‘I’m%20in%20charge,%20don’t%20worry’%20voice%20within%20me.img%20src=https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur-1024x730.jpg%20sizes=(max-width:%20750px)%20100vw,%20750px%20srcset=https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur-1024x730.jpg%201024w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur-300x214.jpg%20300w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur-768x548.jpg%20768w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur-1536x1096.jpg%201536w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Yom-Kippur.jpg%201800w%20alt=%20width=750%20height=535%20/bBreakthrough…at%20the%20Walls%20of%20Jericho%20with%20Joshua/bIf%20anyone%20ever%20needed%20a%20breakthrough%20it%20was%20Joshua.%20Faced%20with%20an%20impossible%20task%20and%20newly%20responsible%20for%20an%20entire%20nation,%20God%20said%20to%20him,%20in%20effect%20“Son,%20the%20shofar%20will%20bring%20the%20breakthrough%20you%20need.”%20You%20know%20the%20story.%20The%20priests%20made%20their%20first%20circuit%20around%20Jericho%20blowing%20the%20shofars%20continuously.This%20continued%20for%20six%20days.%20Seven%20priests.%20Seven%20shofars.%20The%20armed%20men%20before%20them,%20and%20the%20ark%20following.%20The%20seventh%20day%20dawned%20and%20this%20time%20on%20the%20seventh%20circuit,%20“iwhen%20the%20priests%20blew%20the%20shofars%20Joshua%20said%20to%20the%20people%20/ibi‘Shout,%20for%20the%20Lord%20has%20given%20you%20the%20city./i/bi”%20/iAnd%20so%20the%20sound%20of%20the%20shofars%20and%20the%20great%20shout%20of%20the%20people%20broke%20through%20the%20thick%20walls%20of%20the%20city.bWhere%20do%20you%20need%20a%20breakthrough?/bLife%20seems%20to%20get%20more%20and%20more%20complicated,%20with%20ever-arising%20problems,%20conflicts,%20and%20new%20challenges%20that%20want%20to%20rob%20the%20peace%20and%20joy%20that%20Yeshua%20paid%20for%20by%20the%20agony%20of%20the%20cross.%20I%20can%20think%20of%20major%20areas%20in%20my%20life%20where%20I%20long%20for%20breakthrough.%20Perhaps%20you%20do%20too.%20I%20pray%20that%20this%20brief%20exploration%20of%20God’s%20voice%20through%20the%20shofar%20bhas%20renewed%20your%20sense%20of%20His%20involvement,%20His%20desire%20to%20bring%20break%20throughs%20in%20your%20life. /bbThe%20Shofar%20is%20for%20All%20of%20Us!/bIt’s%20true,%20I%20am%20a%20blessed%20grandpa%20to%20blow%20shofars%20with%20my%20grandson.%20Yet%20the%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20is%20for%20us%20all.%20It%20says%20b“Listen%20up.%20It’s%20not%20business%20as%20usual./b%20Things%20are%20changing%20rapidly%20and%20radically.”Yeshua%20will%20return%20with%20the%20sound%20of%20the%20shofar%20(1Thessalonians%204:16).%20The%20Messiah,%20King%20of%20Israel%20is%20coming—both%20to%20judge%20the%20earth%20(Psalm%2098:9)%20and%20to%20bring%20everlasting%20peace%20(Isaiah%2011:1-10).%20He%20has%20bound%20our%20hearts%20as%20one—Jewish%20and%20Gentile%20disciples—bthat%20we%20may%20prepare%20the%20way%20of%20the%20Lord%20/b(Isaiah%2040:3;%2057:14;%2062:10).We%20are%20ever%20grateful%20to%20be%20laborers%20together%20with%20you%20in%20Yeshua’s%20harvest%20field.bEitan/bP.S.%20And,%20I%20just%20want%20to%20remind%20you%20that%20God%20has%20provided—through%20you—the%20resources%20to%20touch%20hundreds%20of%20young%20Israeli%20believers,%20drawing%20them%20into%20His%20empowering%20grace%20to%20be%20his%20harvesters%20at%20this%20critical%20time%20in%20Israel’s%20history.Please%20Help%20us%20Reach%20Our%20Goal%20of%20$144,00$68,000%20raiseda%20href=https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/support-us/?form=FUNCTKETVEVimg%20src=https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FOW-1-768x254.jpg%20sizes=(max-width:%20750px)%20100vw,%20750px%20srcset=https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FOW-1-768x254.jpg%20768w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FOW-1-300x99.jpg%20300w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FOW-1-1024x338.jpg%201024w,%20https://www.fieldsofwheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FOW-1.jpg%201272w%20alt=%20width=750%20height=248%20/%20/a){kind=link}