May Your Name Be Inscribed in the Book of Life
Tonight at sundown begins the Highest most Holy day in the Biblical Calendar. It is called Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). It is the time when God seals the Book of Life. For the past ten days we have been in what is called the Days of Awe. From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur Jewish people and Messianic Gentiles have been Returning to God in repentance. Rosh Hashanah is the time when God open the Book of Life and sees rather you have been a sheep or goat for this past year.. How have you treated people? Have you tithed, have you given to the Feast Day offerings (Malachi 3)? How have you treated the widow and the orphan? Have you been faithful to give to charity and give to the poor? Have you bettered the Kingdom of Heaven hear on earth? Now we come to this evening from tonight at Sundown until tomorrow night at Sundown, when God will seal the Book of Life for another year. The Jewish people have a saying on this day, "May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life." This is significant because in our Jewish roots of Christianity this is the time God determines who lives or dies. What kind of blessings and favor one will walk in the new year of 5777.The special treasures of Yom Kippur to God is Repentance, Prayer, and Righteousness. In our Jewish Roots of Christianity we are to spend the day in fasting, repentance, and prayer. It is not a day like Rosh Hashanah of rejoicing and eating sweet food. It is a time for searching ones heart and seeking after God's grace and forgiveness. Starting tonight read and meditate on the passages of Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9 referring to the Day of Atonement. It is suppose to be a day of no work. This is difficult for one to do in our society. But we can walk in this attitude and mind set for the next 24 hours. If you can take a day off great, but if not it is okay. Be aware of keeping the same mind as Yeshua. Here is a prayer all of Israel prays on this day:
A Prayer For Yom Kippur:
We pray with the entire congregation of Israel, saying: (And you and I have been grafted into the Olive Tree)
Cause our inclination to be subservient to you. Cause us to return to you in truth and with a pure and renewed heart. Cause us to guard your ordinances in our spirits and circumcise our hearts to love your name. Confound our evil inclination that has been present with us since our youth and which has ensnared us. Not in the merit of our righteousness do we cast our supplications before you, for we have no righteousness of our own, but in the merit of the righteousness of the Messiah, whom you gave us in your great mercy, do we rely.
Repentance and prayer are what we do on Yom Kippur. We afflict ourselves on this day because our sins and our transgressions were the reason Yeshua the Messiah was put to death. In his great mercy God gave his only son as an offering so that we could live purely, cleansed from every sin and crime. If we had not sinned the Messiah would not have needed to be an offering.
Happy is the man who observes this day. Happy is the man who sets the beginning of the year aside for repentance and prayer, and who sanctifies his body as a living offering that is holy and pleasing to God. Happy is the man who sets his heart every single day to renewing and changing himself into a new man, always discerning what the good and perfect will of God is. And happy is the man who does this sevenfold on the tenth of the seventh month, the month of Tishrei, on the day that God has designated as the day of repentance. One who does this is truly learned in the faith and service of God.