Remembrance and Return
A principle that points to the Promised One
“Every year the people of Israel and Jewish communities around the world commemorate two special days: Yom HaZikaron[1] and Yom Ha’atzmaut.[2]
The first, Yom HaZikaron, is Israel’s Memorial Day to honor fallen soldiers who gave their lives to secure Israel’s independence. This is a somber day of remembrance which precedes a day of celebrating that independence.
It is intentional that Israel’s Memorial Day is remembered first because it recognizes that sorrow precedes celebration. Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben Gurion declared the holiday on the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar in 1948.”
These first three paragraphs are from a blog I wrote that was published on May 3, 2022.[3] What has changed in the last 353 days?
What has changed in the world and in your life?
Once again, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut are upon us, and much more than the dates, have changed. This year, these special days commence with Yom HaZikaron, which begins at sundown on Monday April 24 and ends at nightfall on Tuesday April 25. Yom Ha’atzmut then begins at sundown on April 25, and ends at nightfall on Wednesday April 26th.
Pause.
Yes, really pause for a few moments to reflect on the last 11 months and 18 days! For some, grief has entered your life as never before, perhaps through the devastating grief of the loss of a loved one. On the other end of the spectrum are those who this past year found great reason to rejoice as they welcomed a new life, hearing a child or grandchild’s first cry pierce the air, filling hearts with joy.
No need to drag out the obvious
I could produce a long list of events, both happy and sad to which many would be able to relate because, “life happens.” We do not have a static existence. Our world is in a state of constant flux.
Preventative and proactive
To protect against life’s uncertainties and be proactive for the future, we take steps to maintain our health and minimize the devastation of unexpected tragedies or circumstances beyond our control. We secure various insurance policies, save for retirement, follow certain dietary and exercise routines along with regularly scheduled visits to a dentist and primary care physician.
Why then are we so negligent for what is of utmost importance?
Isn’t it interesting that in all our preparation to safeguard our futures that, in most instances, the thoughtful planning ends with retirement.
But how much thought is given to “What do I do when retirement ends?” In the last 353 days have you once truly contemplated eternal matters? “What happens when I die? What if this present life is NOT all there is?
Interesting similarity
In the Netherlands, two days are recognized back-to-back as well. May 4th of each year is Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day).[4] The following day is Liberation Day, celebrating the end of Nazi rule in World War II.
Both back-to-back days in Israel and in the Netherlands are similar in that first comes a day of solemn remembrance for those who lost their lives in wars defending their country. In the case of Israel, they were fighting for survival after the horrific murders of six million Jewish people in the Holocaust (also known as the Shoah[5]). They found themselves returning to their homeland, Israel, just a few years after.
For both the Netherlands and Israel the second day is joyful. Israelis celebrate both the reestablishment of a homeland given to them by God and the end of a horrific bloody war that killed millions in World War II!
This is life
Indeed, this is life, where sorrow and joy find themselves linked in unlikely ways. Oh, but as we well know and experience, life is a journey and our final destination is not here on earth.
A theme in the Scriptures
Remembrance and rebirth. From the time sin entered the world at the fall in the Garden of Eden, the Scriptures started to prophetically foreshadow redemption and reconciliation that was needed. We see this in the separation that occurred between people and God due to sin. God often beckoned His people through Moses and the prophets to “remember their God,” their covenant, and their redemption out of Egypt. He had also given them seven feasts that called His people to remember, and to celebrate the goodness and provision of their Maker.
Redemption is a story of return
As with remembrance days or celebratory days marking a beginning or a renewal God set about a plan. This plan was not only to return His people to their Land but for them to return to Him where He would be their God and they would be His people. He would do this through a New Covenant that would be enabled by His Servant, His Son.
Before next year
So much has happened in our lives and the world since the last time the days mentioned above were observed. Do not let them come again without you having been reconciled to God through His Son.
I will always remember
October 29, 1987, is etched in my mind as the date that I made a confession of faith in Jesus. It is the day that my life was forever radically changed as I was born from above, by the Spirit of God. It is when the promised One of Israel who died to win the war over sin and death, gave me new life, as only He can, because He rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures.[6]
I still remember her words
I stood beside the bed of a woman I visited each week in a nursing home. I had talked often to her about faith. She had poured out stories from her life. We laughed and at times she became quietly serious as she did on the night I still recall. “I’m ready to die.” The words came abruptly out of her mouth, as if she had been rehearsing them for such a moment.
I paused, and looking into her eyes said, “Anyone can die, and we all will one day. But the real question is, are you ready to live?” Silence was her response.
How about you? Are you ready to live?
Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah staff
(1) Has your last year been one marked by solemn remembrance or celebration, or both?
(2) Have you chosen to believe in the One who gives life? Want to read more? Check out this click-through Story of Reality.
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yom-hazikaron-israels-memorial-day/
[2] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yom-ha-atzmaut-israeli-independence-day
[3] https://lifeinmessiah.org/blog/weep-before-dance
[4] https://dutchreview.com/culture/society/national-remembrance-day-the-netherlands
[6] Psalm 16:10-11; Isaiah 53:10-12.