What Rosh Hashanah’s Readings Reveal
Each year, synagogues will cycle through a set of weekly readings from the Torah and the Prophets (these weekly portions are called the Parashat haShavua and the Haftarah respectively). Just as a specific portion of Scripture is read every week, there are specific readings in synagogues for Jewish holy days.
With Rosh Hashanah soon upon us, I want to turn to the portions that are read on this feast, because by doing so we will find that hidden in plain sight is a Messianic revelation that the Jewish community needs to see. Seeing and understanding this revelation not only provides assurance that their names will be written in the Book of Life[1] but also that this New Year can be the start of a new life – an eternal, spiritual life with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[2]
The purpose of this blog is not specifically to speak about Rosh Hashanah as a feast, but to show how the scriptures read on the first two days of this feast foreshadow the One who would come and give His life as an atoning sacrifice for sin.[3]
Day 1: The Torah Reading
The portion of the Torah read on the first day is Genesis 21:1–24. This scriptural text is a fulfillment of the promises God spoke to Abraham regarding a mighty nation, a people God would bring from Abraham’s seed, and a blessing that would extend from his seed. God also said that Sarah would bear this child of promise. Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100. If this couple was going to have a son, it would need to be a miraculous birth from God!
God kept His promises, and by opening the womb of Sarah for this son of promise, who would be named Isaac, God was forecasting an even more miraculous birth in the future: that of a Son who will completely fulfill the promises given to Abraham.
Day 1: The Haftarah Reading
The Haftarah portion for the first day is found in 1 Samuel 1:1–2:10. As with the Torah portion, this text focuses on a special birth once again. God intervened for a woman named Hannah, who had been childless for a long time. She wept and prayed for the Lord to give her a son, whom she vowed to give to the Lord for His service all the days of his life. The Lord answered Hannah’s prayer: Samuel was born, and the Lord eventually called him to be a prophet to Israel.
Both Isaac and Samuel were men with special births who were used in fulfilling the Lord’s promises, and both were also foreshadowing a Son who would be born miraculously,[4] who would be the true Son of promise, dedicated to serving His Father and to become a prophet, priest, and king.
Day 2: The Torah Reading
The portion of the Torah read on the second day is Genesis 22:1–24. This chapter recounts the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. The Messianic picture of a Son who would become a sacrifice – the true Lamb of God[5] – is so clear that only spiritual blindness can explain this not being understood. One can only marvel at the clarity when one realizes that the first use of the Hebrew word “love” in the Bible is found in this portion of Scripture, in verse 2 of Genesis 22.[6] The word “love” in verse 22:2[7] is used concerning a father’s love for his son, and it echoes what John writes John 3:16.[8]
Day 2: The Haftarah Reading
The Haftarah portion for the second day is found in Jeremiah 31:1–19.
This Haftarah portion is the perfect completion of the readings for Rosh Hashanah because in the same chapter of Jeremiah we find the promise of a New Covenant that God will give to Israel:[9] a covenant that will be written not on stone as the former (Mosaic Covenant) was, but on their hearts! What wraps this up so perfectly is the fact that it is indeed a special Son who will bring this New Covenant. This Son is the Servant Isaiah writes about.[10]
But the promise of the New Covenant comes in a later verse than the Haftarah portion for the second day, which comprises verses 1–19. This portion reveals that Israel’s mourning will be turned to joy. Rachel is pictured weeping for her children in verse 15, which on the surface speaks of Israel in exile and the loss of life they suffered. There is, though, a deeper sense of a mother weeping for her children who have strayed; Israel’s straying from God and His commandments is what led to the exile.
In the New Testament book of Mathew, this verse about Rachel weeping is quoted in the context of Herod’s killing of innocent children. When wise men from the east came inquiring about the birth of a king, this evil ruler sensed a threat and took extreme measures to eliminate it.[11]
The reason Matthew relates Herod’s murder of children to what Jeremiah wrote may be to give readers insight into the physical and spiritual condition of Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth, in comparison to the condition of Israel and Judah in Jeremiah’s time. In both cases, because of sin, Israel was being ruled by a foreign nation. During Jesus’ time, Israel was back in their land, but their sin had led to the Roman occupation. The weeping was once again for the children of Israel, as they had drifted from God’s Law and were honoring man-made traditions and additions to the law by their religious system instead of God’s commands.[12]
When Pharaoh ordered the killing of babies, Moses was hidden because God had a plan for him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. Hundreds of years later, when Herod also ordered the killing of babies, Jesus was taken to Egypt. He would return from Egypt to be used by God to lead Israel out of spiritual bondage, as He called them to repent from their dead works and confess Him as Lord, so their sins could be forgiven through faith in Him.
Also, in this second Haftarah reading we see the promise of future restoration for Israel in the end of days. Rachel’s weeping can be turned to joy at the birth of the child in Bethlehem,[13] for He is the One God will use to restore Jacob when they repent and return to Him. Jesus preached for Israel’s need to repent as Nineveh had at the preaching of Jonah.[14]
Now that you know what the Rosh Hashanah readings reveal, wouldn’t you like to start your new year knowing that your name is inscribed in the Book of Life? Contact us and we would love to talk with you about how this promise can be secured.
Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah staff
This Rosh Hashanah, do you know if your name is written in the Book of Life? Thanks to God’s promises in Scripture, we don’t have to doubt whether our eternal future is secure. If you’re wondering, “How can you be so sure?” we’d love to discuss this vital matter with you. You can reach us here.
Whether it’s the story of Isaac, Samuel, Moses, or Jonah, there are so many ways the Hebrew Bible points to the Messiah! Is there someone God has placed in your life who hasn’t yet trusted in the Lamb of God for salvation? How can you be praying and sharing the hope of the gospel with them?
Today, there is still weeping around the world as Israel continues fighting against terror organizations. As the anniversary of October 7 approaches, please join us in praying for the hostages and for those who are living with the trauma of war, including both Jewish and Palestinian people. Is there a practical way you can bring comfort to someone who is mourning or suffering?
Endnotes:
[1] Exodus 32:32; Psalm 69:28; Luke 10:20; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 20:15.
[2] God identified Himself in this way, showing Himself to be faithful to His promises, a covenant-keeping God, the only God, who has a specific plan of redemption for Israel and the nations through His Son, the Messiah Jesus.
[3] Isaiah 52:13–53:12.
[4] Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35.
[5] Genesis 22:8; Exodus 12:3–7; Isaiah 53:3–11; John 1:29, 36; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6–8.
[6] Genesis 22:2 contains the Hebrew word ahava, from the root ahav, “to love” (affection based on a close relationship). For more, read this blog.
[7] “Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
[8] “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
[9] Jeremiah 31:33–34.
[10] Isaiah 42:1–8; 49:1–8; 52:13–53:12.
[11] Matthew 2:16–18.
[12] Mark 7:1–13.
[13] Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1–6.
[14] Matthew 12:38–42.