Trumpets, Cymbals, and Shouts of Praise!
On Yom T'ruah and Every Day, We Celebrate our God and His Return!
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Dear friends,

This year of 2024 the Feast of Trumpets or Yom T'ruah begins at sunset on October 2 and ends at nightfall on October 4! Later tradition recognizes two days for the celebration; however, the Bible mentions only one day in Leviticus 23:24.

Yom T’ruâh can also be called The Day of Loud Sound according to the original Hebrew word t’ruâh.
In the list of God’s Appointed Days in Leviticus 23, verse 24 reads, “Speak to the sons of Israel saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by t’ruâh, a holy convocation.’” Some versions italicize the words shofar or trumpets in place of t’ruâh to signify that these words are not actually there in the original text but only implied. T’ruâh actually means sound or loud noise. The sound can be made in many ways and for many reasons:

• In Numbers 10:5-6, it was the t’ruâh of silver trumpets signifying the time to break camp and move on.
• In Numbers 31:6, it was the t’ruâh of an alarm calling the people to battle.
• In Psalm 150:5, it was the t’ruâh of the crash of cymbals in praise to the Lord!

But most often in Scripture, t’ruâh refers to loud shouting made with our lips, vocal cords, and lungs:

• In 1 Samuel 4:5, it was the t’ruâh of all Israel shouting when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp. It was such a great, collective shout that “the earth resounded.”
• In Ezra 3:11-13, it was the t’ruâh of the shouts of joy at the re-laying of the foundation of the Temple – “and the t’ruâh was heard far away.”
• In Joshua 6:20, it was a great t’ruâh of the Israelites that felled the walls of Jericho.

Yom T’ruâh is a day of loud, raised, sustained sounds – shouting that is raised to the King of Kings filled with praise, thanksgiving, and great joy using voices, lyres, shofars, and every instrument possible!  

Whatever our earthly heritage, we are children of our heavenly Father because we have received His Son Yeshua Who gave His life to pay the debt of our gross wrongdoing. Out of His kindness and love, He delivered us from the domain of darkness, gave us a new identity as His sons and daughters, and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son! So, we have a lot to shout about!

Yom T’ruah falls on Elul 29 on the Hebrew Calendar which usually puts it very near our first day of Autumn. Like a marker in time, this Day raises a banner between the end of summer and the approaching winter. It is a day for us to pause in remembrance and praise to Him! Let us praise Him with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength! Even in hard times, let us offer a “sacrifice of praise” together:

And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord!
Psalm 27:6

Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy!
Psalm 33:3

Clap your hands, all you peoples; Shout to God with a voice of joy!
Psalm 47:1

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my soul that You have redeemed!
Psalm 71:23

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation!
Psalm 95:1

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises!
Psalm 98:4

With trumpets and the sound of the horn, shout joyfully before the King, the Lord!
Psalm 98:6

They shall praise His name with dancing; They shall sing praises to Him with tambourine and lyre!
Psalm 149:3

Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute!
Psalm 150:4

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey!
Zechariah 9:9

The wilderness and the desert will rejoice, and the desert will shout for joy and blossom like the crocus!
Isaiah 35:1

And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with joyful shouting, and everlasting joy will be on their heads! They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away!
Isaiah 35:10 

Yom T’ruah is also called The Ingathering, because trumpets (or shofars) are blown to gather the people in from their fields into the temple for accountability and preparation as they look toward the Day of Atonement that comes ten days later.

The Ingathering foreshadows the return of Yeshua the Messiah when He will gather His bride (all those who believed in Him) at the end of the age: “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, and He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Matthew 24:30-31

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Let us worship the Lord with whole hearts and voices as we await His return!

Shalom, blessing, and joy in His love,
Beth Ann

The Shout joyfully art card is available in the Thanksgiving Collection at Flower Girl Greetings.com

The Feast of Trumpets Art Card is in the Feasts of Israel Fulfilled Collection at Flower Girl Greetings.com

Flower Girl Greetings, magnifying the beauty of God's Word! ©2020, All Rights Reserved.
Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.

From Passover to Pentecost
A Celebration of His Presence
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All over the world in this year of 2024, Pentecost (Shavuot) is being celebrated in the traditional church on Sunday, May 19, 2024 and in the Jewish community beginning at sundown on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (These days differ because of the use of different calendars.) So, what does this holy day represent?

The chart below shows the Passover-Pentecost connections and how they foreshadow Messiah’s life. For more understanding, please keep reading below the chart.

Hanukkah, Blossoms, and Yeshua 
Let us hear His voice
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The menorah (or lampstand) that was in the Tabernacle of the Lord is described in Exodus 25. It was created of solid, poured gold with gold almond blossoms for the cups of the candlesticks. For our Hannukah art card, I painted the almond blossoms to be alive – white with pink hues.

Almond trees bloom in the late winter in Israel and are the first blooms of the year. They signal the celebration of Passover which occurs on the first full moon of spring. The Hebrew word for almond means eager anticipation, wakeful hastening, and readiness – all descriptions the Israelites needed at the first Passover when the Lord delivered them from their enemy.

The Day of Loud Sound
Yom T’ruah and why I love it!
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As I write today, I am aware that excellence and accuracy were instilled in me, and I’m thankful for that. But we know that life is most-often not accurate; we can only do our best and then rest in Him – Best then Rest, how is that for a motto!? So, I offer this writing, not to be accurate, although that would appear to be my intent, but to simply share the joy that came as I studied these things; my study left the picture in my mind of us praising our King, dancing with all our might! And so, I will dive in…

Coming Home for the Holy Days 
Coming Home to Him
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He is our Home
Most days my heart can barely take the news. How thankful I am that Yahweh, the Eternally-Existent, Majestic Creator, and Sovereign One is our only Home. Although He has allowed the waywardness of humankind to run its course, He is full of hesed (His indescribable, undeserved, vast love) to those who seek Him. Our faith in Him is true and high and distinct from every other so-called “religion” because:

He Rested
A Missing Piece Found
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I created the booklet The Feast of the Lamb – A Passover/Resurrection Devotional Haggadah in 2022 to make it easy to gather with friends each spring to celebrate Passover (traditionally called The Last Supper) and to remember Yeshua (Jesus) until He returns. With this booklet, the participants walk thoughtfully through the Israelite’s Exodus and then through a timeline of Yeshua’s life with a focus on His last week on earth. It is a special time to celebrate our deliverance through Him. (You can find the booklet here.)

Regarding timelines in the gospel accounts, it is difficult to find them because the accounts were compiled of collections of gathered writings rather than stories written in order. In their authenticity, much detail was not included. However, with the study of Hebrew culture and idioms, understanding of these timelines becomes clearer.

A Passover Meditation 
We have passed through the waters of forgiveness into freedom!
To use for your celebration, Print the PDF

The Israelites’ deliverance from judgment at Passover by the blood of spotless lambs foreshadows our deliverance from judgment through the blood of the Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah.

The Israelites’ subsequent deliverance out of the enemy’s control through the Red Sea foreshadows our deliverance out of the enemy’s control through our new birth in the Holy Spirit.
We have passed through the waters of forgiveness into freedom!

Beckoning Almond Blossoms 
A Symbol of Eager Anticipation
A Hanukkah Message
A Dream and a Devotional
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The celebration of Hanukkah began last night this year, November 28^th, at sunset and ends at nightfall on December 6^th. I would like to share with you how I will recognize Hanukkah this year in a new way!

The Feast of First Fruits 
Celebrate the Resurrection of Messiah
April 3-4, 2021

In this year of 2021, The Feast of First Fruits begins at sundown on April 3^rd and ends at sundown April 4^th. It is celebrated on the Sunday after Passover and during The Feast of Unleavened Bread. God appointed this day of observance for the Jewish people over 3,500 years ago as a day of praise to Him for the early spring harvest and the resurrection of the earth. (See Leviticus 23:9-14)

A Chronology of Jesus’ Birth 
A Family Reading and A Fun Quiz
Free PDF Download (Printable format)

The following passages are taken from the three Gospels accounts in the Bible that contain portions of the story of Jesus’ birth. As best as I could, I wove them together in the order that the events took place, gave subtitles, and color-coded the portions. I hope you enjoy reading the complete story with your family and friends.
Matthew 1-2 – Verses are in red.
Luke 1-2 – Verses are in black.
John 1 – Verses are in green.

The Feast of Tabernacles
He is with you! 

The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot falls on the full moon of the 7th Hebrew month Tishrei in the fall. This year, this Feast begins at sundown on October 2 and lasts through October 10. It is a week of celebration and thanksgiving!

During this week of The Feast of Tabernacles,

Yom Kippur
The Veil has been torn!

In this year of 2020, Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement begins at sundown on September 27^th and lasts through the 28^th. 

The Feast of Trumpets, celebrated last weekend, is followed by The Days of Awe – ten days of repentance and preparation. These days end with a day of fasting called Yom Kippur, the most sacred Jewish holiday of the year. On this day, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies in the temple to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. A large veil of blue, purple, and crimson linen blocked access to this holy place where God dwelled. (2 Chronicles 3:14).

Yom Kippur
The Culmination of Adonai's Hesed

Jesus (Yeshua) fulfilled The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur that comes about in the fall after the Feast of Trumpets that was just celebrated this past weekend (see last week’s post here). This year, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on September 27 and ends at nightfall on September 28.

Yom Kippur recognizes Father’s greatest act of hesed toward us. The Lord made His hesed (indescribable love) so tangible to me last August 8 in 2019. I am still not able to put the impact of the experience into words, but it affected everything including my prayers.

In honor of this special lavish learning from my Father, I created this long banner with green satin letters on white linen to be the centerpiece of our home – Hesed Adonai Khadash kol Boker or The lovingkindness of the Lord is new every morning!

The Feast of Trumpets
On the Feast of Trumpets and Every Day, We Celebrate His Return!

The Feast of Trumpets will be celebrated this year on September 19^th and will begin at sunset the evening before. It falls on the new moon of the 7^th Hebrew month Tishrei.

God appointed seven yearly feasts for the Israelites to observe (found in Leviticus 23) to foretell and foreshadow Jesus’ life, sacrifice, death, burial, resurrection and return!

Saved by the Blood
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. He Himself became our Passover Lamb. The Passover card celebrates God’s deliverance for us through Yeshua’s blood. The card includes the artist’s notes and a celebration greeting on the inside. Here is some of the text included on the back of the card:

The Great Transition
The New Covenant Given
2014, revised April 3, 2020 and March 7, 2023
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Contents

• The Last Passover Meal
• Passover and the New Covenant Connection
• The Intimate Transition
  • He cleansed them.
  • He prepared them.
  • He prayed for them.
• The Anticipation and Fulfillment of the New Covenant
  • Promised, Manifested, Secured, Realized, Experienced, Indwelling, and Permeating.

Four Esther Stories for Purim
2018; revised 2024
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The first Feast of Purim was recorded in the Megillah, the Scroll of Esther. To read a devotional overview of Esther’s story called The Scroll of Esther, please click here.

These four stories are included in this post:

• The Story of Esther found on the back of The Feasts of Lots Art Card
• The Story of the Art Process
• The Story of Another Esther
• The Story of Us

The Tabernacle Hesed Moon
Living in His Undeserved Love
October 15, 2019
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Note:  On October 16, 2019 at 10:30 p.m., we received a phone call from my sister that my brother had passed away unexpectedly. We arrived at my mother’s home about midnight. This blog was posted the day before on October 15. We were told the following Saturday that Doug died on October 15. So, this blog was written in the early morning of the day my brother died.

Dear friends,

The week-long Feast of Tabernacles began this year [2019] at sunset on Sunday, October 13^th and will culminate on Sunday, October 20^th – “the last day of the great feast” (John 7:37-38). 

My heart has been filled with a warm longing for more of Yeshua as I look at the Tabernacle full moon outside our east window at night and outside our west window in the early morning. Both sights are gentle reminders that Father has enclosed me behind and before and laid His hand of love upon me. (Psalm 139:5)

Our First Fruits
April 11, 2019

The Feast of First Fruits is celebrated on the Sunday that falls after Passover during The Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is a day of praise to the Lord for the early spring harvest and His reviving of the earth after the winter’s repose.

Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah died and was buried in the earth on Passover. He rose from the dead on The Feast of First Fruits. We celebrate this Feast on April 21^st this year on Resurrection Sunday!

We have victory through Messiah Yeshua!

The Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah Art Card is from the Feasts of Israel Fulfilled Collection.

Hanukkah is also called The Feast of Dedication and The Festival of Lights. Did you know that the Bible references Hanukkah in John 10:22-29?

The Scroll of Esther 
God never forgets His covenant with His people
A Devotional Overview of Esther's Story
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The Context of the Scroll of Esther
The Bible begins with the stories of Creation, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua, and the stories of the judges who ruled the land. Then, the Israelites wanted kings. The first kings were Saul, David, and Solomon. Due to Solomon’s sin, the kingdom was divided into the north and south. Most of the kings of these two kingdoms were grossly sinful. And so, both kingdoms were taken into exile by their enemies – the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 714 BC; and the southern kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
A Family Reading
Free Downloadable PDF

I divided the Proclamation into five parts with headings making it easy to read in a gathering. I then attempted to translate it into simpler language so that I could understand it. This simpler version is at the end of this document and may be helpful to read next in the gathering or to use for discussion and prayer. If you print off the PDF at the link above, it will be easy to cut the portions for each reader. 

For fun pictures of Abe, please read this post to the end!