Tonight is Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year. However, the Torah refers to it as Zicaron Terua, “a memorial of the blowing of [rams] horns” (source Wikipedia, Rosh Hashana).
Some believe that the New Covenant does away with the Feast of Trumpets. However, pouring over the NT reveals no command to do away with any of the Sabbaths or holy days. In fact, Paul, who supposedly wrote against such “customs”, wrote to a predominantly Gentile congregation about one holy day, “Therefore, let us keep the feast…” (1Co 5:8).
Some acknowledge the meaning of the spring days, but most do not seem to even understand the meaning and symbolism behind the fall holy days. And, why should they if they do not keep them? The problem is that by their lack of understanding, they also do not understand the plan of God.
Paul acknowledged that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Ro 7:12). The law is the opposite of sin (v7).
The problem, of course, is that only one Man ever kept the Law the way it was intended to be kept. That Man was Jesus Christ. Yet, He was more than a man. He was and is the Son of God Who came to the earth to pay the penalty for our sins.
We were literally sitting on death row. Our sins sentenced us to death. However, Christ was able to pay the penalty for our sins. He put away the charges written against us.
12 Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.
~Col 2:12-14 (HCSB)
It is a balancing of scales. It is a matter of satisfying justice that someone had to die because of our sins.
If a judge dismisses a case against a defendant, that doesn’t give the defendant the right to go out and commit more crimes. However, the prudent person who escaped punishment would try to keep the law from that point forward.
If someone dies in your place, it is even more important that you show our gratitude, is it not? One way would be to do what is right. God defines right and wrong, not us. We should be so grateful that we willingly and without hesitation do what He deems is correct instead of keeping manmade traditions (cf v 8).
Instead of twisting the clear words of Scripture (v 4), especially of Paul (2Pe 3:15-16), and keeping the traditions of men instead of God (Mt 15:3; Mk 7:13), perhaps it is time to search the Scriptures and see what they do say.
One thing is for sure, there isn’t one commandment to keep Easter or Christmas, and there isn’t one commandment doing away with the holy days. Rather we are told to not follow traditions of men (Col 2:8) but rather not allow others to condemn us for keeping the Sabbath and holy days and even the food laws (v 16). In context, it is clear that Paul is contrasting the deceitful customs and twisting of men’s words with God’s words, the latter being quite clear what is expected of God’s children.
23And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (Leviticus 23:23-25, King James Version)
So, are you going to follow the commands of God or the manmade customs of the world?