Shalom, Followers of “The Way!”
Blessed be Elohim, Father of our Adon Yeshua the Messiah, The merciful Father, Elohim of all encouragement; who encourages us in every trial, so we can encourage others in whatever trials they may experience with the same encouragement we ourselves have received from Elohim. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Some weeks ago, my wife Miss brought up the topic of the morning and evening animal offerings; Israel received instruction concerning them in Exodus 29:38-42, Numbers 28:3-8, and 2 Chronicles 13:11. I was reminded of these offerings during the last New Moon commemoration, and on this morning. Subsequently, I feel an urge to write about them now.
YAH instructed Israel to offer a lamb in its first year (about a year old) in the morning and another one in the evening. These burnt offerings, described as a “sweet savor” (aroma), were to be sacrificed every day, and they were instructed to be continual offerings (done perpetually). Interestingly enough, Elohim designated that the place where these offerings were given is where He would meet with the Children of Israel (Exodus 29:43). Notably, the Hebrew word translated as morning is pronounced “boquer;” it means first half of the day, ranging from daybreak until noon. And, the Hebrew word translated as evening is pronounced “erev;” it means the time of day when the sun starts going down, also when people leave their work and go home, preparing for a night’s rest.
It was the practice of the Hebrew people to give the morning offering in the third hour (est. 9 AM) and the evening offering in the ninth hour (around 3PM). In a sense, this schedule made time for prayer. In addition, it is interesting to note that Yeshua was crucified in the third hour (Mark 15:25). Also, it was in the ninth hour when Yeshua died (Matthew 27:46-50).
Some may conclude that Yeshua’s suffering at the third and ninth hours signals the end of these burnt offerings, and their usefulness or future necessity. They may even conclude that the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD is further proof of YAH’s intent to stop these offerings. How do we reconcile that belief with The Father’s pronouncement that these are continual offerings? We can follow the example of a special, Elohim-fearing Gentile in the book of Acts to make sense of this riddle.
The case in point is, Acts 10 which describes Cornelius, a Roman Officer who worshipped The Elohim of Israel. Verse 2 says that he prayed frequently. In the ninth hour, an Angel (sent by Elohim) met with Cornelius, giving him instructions that would lead to him receiving The Ruach HaKodesh. Elohim kept the appointment, but changed the location. Being a Gentile, Cornelius would not have trouble-free access to the Temple, so YAH sent word to him at the place where he was at that time.
If Elohim chose to send word to a praying Gentile at the ninth hour, how much more could He speak to us also, at the ninth hour? This is an opportunity to line up with The Most High’s daily agenda. Just as we meet Him at His Appointed Times (The Moedim), why not choose to meet Him at the times of day when He continually makes Himself available to us? Can we make time for prayer?
Do join me in setting timers to remind me to pray and give thanks at the third and ninth hours. Some of us are usually working and doing business during the week. Still, there is no reason why we should not take a discreet pause and turn our attention to Elohim for a brief meeting. Daniel, while in Babylon, was known to pray regularly; from the scripture, we can infer that observers knew the usual times when he would pray. Whether your prayer is discreet or demonstrative, prayerfully consider prayers at these times. Let us examine our usual routines, and purposefully make time for prayer.
Special Support from Lauren Sutton