ARTICLES

By Stephen Faircloth

“Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month, nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:27).

Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year. It is called the Day of Atonement, a sacred time set apart for repentance, reflection, and renewal before God. The period leading up to this day, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, is known as the Ten Days of Awe.

It is seen as an opportunity to prepare your heart and repair relationships before standing in humility before the Lord. According to Jewish tradition, this is when God determines whose names will be written in the Book of Life for another year.

Because of its seriousness, many prepare weeks in advance. In some traditions, prayers for forgiveness called Selichot are recited even before Rosh Hashanah, ensuring that one enters this season ready to meet God in repentance. Yom Kippur itself is seen as a day of judgment, when individuals stand before the Lord in fasting and humility.

The symbols of the day also reflect its purpose. For instance, it is customary to wear white, and in many communities, men put on a white robe called a kittel. This practice recalls the promise in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let’s settle this. Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”

Prayer lies at the center of the observance. Yom Kippur has more services than any other Jewish festival, with five held throughout the day. Among them, the Viddui is the central confession, asking forgiveness not only for personal sins but also on behalf of the entire Jewish people.

This prayer reflects the biblical truth found in Jeremiah 17:9: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Repentance on Yom Kippur emphasizes not only admitting sin but also making genuine changes in behavior.

The call to reconciliation mirrors teachings found in the New Testament as well. Jesus instructed His followers that if they bring an offering to God while knowing that a brother holds something against them, they must first seek reconciliation before presenting their gift.

In the same way, Jewish tradition stresses the importance of making peace with others before coming to God in fasting and prayer. Forgiveness and reconciliation with people prepare the way for forgiveness from God.

Another important element of the day is the reading of the Book of Jonah. Jonah’s story highlights the struggle between human resistance and God’s mercy. Though commanded to call the people of Nineveh to repent, Jonah wrestled with questions of who deserved judgment and who deserved forgiveness.

His experience often reflects our own tendency to doubt, resist, and decide for ourselves who is worthy of redemption. Yom Kippur reminds worshippers to turn from such disobedience and join God in extending His mercy.

For those who believe in Jesus, Yom Kippur also carries a powerful message. The day points to the work of the Messiah, who provides the ultimate atonement by taking away sin. This truth offers both assurance of forgiveness and a continual call to live in repentance.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

By Stephen Faircloth

The ancient city of Dan marked the northernmost boundary of Israel, often described in Scripture as the land stretching “from Dan to Beersheba.” Situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, Dan was blessed with abundant water from the springs that form one of the headwaters of the Jordan River. This abundance gave the region its lush beauty and made it an attractive place for settlement and trade.

Originally known as Laish, the city was conquered by the tribe of Dan after they could not remain in their allotted territory near the Philistines. They renamed it Dan, and it became a place of both blessing and sorrow. After the kingdom divided, Jeroboam I established one of his golden calves here, building a rival sanctuary that Scripture condemns as “the sin of Jeroboam.” Archaeological discoveries at Dan include the remains of this great high place, as well as inscriptions confirming the site’s role as a center of worship.

The city’s gates also hold a powerful story. Excavators uncovered a stela fragment that mentions the king of Israel and a ruler from the “House of David.” This provides remarkable confirmation outside the Bible of David’s dynasty. Even the gate itself recalls the biblical image of rulers judging at the entrance to the city, a place where power and justice were displayed for all to see.

Dan’s geography and abundance made it an influential site, but it also became a symbol of misplaced trust. Instead of allowing the springs and fertile land to remind them of the Lord’s provision, the people turned to idols. What God had given as a gift was twisted into a substitute for His presence. The prophet Amos later rebuked those who swore by “the god of Dan” (Amos 8:14), showing how deeply idolatry had taken root.

The history of Dan invites us to pause and ask where our own loyalties lie. Do we cling to the blessings while ignoring the One who gave them? Do we build our own “high places” of comfort and control, or do we let God remain the true source of life in our lives? Like the people of ancient Israel, we are tempted to rely on what we can see and touch rather than on the living God who calls us to faith and obedience.

At the same time, Dan’s story reminds us of God’s patience and mercy. Though the people strayed, God continued to send prophets, reminders, and calls to return. Even when His people built false altars, He never stopped desiring their hearts. That same mercy reaches us today. Wherever we have allowed idols to creep in, the invitation remains: return to the fountain of living waters.

Our blessings, like the fresh springs of Dan, are meant to point us back to God, not pull us away from Him. The ruins of Dan whisper this truth across the centuries: no substitute can hold the place of God, and no idol can satisfy like His presence.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

This week’s Torah reading is Parashat Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30). Read on Shabbat, September 27, 2025 / 5 Tishrei 5786. The following is a special devotional drawn from this week’s reading.

Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said” (Deuteronomy 31:1-3).

In this moment Moses prepares Israel for transition. He acknowledges his limitations, then points the people to the faithfulness of God and to the leadership of Joshua. Even as Moses steps back, he urges the people to remember that God goes ahead of them into the unknown. The promise is not dependent on the presence of Moses but on the unchanging character of God.

This text teaches us that leadership and legacy are never about individuals but about pointing others to God’s faithfulness. Moses’ final charge is not to depend on him, but to trust the One who leads and remains constant beyond human frailty. Israel is called to move forward into their future even when their founding leader no longer walks with them in person.

In our own lives, transitions come as seasons end, roles change, and guiding voices grow silent. This portion invites us to see that faith cannot rest on people but must rest on God. When we face change or uncertainty, we can hold fast to the One who goes before us. Our task is not to cling to former leaders or past seasons, but to walk forward in the confidence of God’s presence.

If you find yourself in a season of change, whether endings, slowdowns, or new paths, please take courage. God is not leaving you. Even when human strength fades, His faithfulness remains. And if you are in a time of stability or growth, remember that your ability to lead or act is not ultimate. You are a vessel pointing others to a greater strength. Let your influence always serve the One who never changes.

This week, reflect on one area of transition in your life. What step forward do you sense God asking you to take? How can you lean more on His presence than on your own strength or the reputations of others? Let your forward movement show trust in the One who goes before you.

PRAYER
Lord, as I face change and uncertainty, help me rely not on people but on You. May I walk forward in faith, trusting that You go before me and will uphold me. Amen.

By Stephen Faircloth

No city is mentioned more often in Scripture than Jerusalem. From the moment King David made it the capital of his kingdom, it became the spiritual center of Israel and a focal point for the Jewish people. Prophets spoke of it, psalmists sang of it, and Jesus Himself walked its streets.

Jerusalem’s story stretches back more than four thousand years. The earliest settlement formed around the Gihon Spring, a vital source of water that sustained life on the eastern hill, the area now called the City of David. When David conquered the city from the Jebusites, this hill became biblical Mount Zion and the heart of his kingdom.

David’s son Solomon expanded the city northward, building his royal palace, administrative buildings, and most importantly the Temple. As Jerusalem’s importance grew, and especially after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., more people settled on the western hill, today known as Mount Zion. King Hezekiah fortified this larger area with a massive wall, parts of which can still be seen.

This was the Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. After the exile, returning Jews rebuilt the city, though on a much smaller scale. During the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the settlement was again focused on the eastern hill.

Centuries later, under the Hasmoneans, Jerusalem grew once more. New walls expanded the city to include bustling markets to the north. By the time of Jesus, Jerusalem featured two dominant landmarks: the Temple Mount on the east and Herod the Great’s grand palace with its imposing towers on the west. This was the city where Jesus taught, healed, confronted corruption, and ultimately offered His life for the salvation of the world.

But Jerusalem’s glory was not permanent. In A.D. 70, Roman forces destroyed the city and the Temple, tearing down its walls and leveling its sacred spaces. The footprint of the ancient city shifted north and west, and Jerusalem would not surpass its first-century size until modern times. Later generations of Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, and others left their own marks, each layer adding to the city’s complex story.

Yet throughout all its rises and falls, Jerusalem remains a place where heaven and earth seem to meet. Pilgrims still stream to its gates. Jews pray at the Western Wall, Christians retrace the steps of Jesus, and Muslims worship on the Temple Mount. For believers, Jerusalem is more than history. It is a living reminder of God’s presence, His promises, and His coming kingdom.

Jerusalem’s story teaches that no earthly city or structure, no matter how sacred, can replace the God who dwells with His people. Where is your heart anchored today—in walls and rituals, or in the Lord Himself?

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do no ordinary work on that day. Instead, you are to present special gifts to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:23-25).

Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of the year,” marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Yet in Scripture it is more than a date on the calendar. The book of Leviticus calls it Yom Hateruah, the Day of Trumpet Blasts. On this day, the piercing cry of the shofar, the ram’s horn, fills synagogues and streets, calling hearts to attention.

The sound of the shofar is more than ritual. Its sharp and haunting notes awaken the soul and stir listeners to repentance and reconciliation. Ancient rabbis taught that when God’s people return to Him and to one another, the enemy is confounded. The ram’s horn recalls the story of Abraham and Isaac, when God provided a ram in place of Abraham’s son. Out of reverence, a cow’s horn is never used, so that the golden calf of Israel’s rebellion will not be remembered before God.

In many traditions, the shofar is blown each morning for a month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, giving worshipers time to search their hearts and lives. Families gather for festive meals that include apples dipped in honey for a sweet new year, pomegranate seeds for fruitfulness, round challah bread to symbolize life’s circle and God’s kingship, and fish or a ram’s head as a sign of being the “head” and not the tail in the year to come.

This feast is also tied to creation itself, celebrating the day God brought Adam and Eve to life and crowned Himself as King. The blowing of the shofar once announced the coronation of Israel’s earthly kings. Today it points forward to the coming of the true King. For Christians, it carries prophetic meaning. Jesus spoke of a great trumpet that will gather His people at His return (Matthew 24:31). Paul described the moment when “the last trumpet is blown” and the dead in Christ are raised (1 Corinthians 15:52). The book of Revelation also speaks of seven trumpets that will sound as God completes His plan for the world.

Rosh Hashanah begins the Ten Days of Awe, a sacred period leading to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During these days, Jewish people reflect on the past year, repent of sin, and seek reconciliation. One beautiful tradition is Tashlich, the casting away of sins. Standing beside a river or stream, worshipers toss small pieces of bread into the water as a physical reminder of Micah 7:19: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

For followers of Jesus, the Feast of Trumpets calls us to similar readiness. It reminds us that the King is coming and that today is the day to repent, forgive, and live awake to God’s voice. The trumpet blast is both a warning and an invitation to return, to rejoice, and to prepare for the eternal kingdom that will never be shaken.

What trumpet call is God sounding in your life right now? Is He calling you to repentance, reconciliation, or a deeper walk with Him? Take time to listen, for the King is coming.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.