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40 Days Of Teshuvah To Yom Kippur |
Create In Me A Clean Heart Oh Adonai and Renew a Right Spirit Within Me
Psalm 51
Month of Tishrei is here, Shana Tova!
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Day 38
10 DAYS OF AWE
Al Chet Prayer
The Goal Of Al Chet Is To Get To The Root Of The Problem. To become more like Yeshua and to become conformed to His Image and Torah is a process, it does not happen over night. The key is never to give up, because He does not give up on us. We are all under construction and a work in process and this is the time to do spiritual house cleaning.
We are now in the 10 days of awe, a time to measure our spiritual growth and make amends where needed prior to Yom Kippur.
My Spiritual Annual Review Days Of Awe Day 8:
"....choose for yourselves whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15
Has your family put God first in this past year or have you put other gods (pleasures, time, money) before Him?
In what ways did you fall short of serving Him, have we repented of false gods in our lives?
In what ways can you improve your families commitment to serve God in the new year?
#38. For the sin we have sinned before You by vain oath-taking.
The evening service that begins Yom Kippur is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named for the prayer that begins the service. "Kol nidre" means "all vows," and in this prayer, we ask G-d to annul all personal vows we may make in the next year. It refers only to vows between the person making them and G-d, such as "If I pass this test, I'll pray every day for the next 6 months!" .
Making vows before G-d is very serious thing,we should not make a vow if we have no intention of keeping it. What does the Word say about making vows?
Ecc 5:4(5:3) If you make a vow to God, don't delay in discharging it. For God takes no pleasure in fools, so discharge your vow!
Ecc 5:5(5:4) Better not to make a vow than to make a vow and not discharge it.
Ecc 5:6(5:5) Don't let your words make you guilty, and don't tell the temple official that you made the vow by mistake. Why give God reason to be angry at what you say and destroy what you have accomplished?
Mat 5:34 But I tell you not to swear at all - not 'by heaven,' because it is God's throne;
Mat 5:35 not 'by the earth,' because it is his footstool; and not 'by Yerushalayim,' because it is the city of the Great King.
Mat 5:36 And don't swear by your head, because you can't make a single hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 Just let your 'Yes' be a simple 'Yes,' and your 'No' a simple 'No'; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
Jer 7:5 No, but if you really improve your ways and actions; if you really administer justice between people;
Jer 7:6 if you stop oppressing foreigners, orphans and widows; if you stop shedding innocent blood in this place; and if you stop following other gods, to your own harm;
Jer 7:7 then I will let you stay in this place, in the land I gave to your ancestors forever and ever.
Jer 7:8 Look! You are relying on deceitful words that can't do you any good.
Jer 7:9 First you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer to Ba`al and go after other gods that you haven't known.
Jer 7:10 Then you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, 'We are saved' - so that you can go on doing these abominations!
Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
We need to be people of our word, if we say we are going to do something then we need to do it.
Have we in the past year promised God that we would do something and not do it?
Let us go forward and not make empty vows but be a people of our word to God and to others.
# 38. For the mistakes we committed before You through vain oath taking. One of the Ten Commandments is "not to take God's Name in vain." Integral to our relationship with God is the degree to which we show Him proper respect.
Ask yourself:
Have I been careful not to utter God's Name casually? (Or worse yet: "I swear to G--!")
When I use God's Name in a blessing or prayer, do I concentrate on the deeper meaning of His Name?
Have I sworn or promised falsely while invoking God's Name?
Exploring the Al Chet Prayer by Rabbi Shraga Simmons |
