The first day the seventh month on Israel’s calendar is a biblical triple-header memorial festival: Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing Trumpets) and Rosh Hashanah (New Year). There are also a number of connections between and lessons in the mentions of trumpets in the Apostolic Writings (New Testament) and the themes of this festival. Here are Bible readings related to the festival and other details to get you ready to celebrate.
The Book of Numbers begins with Israel counted, ordered and camped around God’s dwelling — not as disposable numbers, but as people belonging to Him. Parallel passage Ezekiel 47 widens inheritance, giving foreigners a place among Israel’s tribes. Then Yeshua (Jesus) reveals the Shepherd’s heart: Heaven seeks the one who wanders and rejoices at repentance. Messiah gathers, restores and gives His people — Israel and nations added to her — a home with God.
God’s covenant concretely shapes how His people live. Leviticus 26–27 warns that rejecting Adonai’s ways brings escalating consequences, yet repentance opens the door to remembered covenant and restoration. A parallel passage from the prophet Jeremiah looks ahead to nations abandoning inherited falsehoods and recognizing Adonai. A related passage from Yeshua (Jesus) then presses the same choice personally: discipleship demands wholehearted, forward-looking allegiance — trusting Messiah enough to leave excuses, competing loyalties and the old life behind.
Leviticus 25:39–26:2 teaches that Israelite servants remain Adonai’s servants, never property. In parallel passage Isaiah 24 warns that a covenant-breaking world ultimately reaps devastation, and Yeshua (Jesus) in John 13 shows what faithful service looks like by washing His disciples’ feet. God calls His people to humble obedience: honor His Sabbaths, reject exploitation, serve one another, and faithfully represent the Master. In Messiah, true authority stoops to serve, bringing blessing through obedient action.
God’s freedom is meant to reshape how we treat people. Leviticus 25, with a verse that’s inscribed on the Liberty Bell, teaches Israel to trust Israel’s Savior enough to let the land rest, protect families from permanent poverty and help struggling neighbors without exploitation. Jeremiah 11 warns that covenant words must be heard and lived, not merely possessed. Yeshua carries that covenant ethic into personal conflict: resist revenge, absorb insult, give generously and overcome hostility with mercy.
God’s people to let worship shape everyday life. The continually burning menorah in ancient Israel’s Tabernacle, its bread of the Presence, and reverence for God’s Name point to lives centered on — and transformed by — His holiness. Parallel passage Hosea 14 shows that genuine repentance brings restoration, while another parallel, James 3, reminds us that transformed hearts produce wise, peaceable speech. Together, these passages point to Messiah’s work of renewing His covenant people.
Leviticus 22–23 calls Israel to honor God through worship and to meet Him through His appointed times. These festivals rehearse His redemption: Messiah is their substance, not their cancellation. Paul in Colossians 2 warns believers against human judgments and counterfeit spirituality, while Zechariah 14 looks ahead to Yeshua’s worldwide reign, when all nations will celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. God’s calendar tells one unfolding story — from holiness and deliverance to resurrection, restoration and fellowship.