Repentance and the Meaning Behind the Feast of Trumpets

The Feast of Trumpets is a feast of God that involves preparing for the Day of Atonement through repentance for 10 days. Through the Bible, God teaches us the importance of living a life of repentance so that we can receive God’s blessings and be saved.

The Meaning of Repentance in the Bible

The life of someone who has repented is so valuable. When someone repents of the sin that leads them to death and receives the forgiveness of sins, it is like going from death to life. Even the first message that Jesus preached after His baptism was to repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is near. This shows us that we definitely need repentance in order to receive salvation. Jesus earnestly asked us to repent so that we can be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus also emphasizes the value and meaning of repentance through the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15:11-24 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ … “the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living…“When he came to his senses, he said “… I will…go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son…“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ”…For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

Repentance has the power to destroy the sins that we committed in the past and allows us to live a more valuable life full of God’s blessings. God is so pleased with the one who lives a life of repentance because it means that God’s precious child who was once dead, returns to God and is alive again.

A Lesson from Jonah

Jonah’s Repentance

We can learn a good lesson about the value of repentance from Jonah’s story as well. God called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh whom God had set out to destroy. But Jonah ran away from God, not wanting to obey God’s command. However, through repenting of his wrongdoing, he changed his mind and followed God’s word.

John 2:1-5, 10 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said : “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry… I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple…“

Jonah realized the error in his actions and with an earnest heart, he prayed to God. Although Jonah ran away from God at first, he repented and returned to God.

Jonah’s Life After Repenting

After his repentance, Jonah’s life became so much more valuable as God used him to carry out the great work of saving the people of Nineveh. Ultimately, Jonah’s preaching turned the entire city to God and in turn, God did not destroy the city. This was all a result of his repentance and obedience to God’s will.

John 3:1-10 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh… proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth…“Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Life After Repentance

We Are Freed From Slavery to Sin

Then after repenting of our past sins, how should we live our lives? We should not continue living a life of sin thinking we can simply continue sinning and God will forgive us. God freed us from being slaves to sin, so we should live a life of repentance making every effort to change our past ways and be obedient to God.

Romans 6:16-22 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance…What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

When we repent and turn away from sin, we receive God’s forgiveness. From then on, we should make every effort to live a holy and godly life that pleases God. We can live this kind of life by following the teachings of God in the Bible. God gives us His teachings as a guide to lead us to righteousness.

God Gives Us a More Blessed and Hopeful Life

When we live a life of repentance, our life becomes more hopeful under God’s grace and we receive the promise of eternal life. If we want to receive eternal life, then we definitely need repentance in our life of faith. In fact, the Bible describes the blessing we receive after repentance as a time of refreshing from God.

Act 3:17-19 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…

Even Apostle Peter, who is famous for setting a great example as a follower of Christ, was able to accomplish everything after his repentance. Peter disowned Jesus 3 times, neither acknowledging that he knew Him or followed Him. When he realized the sin he had committed, he wept bitterly and repented of his wrongdoing. Afterward, he was able to carry out his mission faithfully leading a valuable life that all Christians admire today.

Through the Feast of Trumpets, God gives us an opportunity to repent of our past sins so that we too can live a more valuable life full of grace and hope under God’s blessings.