Imagine yourself in a packed theatre. The red carpet and velvet chairs, the ornate molding and banisters, brass balconies, baroque candelabras, and opulent décor. The orchestra is warming up and the lights are blinking indicating the show is about to start. You’re sitting there waiting in anticipation for the world renown, extraordinary performer Adonai to appear on stage. You’ve heard about His performances in the past and they were breathtaking. When will the curtain open?
Watching and waiting for God is more than just biding time as the world goes by. There is an actual purpose in waiting on God’s timing and watching Him perform.
In fact, there are two aspects of waiting on God. One is personal as trusting believers present their personal petitions and prayers before God, and then wait and watch in expectation for His help and His answers.
Now, Adonai, what am I waiting for? You are my only hope (Psalm 39:8 CJB).
We are waiting for Adonai; he is our help and shield (Psalm 33:20 CJB).
Adonai, in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my needs
before you and wait expectantly (Psalm 5:3 CJB).
Expectations and Appointed Times
The second aspect of waiting on God has a corporate element and is connected to His overall plan for mankind. God is not random. His plan for the redemption of those who have faith in Him and the setting up of His Kingdom on Earth can absolutely be expected and by many witnessed in His right time.
We must have faith and believe that His Word will become reality. For His covenant believers, faithful expectation is measured and monitored by His watchful eye, and is connected to His prophetic actions that occur at His appointed times. A great deal of Scripture teaches us about these “appointed times,” or moedim in Hebrew.
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations (rehearsals)—My appointed times are these: Leviticus 23:4 NASB.
Feasts or appointed times (also known as moedim) can be better translated as signals. In Hebrew “convocations,” is known as micra, but for this instance, a better translation in English would be rehearsal.
So, in essence, we are to watch for the signals of the Lord, while we rehearse His instructions (in order to show and instruct others) thereby signaling what He will soon perform.
God did not create a random universe—neither are the major events of this earth random. His
prophetic Word has already been written and has power in due time to bring about the
circumstances necessary to manifest all that He has intended. God has this blueprint of events encrypted in the moedim—the feasts—the appointed times. He wants us to be watching and waiting when He begins to accomplish them.
God Accomplishes His Word
The Hebrew language is unique. A word can be pronounced slightly different to change meanings but at the base (or shoresh) these words are predicated on each other – intertwined and connected, containing progressively deeper levels of meaning. In keeping with the unique nature of the Hebrew language God has an interesting conversation with Jeremiah.
The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the
branch of an almond (sheked) tree,” I replied. The Lord said to me, “You have
seen correctly, for I am watching (shakad) to see that my word is fulfilled” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 NIV)
The word “sheked” is the Hebrew word for almond and “shekad” is the Hebrew word for waking, watching or arising. Interestingly enough, the almond tree is the first tree to wake up, bud and produce fruit after winter—in other words, it’s the first to perform.
Jeremiah was young, fearful and insecure when God called him. God used the picture of an almond tree to show Jeremiah how He watches over His Word until the appointed time comes, when it is awakened and then He, (God, Himself)) performs it.
The First Act or Performance– The Feast of Pesach/Passover
God’s first major accomplishment of the moedim (appointed time) is listed in Leviticus 23. The first feast is called the Feast of Pesach which means Passover. The crucifixion of Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) happened on this appointed day, determined as Aviv 14. Until that year on Aviv 14, the Hebrew people annually “practiced” this feast with customary traditions associated with the Exodus of the Hebrew children from Egypt. On a particular Passover day some 2,000 years ago, the Almighty awakened to perform His Word. At the appointed time Yeshua was crucified and given as the Passover Lamb of God—this was not a rehearsal. God did the actual performance through a perfect sacrifice, on the appointed day accomplishing the first act of God indicated by Leviticus 23 that advanced His Kingdom forward. This first major act of God was for the purpose to redeem man back unto Himself.
Another major point that is connected to that appointed time of the first act is referenced when Yeshua was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His disciples several times to “watch with Him” for one hour.
Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me (Matthew 26:38 NHEB).
What were they watching for? Yeshua explained it earlier to His twelve followers:
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise (Luke 18:31-34 ESV).
Yeshua knew that He first would be delivered over to the Gentiles. God was about to perform “this delivery to the Gentiles” through Judas and He wanted the others to wait and watch as God “woke up” to accomplish His plan just one hour from their arrival to the garden.
After praying three times for strength and vision Yeshua continually found his disciples not watching but instead, sleeping. He uses this opportunity in the garden to teach them to not fall asleep but be watching for what God is about to do lest they fall into the temptations and cares of the world.
Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Luke 18:41 WEB).
He is then arrested, an act that continues the process of betrayal that leads to the suffering and death of the real Passover Lamb according to His Word recorded in Luke 18. It’s no coincidence that Yeshua was put on the cross at the exact time of the morning sacrifice and died at the exact time of the evening sacrifice. Our God is a God of order and perfect timing. Everything recorded in Leviticus 23 occurs according to His perfect moedim—appointed times – an example of divine prophesy that is seen throughout Scripture.
The Second Act – The Feast of Unleavened Bread
To perform the Feast of Unleavened Bread that had been a rehearsal of fasting leaven until this time, Yeshua must take our sin (leaven) into the grave before the feast starts at sundown on Aviv 15. And He does, as witnessed by His death on the cross and burial at the appointed time of The Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The Third Act – The Feast of First Fruits
To perform the Feast of First Fruits, Yeshua must arise from the grave being the first fruit of the
dead. And He does it on the actual moedim of God’s calendar of appointed times—on the day of the Feast of First Fruits – that is the Day of Resurrection.
The Fourth Act – The Feast of Pentecost
The fourth feast recorded in Leviticus 23 is called the Feast of Pentecost or Shavu’ot (in Hebrew) and is observed fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits. At this appointed time, we see the glorified Yeshua give another command like He did in the garden to His disciples. This time He was talking to the 120 followers that, as a result of His command, all gathered together to “wait” for God to awaken to perform His promise in Jerusalem.
At one of these gatherings, he instructed them not to leave Yerushalayim but
to wait for “what the Father promised, which you heard about from me (Acts 1:4 CJB).
Just as God comforted Jeremiah assuring that He would awaken to carry out His Word, these faithful followers were waiting for God to do what had only been a rehearsal in the years
preceding this day. Historically this was the day the Hebrew people celebrated God sending the blueprint of the Word called the Torah. He promised one day that the Torah would be written in the hearts of man. We know this promise manifested (was awakened) just as Yeshua told them it would be. On the Feast of Pentecost, they were gathered together watching and waiting in the upper room when God wrote the Torah on the fleshly hearts of man. God performed on the exact appointed time, the 5th feast day as recorded in Leviticus 23.
Future Performances
Just as God fulfilled His feasts days in the past, He beckons us to watch and wait for the next
moedim—the three remaining acts that are connected to His return.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them (Luke 12:37 BSB).
The Criteria of Waiting
The practice of waiting on God to perform includes several criteria. Believers must examine
themselves by confessing where they have fallen into temptation. They must be in right relation-
ship with others, asking forgiveness where they have offended or been offended. Waiting is a
time of taking inventory, humbling ourselves and getting rid of pride and offense. It is also being
in awe (having the appropriate fear of God) as one realizes He is about to awaken to judge first
His own and then the whole earth.
For the time has come for judgment to begin, and to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who reject God’s Good News (1 Peter 4:17WNT).
…we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we
continue waiting eagerly to be made sons — that is, to have our whole bodies
redeemed and set free (Romans 8:23 CJB).
His judgment determines who are His sons – that is who is His bride. God is looking for His people to put Him in His rightful place in their hearts.
But Adonai’s eyes watch over those who fear him, over those who wait for his
Grace. (Psalm 33:18 CJB).
Adonai takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who wait for his grace. (Psalm 147:11 CJB).
Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, that you may be fully rewarded (2 John 1:8 BSB).
The lights have gone out. The curtain begins to move… Are you ready for this?
