Sunset, Friday, August 21, 2020 begins the first day of Elul for 2020.
For some Elul is just the name of a month on the Hebraic calendar.
For those who know God and appreciate His Fall Holy Days; it is so much more!
UNDERSTANDING THE SIXTH MONTH OF THE HEBRAIC CALENDAR
Do you understand that Elul is the sixth month of the Hebraic calendar?
It is an important time in the land of Israel for many reasons. One thing that is notable is that it is the time of the harvesting of the fig and the grape crops. Vineyards become very active and happy places. It is the time-appropriate season for making wine!
THE BEST WINES ARE MADE BY GOD
You may have picked up on the fact that I love anything to with vineyards. If you walked into my house right now you might think you had crossed over to a Mediterranean country and entered the home of a vineyard keeper. I think it is all so wonderful that it often spills over into my home’s decor.
Figs and grapes are two of my favorite fruits. This is the time of year that God brings them into a “ripe” state.
It is the time of the year that the most desirable fruits become useful and fulfill their intended purpose; and the keeper of the vineyard leads everyone in the process.
This metaphor is a way of seeing what God does with Elul.
SEEING WHAT GOD DOES IN THE SEASON OF ELUL
Picture this; God is out in the fields working with His people; sending out word that He is seeking a bride for his Son; one that is ready and waiting patiently for His return; one that will not be surprised if the Groom should appear in the middle of the night. She will be waiting with oil in her lanterns. Her wedding garments will be packed, pressed and clean.
She will be ready!
Like a faithful Father-In-Law (think about those words a moment) God is doing all that He can do right now to remind that Bride to get ready! He is going to have a wedding feast in his vineyard and He wants it to be perfect for the whole family. What the Bride does in the time leading up to the wedding is critical. It matters so much!
This time is very important and it should never be ignored. It isn’t THE event of the year; but THE event of the year will not be as great if this time isn’t spent first.
It is a time to be meditating on God’s love and writing His commandments (His 10 best ways to live) upon hearts and minds and spirits.
The Bride of Christ must be fully instructed in His Father’s ways. She must know the protocol; and she must have taken every step possible to be an honored member of the family.
It is also such an important time for God in relation to loving His people. He WANTS to be there with us during this time of preparation. He wants us to become closer during this time.
Have you ever noticed in the time leading up to a wedding that the wedding party gets to know one another in a special way? The Grooms parents and the Bride’s parents may not have been familiar with each other before; but this time brings out their best and they become more acquainted and together they begin to ask God’s blessings over those that they love so much.
THE TIME IS SACRED AND APPOINTED
Have you heard of this?
Do you understand that God has set aside sacred and appointed times for all of us both individually and also as a corporate nation of the Kingdom of Heaven’s Christ followers?
These days are the same days that were taught to Jesus when He was a child beginning to grow up in a human’s body. We too are God’s adopted children. We too; get to have the blessing of the time of Elul before the coming of the Fall Holy Days.
It is a time to be getting ready!
If you still feel that you do not have a full understanding of sacred and appointed times; here is one link that might help you to understand: SEASONS – SACRED APPOINTED TIMES AND SEASONS . This is the time of the year when the season begins to become “full” and a lot comes into play during this, yet another of God’s appointed seasons.
Elul is the month leading up to the times of God’s Fall Holy Days.
If is a time full of blessings and teachings from God.
The Hebraic people have always followed God’s appointed dates and times; and that is why I love observing their calendar and joining in with the awesome events of the season. I don’t have to be Jewish and neither do you (but it is certainly okay if you are)!
As a Gentile, adopted child of God I can come into God’s appointed times and seasons and sit right down with Him at His very own table! This is something that I could never take for granted. It is a very special season.
What a blessing to be allowed to participate in God’s feast days and the seasons leading up to them!
THE MEANING OF ELUL
In the Fall; the excitement all starts with Elul.
So what exactly does Elul mean?
We are going to publish some Elul meditations during the next 40 days that will explain more of the details involved during the season of time called Elul; but let’s just cover a few very basic facts first.
I wrote an informative article back in 2017 spelling out all the significance of Elul. I hope you will click into it now and review it for purposes of the upcoming season. Keep in mind that the dates for this year began on the secular calendar dates of August 21st and go 40 days forward.
Here is the link form 2017 explaining Elul in detail: LOVING THE MONTH OF ELUL – SEASONS . The explanation is too important and too wonderful to get lost in the shuffle; it has to have it’s very own space. Please don’t forget to take the time to read every detail.
You will be blessed.
THE ART OF GETTING THE HEART PREPARED
When I taught children’s church years ago we used to spend the first part of every lesson time getting the children “ready” to come into the teaching sanctuary that we used.
It might at first seem unnecessary; but we noticed the difference in the way things went if we did this or if we left it out.
Getting ready was important.
It prepared your heart to listen and to want to join in with the others in discovering and coming closer to God. We taught the children how to become quiet and still and how to get ready to listen as we filled their hearts with anticipation for what they would learn next. They then WANTED to participate. We did not have to force or coerce them to join in with enthusiasm. They considered the worship time a play time to meet with God.
They LOVED it.
We adults sometimes need the same thing.
The season of Elul is a lot like what we did in preparing those little children to come into the sanctuary for worship; only it is God preparing His people’s hearts for deeper worship. It is a time of reminding our hearts about what God wants and expects and a time to be in wonder and to show respect for God’s teachings and a chance for us to respond appropriately.
40 WONDERFUL DAYS OF ANTICIPATION
40 days seems to be God’s magic number.
We have 40 days to prepare for Pentecost after Passover by counting the Omer; then we have 40 days of Elul and The Feast of Trumpets and The Days of Awe to prepare for The Day of Atonement.
These are the appointed times of the sacred year that God’s people use to get ready and to prepare their hearts to come closer to God. It is the same calendar that Jesus used in His worship and in His growing up time as he lived inside a human body.
We will be bringing some Elul meditations to you in this blog as “extra” teachings on top of the usual articles and teachings that we always bring. The next 40 days will be full of opportunities for all of us to come closer to God.
God is always looking after us; He never lets something very important just sneak up on us. He gets our hearts ready for the Fall Holy Days with the season/Hebraic month of Elul.
It is a time of great wonder!
Welcome to the very first day of the rest of your life. After Elul; it will never be the same.