God’s Calendar
A key starting point for this is shifting our understanding of the calendar and time into God’s created order. His calendar started with creation and did not stop when Jesus lived, died and rose again – it continued. Man and satan has sought to change times and seasons, which results in most people living outside of God’s timing.
The Hebrew calendar is different to our calendar and it is God’s calendar! The Hebrew letters are numbers, sounds, pictures and symbols. Encoded in every year God speaks through the letters that denote the calendar year; He has placed revelation in the letters that characterise each year. Our Hebraic covenant roots are so important to understand as we move forward to advance His Kingdom in the earth.
The Hebraic Months and associated Tribes
Tishrei – Tribe of Ephraim, fruitful and multiply, satiated, well balanced control
Cheshvan – Tribe of Manasseh, to forget, to leap, up and away, anointing
Kislev – Tribe of Benjamin, develop warfare strategies, trust and rest
Tevet – Tribe of Dan, to judge, grow up and mature
Sh’vat – Tribe of Asher, pleasure, happiness, olive tree, read Daniel & Psalm 1
Adar – Tribe of Naphtali, sweetness, celebration, eloquent communication
Nisan – Tribe of Judah, spring, beginning of direct light, Passover Lamb
Iyyar – Tribe of Issachar, radiance, light linked with revelation, natural healing
Sivan – Tribe of Zebulun, month of giving, receive new boundaries, alignment
Tammuz – Tribe of Reuben, brilliance of righteousness, brilliant through worship
Av – Tribe of Simeon, hear, be concerned, predestined connections
Elul – Tribe of Gad, find place in camp, rewards begin to manifest
God’s Cycles
God has cycles during the year to take us up and draw us closer to Him. These are incorporated into His yearly calendar, the monthly, weekly and special times [feasts] where He has and continues to connect with us in a special way!
Weekly Cycle – Sabbath or Shabbat
God’s requirement is that we have a time of rest every week; we know this as the Sabbath or Shabbat. This is a time where we should rest, be refreshed and celebrate life with the Lord, family and friends. It should not be “onerous” or legalistic.
Sabbath is a time:
- to build a sanctuary in TIME
- of an act of worship
- of a picture of salvation
- as a picture of heaven
- designed to restore us: WORK six days …REST one day
- to recognise that God wants to fill our lives with blessing and increase
- of a kairos appointment with God every week – REST so we can be RESTORED
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 58:13-14
The key to restoration is REST and it is a gift of God to us in our weekly cycle and we should find a time each week, even if we cannot manage a whole 24 hour period, where we take this sanctuary in time with the Lord.
Monthly Cycle – Rosh Chodesh – First Fruits
Each month in the Hebrew calendar has significance and at the beginning of each Hebrew calendar month the Lord wants us to enter in, to give Him our first in every area. In this way we connect with Him to release His success and favour into each of our endeavours. As we honour God with the FIRST of our time, all of our time is “SET APART” (made special or holy). We are then positioned to receive BLESSING all month! Rosh Chodesh is a KAIROS time that SANCTIFIES the entire month so the full blessing of the month is released to us!
The Hebrew monthly cycle is split according to the new moon – the word for month is derived from the word moon; God designed the heavens to be a revelation of HIS timing! Genesis [1:14] God arranged the sun, moon and stars in the heavens to establish His times in our lives. Twelve times a year God arranged for the moon to go through a complete cycle. The Jews watched for the new moon and each time would mark the new month by joining together in a corporate celebration to praise and honour God! Rosh Chodesh is an expression of first fruits.
The Cycle of Feasts
These are the key times in the year when God calls us to gather for His agenda. Just as we gather and invite Him to come, these are special times that He has designated for us. The three key feasts are very important for us to understand and celebrate as they are opportunities for special encounters with Him. Each of them had great significance for the Jewish people in their journey and are fulfilled in Christ.
Passover: Redemption and Cleansing
Old Covenant – covered by the Blood, removal of impurity, deliverance from captivity.
New Covenant – Redemption and cleansing, deliverance from captivity to sin, sickness and death.
Pentecost: Provision
Old Covenant – Wheat, Law, Spirit
New Covenant – Holy Spirit and Power
Tabernacles: Glory
Old Covenant – Dwelling in His Presence
New Covenant – Glory revealed [probably the time of year that Jesus was born and He tabernacled with us]