 We have entered the final month on the Hebrew calendar in the year 5786. And quite a month it is because there is so much encouragement coming our way! Yet, it is also a time of preparation for the new year. The name of this month, Elul, is associated with the Hebrew letter YOD, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Its curved position depicts humility and means that mercy is appointed from the hand of God. The forty days from Elul 1 to Tishrei 10 (Yom Kippur) have been assigned as days of repentance and restoration.
The beauty of this month is that it is a time when God wants to meet us in a special way. He comes to help us prepare for being in His presence. The Jews say of Him: "The King is in the field." By making Himself more accessible, He helps in our everyday affairs. As we wait upon Him, He reminds us of His loving kindness. The forty days until Yom Kippur are called Teshuvah. The word essentially means we return, repent, and turn our faces toward the Lord. Psalm 27 is a significant Psalm for the days of Teshuvah. The Jewish people believe that hidden within it are references to the festivals they will celebrate in the month of Tishrei. According to the Midrashim (Oral Torah), the words light and salvation in verse 1 refer to Rosh Hashana (The Festival of Lights) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Verse 1 - NKJ) The secret place of His tabernacle in verse 5 refers to the Feast of Tabernacles. "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle, He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock." The expressions of David in Psalm 27 are what every Christian needs to adopt. "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple." (Verse 4 - NKJ) "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies." (Verse 11 - NKJ) "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" (Verses 13 and 14 - NKJ) Waiting on the Lord is exactly what we want to do, especially during Elul when the barrier between heaven and earth becomes thinner. Let us embrace this time of reflection, redemption, and renewal as we prepare for a new year of walking with the King of kings. 
There is significance in the coinciding of last week's Torah portion and the beginning of the month of Av. Last week's reading was the first three chapters of Deuteronomy. In it Moses is giving a second generation of Israelites a history lesson in the hope that they do not repeat the same mistakes as their parents. He reminds them of their journey through the wilderness, the consequences of fear and unbelief, and the faithfulness of God. The first generation of Israelites made many mistakes, but their major one, that still has ramifications today, was their sin of unbelief and fear instead of faith in the promises of God. The book of Deuteronomy is about renewing God's covenant with Israel and preparing hearts to live by His covenant. Moses reminded his charges about God's promises and faithfulness. He was teaching the second generation to trust in God's covenant instead of their military power. The tragedy of the month of Av began when the Israelites sent twelve spies into the Promised Land to investigate. When they returned, ten of the spies gave a negative report to the community. Though they acknowledged that the land flowed with milk and honey and carried back a cluster of grapes on a pole, they focused on the fortified cities and the people who lived there who were descendants of Anak. Only Caleb and Joshua declared the voice of faith. On the ninth of Av the Israelite community made a decision and partnered with fear, doubt, and unbelief. They did not remember the faithfulness of God to bring them out of Egypt with plunder, to carry them through the wilderness, to help them win battles against warring nations, and to provide for all their needs. They forgot that God made a covenant with them and promised to guide and protect them all the days of their lives. Because of their negative confession the Israelites placed themselves under a curse. They made an agreement with the kingdom of darkness and set into motion a cycle of destruction that can be seen by the events that have occurred throughout the years. Their history of unbelief was reinforced when the Jews refused to accept that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus told them He is the Son of God and demonstrated His Kingdom through miracles and words of life. The book of Hebrews explains that the Israelites could not enter God's rest because of unbelief. "...The word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4:2 - NKJ) Because of their doubt in God's promises, the children of Israel were not permitted to enter the Promised Land and were condemned to wander in the desert for forty years until all the first generation died. On the ninth of Av many Jews will spend the day fasting in sorrow for the way history has demonstrated the results of unbelief. If we look at a few of the events that occurred on the ninth of Av, we can feel the heaviness of the curse that has followed the Jews. Here are some of the manifestations of the curse: Babylon destroyed the first temple (587 BC), the Romans destroyed the second temple (70 AD), thousands of Jews were killed during the Crusades launched on this day (1095 AD), Jews were expelled from England (1290 AD), Jews were expelled from Spain (1492 AD), Jews were deported to concentration camps (1942 AD), Jews were removed from their homes in Gaza (2005 AD). The history of the Jews in this month should remind us to renew our faith in God and His promises to us. Remembering God's covenant with us and His faithfulness in our lives must be a priority. The truth is that every generation faces the same choice: Do we trust God when we make decisions or let fear and unbelief prevail? Our confession must be, "Doesn’t matter what I feel; doesn’t matter what I see. My hope will always be in Your promises to me.” (Song – “Your Promises” by Elevation Worship)  The Church may not realize this, but the fourth month on the Hebrew calendar, called Tammuz, is one of spiritual warfare where we must defend our souls. The enemy of our souls looks for weak spots or places where we or our ancestors compromised and attempts to take advantage of us. At sunset on June 15, we entered the month of Tammuz. Let us look back in history to see what was happening in Tammuz a few months after the Israelites came out of Egypt. After a long trek from Egypt to Mount Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain to meet with God. Exodus 32 tells the story: "Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, 'Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And Aaron said to them, 'Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me...' And he received the gold from their hand and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' So, when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it..." (Exodus 32:1-5 - NKJV)
The building of the golden calf stemmed from a grievance rooted in the hearts of God's people. The bottom line is they did not trust Him although He demonstrated His faithfulness multiple times throughout their journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Here is the reason why God told the Israelites, many times, "Remember." Exodus 13:3 is an example. "Then Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day on which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by strength of hand.'" (ESV) Had the Israelites remembered the way they came out of Egypt, they may have rethought their sin of building the golden calf. Exodus 12:36 tells us that the Israelites "plundered the Egyptians." They simply asked for their gold and received it without a fight. Here is the lesson from this story that we need to take to heart: When God gives us plunder as we are coming out of our own Egypt, we must not use it to make an idol for a lower form of worship. We were all made with a need to worship. God's desire is for us to worship Him alone because this fosters greater intimacy with Him. When we use the gifts He gives us to make idols for worship, He is greatly grieved. Tammuz is the month for heightened alertness. We cannot allow the enemy to entice us to take our eyes off the Lord and His promises. We must be patient and never settle for inferior forms of worship. When we build idols, they bring curses and desolation upon us and cause God's manifest presence to leave. This call to "remember" is not only important for us as individuals, but also for our churches and our nation. We cannot forget the battles we fought, the blessings we have received, and the prophetic words spoken over us. We need to remember the snare of the golden calf so that we do not use the plunder God gave us to build an inferior idol to worship. God is faithful and will bring His promises to life at the perfect time and in the perfect way. A segment of our society would like to erase the past so that they can alter the future. If we rewrite the past, we can rewrite the future. If the foundations of God are removed, then we can build on new and ungodly foundations. We cannot allow this to happen! We must "fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) Our worship of the One True God will demonstrate our faithfulness to Him and our remembrance of His faithfulness to us. Let's make this month one of radical worship to Adonai, The Lord Our God!  In Bucks County Pennsylvania it is wheat harvest time. I love looking across the rolling, expansive, golden-brown fields ready to be cut. The farmer determines if the crop is ready by pressing his fingernail into the kernel. If no mark is left, the grain is ideal for harvest. It is called winter wheat and would have been sown in the fall. Once the crop is inspected and ready for harvest, the farmer brings in a combine harvester. This one machine does several operations: It cuts the stalks, threshes the grain (by separating the grain from the husk), and blows out the waste (called winnowing). The next machine to come onto the field is a baler. It collects the wheat stems and compresses them into cylindrical or rectangular bales. Then they are transported to be used to feed livestock or as a fertilizer additive. In the meantime, the harvested grain is loaded onto trucks and taken to local farm buildings. There it is dropped into tall steel or concrete silos to be processed into flour.
Something I noticed about local harvesting is that it is done to the very edge of the field. Such a practice would have been unacceptable in Biblical days. Leviticus 19:22 says, "When you reap the harvest of your land do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God." This law of leftovers is repeated in Deuteronomy 24:19. "When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for a foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." Verse 22 explains further: "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this." The Jews call this tradition "Pe'ah" or "leaving the corners or edges." As we can see in the Deuteronomy Scripture, when we show compassion and generosity to those who are less fortunate than we are, it touches the heart of God, and He promises to bless us. This was also a way of preserving the dignity of the needy by allowing them to harvest the food for themselves. We can see this played out in the book of Ruth. "One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain. Maybe someone will be kind enough to let me gather the grain he leaves behind.' Naomi said to her, 'Go, my daughter.' So, Ruth went to the fields to gather the grain the reapers left behind..." (Ruth 2: 2, 3 - TPT) Today, as we do not live in an agrarian society, how can we apply the principle of leaving the edges? First, we must not live a marginless life. When we use everything we have, including money, time, and energy, we open the door to exhaustion and fear, fear that we will not have enough. The root of living like this is lack of faith. We must believe that God will provide for our needs. As the Bible says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19, 20 - NKJ) Second, a Christian has the obligation to take care of those in need in our communities. The underlying purpose of "leaving the edges" can be demonstrated through acts of charity or kindness. We live in a society where people spend all that they have to satisfy their desires for the latest and greatest vehicle or computer or gadget of the day. The responsibility to live within their means has been forgotten. There is nothing left for a rainy day or to help others. Let us take Hebrew 13:5 to heart as it is a promise from God for us to embrace. "Don't be obsessed with money, but live content with what you have, for you always have God's presence. For hasn't He promised you, 'I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life.” (TPT)  Over the weekend the Jewish calendar turned to a new month, the third month of Sivan. This name is Assyrian and means joy or the month of harvest. There is excitement for the Jewish people as they enter this month because it is packed with events that give them assurance of provisions. Physical provision is evident by the ripening wheat fields. As the children of Israel moved to Mount Sinai, God was preparing to give Moses Torah—the Word of God. During the same period, but years later and ten days after the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God (Ruach Ha-Kodesh) was poured out on those who waited in the upper room. With these gifts, God was positioning His people to receive power.
The stories of these provisions in the Bible should inspire us to position ourselves to be set apart from the world and dedicated to our Lord. He is calling us to Himself and purifying us in holiness and righteousness through the power of the Word and His Spirit as they come together. This month is a reminder that we are God's children of inheritance. He made a covenant with the Israelites and promised to keep that covenant. When the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, God gave them a history lesson to remind them of how He cared for them. Some of those reminders are written about in Deuteronomy 8. "Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers...Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him...When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws, and His decrees that I am giving you this day...Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:1, 6, 10, 11, 18) God called the children of Israel to come up as He met them at Mount Sinai, and he called the disciples to come up to an upper room. We are still called to look up to the Lord, The Light of the World. (John 8:12) We are meant to be set apart and anointed as priests before Him. Jesus confirmed this call by identifying us on the Sermon on the Mount. "You are the light of the world...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14, 16) Here is what 1 Peter 2:9 tells us about our identity: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." We are to live in step with the Holy Spirit. In doing so we will impact the world around us. Peter goes on to say, "Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that He visits us." (1 Peter 2:12)  Much happened during the second month of the Hebrew calendar. It is called Iyar or Ziv (meaning radiance) and is known as a month of transition since the children of Israel were moving from Egypt to Mount Sinai. They were experiencing a new level of relationship with God as they learned about His nature and that He is trustworthy. While traveling through the wilderness, the Israelites encountered God in supernatural ways.
As the name of this month indicates, the children of Israel were enlightened in their understanding of who God is. They had a crisis when they arrived at Marah, meaning bitter. There was no drinkable water in the desert. The bitterness the Israelites were experiencing was transformed and redeemed as God showed them a tree to put in the water to heal it. He made it known that His healing power is not only for water but also for people. One day He would send His Son to hang on a tree to bring healing for everyone. The Lord told the Israelites, "If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." (Yahweh Rapha) (Exodus 15:26) God revealed two other important names for Himself while the Israelites were on their journey and during a time when they were grumbling at Him. "So, Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, 'You will know that it was the Lord when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard your grumbling against Him.'" (Exodus 16:12) Hence, they came to know God as Yahweh Jireh—"The Lord who Sees and Provides." In the middle of their journey, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites. A battle ensued. Moses went to the top of a hill to raise his hands up. This action enabled the Israelites to win their battle. However, Moses needed help when his arms got tired. Aaron and Hur came to his rescue by holding up his hands. They learned that raising their arms as a banner in praise was their key to victory. Thus, God became Yahweh Nissi, "The Lord, my Banner of Victory." If we fast forward 480 years, we can learn another significant event that occurred during the month of Iyar or Ziv. "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord." (1 Kings 6:1) Another promise from the Lord for the children of Israel appears in 1 Kings 6:12 and 13. "As for this temple you are building; if you follow my decrees, observe my laws, and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people, Israel." Doesn't this promise sound very similar to the one God gave to the Israelites when they were coming out of Egypt and He was reintroducing Himself to them? "He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) This would be a particularly good month for us to build our relationship with God. He stands ready to feed us not only physical manna, but "every word that comes from His mouth.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) The Lord has food for us in every circumstance of our lives. In Exodus 19:4-6 God made it clear that He wants a special relationship with His children. "You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you obey Me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." As part of God's family, we are included in this amazing covenant. God is still our healer, provider, and victory over our spiritual enemies. What an amazing God we serve!  We are in the middle of Passover week. Included in this week is the celebration of First Fruits or the day of the resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus. This is Nisan 16 on the Hebrew calendar. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 He is called "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." The New Living Translation says, "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So, you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
For life to spring forth we must first have death. This was demonstrated with Jesus who willingly went to the Cross to take our sicknesses and diseases, pain and sorrow, sin and guilt on His body. During the three hours between noon and three p.m., He felt the pain of His spiritual separation from His Holy Father because of what He was bearing. The first two verses of the prophetic Psalm 22 is a look at what Jesus would say as He hung on the Cross. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving Me, so far from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, and am not silent." The "groanings" of Messiah are followed by a statement of truth and comfort in verse three of Psalm 22. In this Psalm there is a move from despair to faith in the truth of who God is. "But You are holy, enthroned in the praise of Israel." (NKJV) "Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel." (NIV) The word "enthroned" or "inhabits" in the KJV is the Hebrew verb "yashab" which means to remain or dwell. God is everywhere! Psalm 139:7-10 makes this clear. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." As we contemplate Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, we should see a call to worship the Lord. That message began as Moses went to Pharoah to obtain the release from slavery for the children of Israel. "So, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'" (Exodus 10:3) Today our enemy, the devil, does everything he can to stop us from worshiping the One True God. Just as God broke the bondage of slavery for the Israelites, Christ broke the bondage of sin and sickness for us on the Cross. He was resurrected on the third day with a message of victory over death and a call for us to come near to worship Him. Rabbi Jason Sobel tells us that "Passover reminds us that without God's intervention, Israel would still be in bondage." After the Exodus, Moses realized that what is most important for God's people is His presence. Moses said, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here...What else will distinguish us from all the people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:15, 16) This question is still for today. We should be defined by the presence of God. That comes as we open our hearts to worship Him. Today we glory in the resurrection of Christ and His promise of eternal life for those who believe in Him. Let us make today and the weeks to come ones of His Presence through extravagant worship!  On the same day (Nisan 10) that every Jewish household was choosing their unblemished, spotless lamb for Passover, God brought Jesus into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey to present His Son as the pure, spotless Lamb of God. Large crowds met Him there and "took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!'" (John 12:13)
Four days later Jesus joined His disciples in an upper room for a Passover Seder. He was being obedient to the Scripture in Exodus 12:14 that says, "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance." At this Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." (Luke 22:15) God's plan was for His people to remember how He set them free from slavery in Egypt. He also knew that through the retelling of the Passover story, a connection would be made that His Son, Yeshua, is the Passover Lamb. He shed His blood that would be applied to the doorpost of our hearts for eternity. The blood of the lambs that was applied to the doorframes of the homes of the children of Israel was for protection from the death of the firstborn. There has always been a battle over the power of the blood. It was Emperor Constantine who legalized Christianity but forbid the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus during Passover. The Church in Rome joined the battle and tried to stamp out Passover and pronounced a curse on Christians who celebrate it. Satan hates Passover because he knows the power of the blood. He also knows that it points to Jesus as being the Passover Lamb. The first time Jesus was introduced this way was by John the Baptist who said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) On the original Passover night, the head of every household stood at the door of his house with a basin containing the blood of the lamb. He used a hyssop branch to dip into the blood and smeared it on the two doorposts and the lintel over the door. In doing this, he was making the sign of The Cross. The applied blood redeemed each family from the power of the death angel. Deliverance comes by the Cross of Jesus and by His shed blood! At today's Passover feast there are four cups to drink. The first one is called The Cup of Sanctification, which represents the power of the blood to take away sin. The second cup is called The Cup of Judgment. Before drinking this cup, a drop of juice is taken out of it ten times and dropped onto a napkin—one for each plague. We are to remember that by the stripes of Jesus we are healed. The Cup of Redemption is the third one. Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." (Mark 14:24 - NKJ) The third cup would become the center piece of communion and spoke of the greater redemption and deliverance that humankind would experience through the forgiveness of sin from the Lamb of God. The final cup is called the Cup of Praise and is the one to remind us to rejoice because of our promised future. Truly, the Passover table was the birthplace of the Communion table. The deliverance of the children of Israel came at the first Passover in the land of Goshen in Egypt. From this Passover table, a nation was born. The Passover table is a place from which one is sent out and the beginning of an annual reset as this is the time that God ordained to be the beginning of a new year on the Hebrew calendar. Yeshua, Jesus, reminds us of His position as the Passover Lamb at the Passover table and draws us into a new year of intimacy with Him. As Israel used the Passover feast to reset their year, Let us remember that God delivered us from the bondage of sin so that we can pursue a more intimate relationship with Him. Praise the Lamb!  After crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel began their journey toward the Promised Land. The route would be through the wilderness where their surroundings required constant miracles for survival. Three days into their trip they began to grumble about lack of water. After finding undrinkable water, Moses called upon the Lord. He was instructed to place a "tree" into the bitter water of Marah. The waters were transformed into sweet, drinkable water. At this spot, God introduced Himself to the Israelites as Jehovah Rapha, "The Lord Who Heals You." From Marah, the Lord led them to an oasis called Elim or "The place of great trees." Not only were there twelve springs of water but also seventy date palm trees. Scripture says, "So they camped there by the waters." (Exodus 15:27) What a miraculous encouragement!
I thought back on this section of Scripture this week as I looked at pictures of the desert in Israel today. Normally, the expansive southern portion of Israel, known as the Negev, is characterized by brown, rocky, and rugged mountains because there is so little rainfall and sparse vegetation. However, the rainy season that comes during the winter months brings the desert to life. This year there were uncharacteristically heavy rains that transformed the wilderness into a vibrant landscape of green ground cover sprinkled with a plethora of flowers. Psalm 126:4 invites us to compare the wilderness seasons of our lives to the transforming landscape that comes about when the wadis or dry riverbeds of the desert overflow with water after the rains. The water brings what seems like instant life to the desert, and pictures how our lives can be transformed from barren and desolate places into those of hope and renewal. The children of Israel were returning to Zion after years in captivity and sang out, "Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev." The Desert show in the Negev is so spectacular this year that many travelers have been drawn to the region to witness the amazing transformation of the landscape. Portions of this desert were inaccessible to the people because of the Hamas-initiated war on October 7, 2023. So, it is with great joy that the people of Israel have returned to look at the spectacle of beauty that speaks of hope to them. The God who makes the flowers grow in such harsh conditions is also the God who will help them triumph over adversity. Those who live in the Negev celebrate the spectacle of flowers with a yearly festival called Darom Adom. It is named for Israel's national flower, the red anemone, or Kalanit in Hebrew, which means "The Red South." For about six weeks while the desert blossoms, there is a period of time when the hills are covered with a carpet of red anemone. Among the sea of red, one can also spot white iris, yellow mustard, and purple lupines. The transformation of the desert is truly a spectacle to celebrate that draws our attention to the God of creation—Elohim. This amazing display of God's glory on earth recalls His promise from Isaiah 35, verses 1 and 2. "The Desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God." We too can blossom as we ask for the water of God's Spirit to be poured upon us. Hallelujah!  The prophetic significance of this time in history must not be missed. A "blood moon" or total lunar eclipse is expected to occur on March 3, 2026. I believe it is no accident that this will happen on the Jewish holiday of Purim. When the earth passes between the sun and a full moon it blocks the direct sunlight and casts a reddish shadow on the moon's surface.
Many in the prophetic circles see the blood moon as a symbol of judgment against the enemies of Israel. Isn't it fascinating that on Saturday morning both the United State and Israel began a joint military operation against Iran, which used to be called Persia? This campaign will be continuing through Purim. The blood moon is seen as a sign from God that He is intervening in the affairs of the Middle East, and that He will turn against the evil forces surrounding Israel. It is also a signal from God for the Jewish people to return to Him. How remarkable it is that Israel and the United States joined forces to strike the Iranian regime and remove it! When we look at the story of Esther in the Bible, we are reminded that Haman's plot to destroy the Jews in the Persian empire was destroyed on Purim. There was a complete reversal of the decree by Haman, the evil second in command to the King of Persia. That gave the Jews the upper hand. Could this be happening again for the Christians and small Jewish population in Iran? The United States calls their battle against Iran "Epic Fury," while Israel calls theirs "Operation Lion's Roar." It appears like the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is roaring with epic fury against the evil regime in Iran and that they are being removed. This will be a time of mixed emotions for the people of Iran. There have been many casualties to their communities over the years. However, at the same time, the Christian community, called the largest underground church in the world, is being set free to worship God without fear of persecution. The small community of Jews remaining in Iran will also be able to worship in their synagogues. The most interesting part of the story of Esther and the Jewish people in Persia is that God is never mentioned in it, yet He is undeniably at work in the affairs of His people. Just as Esther and the Jews trusted God to help them, may the people of Iran, Israel, and the United States rely on His faithfulness. Purim is always celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of the last month on the Hebrew calendar, Adar. Esther's cousin, Mordecai, who had been given the king’s signet ring, sent letters to all the provinces of the king establishing the yearly celebration on these dates. Adar 14 and 15 became days "on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month that was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor." (Esther 9:22 - NKJ) In a post sent out on February 26, Lou Engle Ministries suggested prayer and unified decrees for us that follow:
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