Song of Solomon 6:3 I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.
This begins a very special season on God’s calendar — the month of preparation before the Fall Feasts. The month of Elul is unique: it is the 12th month on the civil calendar and the 6th month on the prophetic/biblical calendar. Each day of Elul is marked by the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet call that awakens the soul. These daily blasts prepare our hearts for Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah) and ultimately for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
In Jewish tradition, there are two calendars that run side by side. The civil calendar begins in the fall with the month of Tishrei, making Elul the 12th month — the close of a yearly cycle. The prophetic or biblical calendar, however, begins in the spring with Nisan (the month of Passover), which makes Elul the 6th month — the number often associated with man and preparation. In this way, Elul stands at the crossroads of ending and beginning: the closing of one cycle and the preparation for the new.
This devotional is the first in a multi-part series on the significance of Elul — its connection to repentance, the preparation of the Bride, and the mercy of God. In the weeks ahead, we’ll take a deeper dive into each of these themes.
Even the very name Elul carries this meaning. In Hebrew, it is spelled Aleph-Lamed-Vav-Lamed (אלול), which the rabbis saw as an acronym for “Ani L’dodi v’dodi li” — “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). Elul, then, is not only a season of repentance, but of covenant intimacy — a month where the Bride turns her heart toward the Bridegroom.
Historically, Elul is also tied to Moses’ second 40 days on Mount Sinai after Israel’s sin with the golden calf (Exodus 34). During that time, God revealed His mercy and renewed the covenant. That season of intercession and forgiveness has marked Elul ever since as a time of second chances and restored relationship with God.
So as we begin this biblical month, let us heed the sound of the shofar blast. It is a call to awaken from slumber, to return to the Lord, and to prepare our hearts for the days to come. The Bridegroom is preparing us to be spotless and without wrinkle. Let us enter this season with hearts set on intimacy with God, ready for His appearing, and asking for a fresh anointing to draw us ever closer as we seek His face.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Watching Yeshua (Jesus) lay down His life to die on the cross was not what His disciples were expecting, but rather a shocking, perplexing, and apparently hopeless ending to what had seemed like a promising fulfillment of Messianic hope. The shattering ordeal of Yeshua’s trials, torture, and horrific death must have left them all feeling bereft, miserable, and uncertain of the future. What would they do now? What would their future hold?
According to ancient Jewish legend, one day Abraham was shown his father, Terah’s room of many idols. Young Abraham, thinking that perhaps he could discover intimacy with them, made some desirable delicacies and placed them before the idols. When nothing happened, he realized that these idols were nothing more than clay — they could do nothing for him or anyone else for that matter. So he proceeded to destroy all the idols, except for one.
Among those in the court of Alexander the Great was a philosopher of outstanding ability but little money. He asked Alexander for financial help and was told to draw whatever he needed from the imperial treasury.
Make no mistake—the spirit of antisemitism is very much alive today. Yet this isn’t a new struggle. It is an ancient spiritual war that has been ongoing for thousands of years. As people worldwide celebrate Purim, recalling the Jewish people’s deliverance from Haman’s evil schemes that took place in the ancient Kingdom of Persia (Iran), we are reminded of a deeper reality: a spiritual conflict between heavenly powers and demonic principalities.
The Festival of Purim, which we celebrate on the 14th of Adar—the last month in the Biblical calendar—begins this Thursday evening and continues through Friday evening this year. Although Purim isn’t one of the moedim, or appointed festivals named in the Torah, it arose in the 4th century BC and has been cherished ever since.
In the Book of Kings, when King Solomon began his reign, God asked him, “What shall I give you?” He replied, “I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kings 3:7). Such a phrase seems curious, yet it holds deep significance. It is echoed throughout Scripture, revealing a principle that intimacy with God leads to victory!
When Yeshua (Jesus) went into the synagogue in Nazareth and was handed the scroll of Isaiah to read [Luke 4:18], He opened it to the passage we know of as Isaiah 61, a powerful Messianic proclamation filled with hope and promise and fresh with the joyful good news of His arrival. After reading the passage He immediately declared that it was fulfilled in the hearing of those present. The first response was amazement and wonder that the carpenter’s son was so gracious a communicator. But this did not last, as Yeshua immediately challenged his audience with a prophetic expectation…that they would reject Him, which they immediately did…nevertheless…