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]People often ask me why I so enjoy Shabbat and the rest it affords and why I preach on it so often. Some people think it’s a “legalistic” attitude, but actually, I’m simply being relational. They need to remember that our relationship with the Lord Yeshua is bridal; it’s a marital relationship. [; ; ]
Our relationship with the Lord is repeatedly expressed as a marriage. And human marriage has been expressed as a type of the Divine union of Messiah and His Bride. When a man and a woman are joined together in a marital union, the two together acquire a new level of strength according to this word. In that context, here in Israel and elsewhere, it is also said that, “A threefold cord is not easily broken.” But where is the third cord?
Continuing from yesterday concerning storms; not sure we can place Noah’s flood, a worldwide conflagration, in that category, but if there really is such a thing as a “Perfect Storm”, that was…and Noah and his family were, anyway, prepared. And it’s been said that we are in the recapitulated, “Days of Noah”; [Matthew 24:37].
The Bible tells us that the last days would be like the days of Noah. As the mass of humanity witnesses the signs of increasing violence and evil manifesting in ways that seemed incomprehensible even just a decade ago, we are focusing on the peace that faith brings through the present storm. Though the ark he built for the flood was perhaps not the most luxurious boat ever made, Noah and his family were able to abide in God’s rest through the most terrible weather in human history.
Yeshua (Jesus) is described as the “image of the invisible God” [; ], that is, God, manifesting Himself in a visible, tangible form, a human form in whom dwells all the fullness of Deity [; ; ], equal with God before Creation [; ], but choosing to be emptied of His glory for the purpose of incarnating as a flesh and blood human being on Earth; [].
During the past two weeks, I’ve received numerous emails responding to our understanding of Israel in the Bible, clearly indicating a need for a more comprehensive explanation of my point of view. This will require a bit more space than …
Among the mighty men of David were those of the tribe of Issachar whose special gift was their understanding of the times, a gift of prophetic insight; and this was such a precious gift because included in their discernment was the ability to know how to apply it. In our time prophecy is everywhere. Yeshua (Jesus) warned us that there would be false prophets in the last days, especially approaching His second coming, and He said the prophecy would be so subtle and the false signs so powerful that even the elect might be deceived if that were possible; [Mt. 24:24] While it’s clear to many of us that we’re living in prophetic days, there are also millions who have no clue of the current times and seasons.