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The Month of Adar II - The Month of Purim

The Month of Adar II
The Month of Purim
For a number of years I have been studying and praying for insight into how the Lord moves and works in time. We learn in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do.  They were masters of the Hebrew calendar.  

In Exodus 12:2 the Lord established the Hebrew calendar. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The Hebrew calendar begins at Passover in the month of Nissan.  This calendar was God ordained and introduced in the Bible. 

The Hebrew Calendar is both a religious calendar and a civil calendar. The Religious year begins at Passover in the month of Nissan and the civil year begins at Rosh Ha Shana in the month of Tishri.

To better understand how God moves in time and works in our lives you can study the Hebrew calendar and the patterns that have been established in the Word of God.  Our Gregorian calendar is on a different time cycle than the Word of God.

God is not in time. In the Bible He is defined as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  Through a study of the scriptures we learn that He is the great Chronographer of the ages.  He reigns above time and moves in and out of time.

The first mention of the calendar in the Bible is in Genesis 7:1.  “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

The month of Adar is the twelfth month counting from Nissan.  This year, 5674 B.C.E. is a leap year.  Adar II is the original Adar.  Adar is inserted in a leap year.  The Hebrew Calendar runs on a nineteen-year cycle.  Adar I is added in the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth years of the cycle.

This month is the month that the Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated.  It is on the fourteenth of Adar.  Purim is a festive time.  It is a time to send out gifts. It is a joyful time to gather with family and friends for festive meals.

God has established specific times in the Bible to fast and times to feast.  This is a time to celebrate the ending of the year.  We are to end this season with rejoicing and great joy and embrace the new season with expectation and faith.

During Purim the book of Esther is to be read. When the name of Haman is mentioned, the people will hiss, boo, stamp their feet, and make noise. The purpose of this is to blot out the name of Haman.

This is the month to watch for Haman’s decrees against us. The enemy will appear behind something else.  Haman deceived the King. It was during this time that Esther fasted and prepared herself to go into the king. She made the famous statement, “If I perish, I perish.” She found favor with the king and her petition resulted in a divine reversal for Mordecai, Esther and the Jewish people.

In the story of Esther you learn that Mordecai and Esther were divinely positioned by God to bring deliverance to God’s covenant people. Haman used astrology and casted lots to determine when to destroy God’s people. (Esther 3:6-7) His wicked plot was overturned through the obedience of Mordecai and Esther.

During this month I want to encourage you to pray for future delivers to awaken to God’s call and arise!  This same spirit of Haman is at work today in Iran, which is ancient Persia. We must pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem during this month.

Each of the twelve months on the Hebrew Calendar corresponds to one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Adar is the month that corresponds to tribe of Naphtali.  Naphtali was the sixth son of Jacob by Rachel’s hand made, Bilhah.

Naphtali means “Wrestlings or struggles. In Genesis 30:8 Rachel makes this statement, “With great wrestlings, I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.  So she called his name, Naphtali.” 

In Genesis 49:21 Jacob prophesies to his sixth son. “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.”  Moses prophecy to the tribe of Naphtali is in Numbers 33:23.  “And of Naphtali he said: ‘O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, Possess the west and the south.’”

What are the instructions for this month?  This is a month of praise.  Naphtali is like a deer let loose. The blessings of Naphtali indicated the ability to be swift and to harvest quickly.  This is a month to prepare for the harvest God is bringing you. This tribe was a tribe of valiant warriors. 

This is a month to turn sorrow into joy.  The month of Adar is a joyous month.  The Jewish people begin the year at Passover, a time of joy, and then end the year this month in joy and celebration of God’s deliverance from the plots of Haman.

 Just as God divinely positioned Mordecai and Esther to use them to bring deliverance to His covenant people He will divinely position you for your assignment for this season.  Make this a month to celebrate the ending of one season and the beginning of a new season for your life.




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