MONTH OF ELUL
As of August 9th, we entered the month of Elul on the Hebrew Calender...when the "King is in the field"!👑🙌 #Access #Granted #Mercy #Grace
Excerpt from A Time To Advance, book by Chuck Pierce & Robert Heidler ~ 📖🙏
"Elul is called 'the month of repentance,' 'the month of mercy,' and 'the month of forgiveness.'
Through most of the year, a king lived in a palace, protected by armed guards and iron gates. To have an audience with a king you had to make an appointment, learn palace protocol, and dress correctly. You were then ushered through layers of security into a magnificent palace. Entering into the throne room was intimidating. You had to be very careful what you said and did because the king was on his throne.
But one month each year the king left his palace and went out among his people. He set up his royal tent in a field near a town, and all who wanted to see him were welcomed. The announcement was made: “The king in in the field!” God is especially accessible to you during Elul. You don’t need to climb up to the heavens to get His attention or follow some religious protocol. This is a time when God comes into your field—where you live—to make Himself accessible and surprise you with His presence." - End of quotation from book.
On the first of Elul, Moses ascended Mt. Sinai for 40 days to receive the second set of Ten Commandments and the assurance of God’s forgiveness for His people after the sin of the Golden Calf. Elul is also a time of harvest, when the King went into the harvest fields outside the city. At such times, anyone could approach him, and he received all with a smiling face and a radiant countenance. This 40 day period is a time to seek the Lord now more than ever, to spend time with Him, in returning and repentance (Teshuvah), and in preparation for the "New Year" that is coming at the end of this month. Seek Him now, while He is near! 🙏 #SeekTheLord #WhileHeIsNear #TheKingIsInTheField
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6
⏩ TESHUVAH ~ 40 Days of Repentance & Returning 🔄
We are also now in the time of Teshuvah on the Hebrew Calender. "Teshuvah is a compound word consisting of the Hebrew “Tashan,” meaning “Return,” and “Hey,” the last letter of the “JHVH” name for God. The “HEY” in “JHVH” represents the Shekinah, or manifest presence of God. Thus, Teshuvah is a time to return to the presence of God. It is also understood that returning to God is accompanied by repentance.
Teshuvah occurs during the 40 days leading up to the Day of Atonement. This year, it began on August 9th, ending on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on Sept 16th at sundown.
Observant Jews have an understanding that this 40-day period, and especially the last ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, represent opportunities to repent and avoid the judgment of God. For Christians, these 40 days are an invitation to repent and enter into unity with God through the Blood of Christ. However, for the unbelievers Teshuvah is a solemn warning of the judgment to come.
This duality of Teshuvah, as an invitation and a warning, is illustrated in two of the scriptures which are associated with it. Psalm 27 speaks to the benefits of living in God’s presence and seeking His face. He will keep us in time of trouble and allow us to see His goodness while we live. In Ezekiel 33, the Lord commands us to warn the unbelievers to repent and save themselves from the judgment to come. We are also told that we must warn the righteous of their folly so they can repent lest they suffer judgment.
Thus, Teshuvah calls believers to repent and come into God’s presence, and also calls on us to evangelize a lost and dying world. Let us heed this time, return to the Lord with fervor, a repentant heart, and a contrite spirit! 🙏
Amanda Shiflett - Prophetic Reformer