Nisan 5780
Wednesday evening (March 25), we moved into the month of Nisan. This is a month ripe for miracles, harvest, worship, and warfare.
I want to briefly address the circumstances around the fact that Nisan is the first month of the Hebraic calendar and yet it is not the beginning of the New Year.
From the beginning of counting years, the first month was the month of Tishri. Every new year came when the month of Tishri rolled around.
Then, just before the Israelites exodus from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron…
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months to you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
Exodus 12:1-2
So, this is how Nisan became the first month, but the years are still counted from the month of Tishri, which is now the seventh month. In essence, there is a beginning of counting the months (Nisan), and a beginning of the counting of years (Tishri).
It is really an extraordinary thing. God knew his people needed a reset to be able to move in right timing with him. How many times in life do we need a reset from God? This is a wonderful picture of repentance and redemption. Thank you, Jesus, at any moment, through repentance, we can get back in sync with you.
Now, onto the focus and opportunities of Nisan…
The Understanding
Nisan is the first month on God’s calendar and is the month of Passover. It is a month of freedom from bondage. This can be seen first in God freeing the Israelites from Egypt – the original Passover. This is also the month that Jesus died as the Passover Lamb to free us once and for all from our bondage of sin and death.
Then, we see Spring show itself forth during the month of Nisan, a month of life. It is a time that we can crossover into a new season with God as well.
The Constellation
The constellation over Jerusalem this month is Aries. The brightest star in Aries is El Nath. El is a generic term for god, authority, or judge. Nath means broken, or cut in pieces, or poured out. To pull this all together, the name of the entire constellation is Taleh, meaning lamb.
Using these names it is easy to see the representation and story told by this particular grouping of stars. The Lamb, our God, Authority, and Judge, was broken, cut into pieces (or pierced), and poured out for us.
Wow. Can we just take a minute and praise God for His glorious work in the stars! He flung all the stars into place and taught His people their names.
The Lord gave us a beautiful gospel in the stars to remind His people of the great story being played out through history, the present, and the future.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they have no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
*As a side note, Gospel of the Stars found at setterfield.org is a wonderful resource for learning about the constellations.
The Alphabet
The Hebrew letter associated with the month of Nisan is Hei. Hei represents breath, wind, and praise. This is a month to meditate on God’s creative power, the fresh wind of Holy Spirit, and to offer God our praise.
Here is something to ponder with the letter Hei. According to an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew Scriptures, Yod left Aleph to become part of Dalet, thus forming Hei.
Aleph represents God (the Alpha). Dalet represents humanity. Hei, therefore, represents the presence of God within the human heart. A picture of Emmanuel, God with us.
The Tribe
Judah is the tribe for Nisan. “Praise” is the very meaning of the name of Judah. Nisan is a month of praise. It is a month to release a pure sound of faith in praising Yahweh.
Judah was a tribe also associated with warfare. During the times of Israel in the wilderness, when they were called to break camp, Judah went first. They were the first tribe to meet the enemy.
Judah warred with praise. The shofars, the trumpets, the shouts of victory went before the entire host of Israel to move enemies out of the way.
Nisan is a month to war with our praise. We will breakthrough the enemies strongholds in our life by lifting the sound of our praise and our worship to heaven. The enemy cannot defeat the sound of praise.
Jesus was of the tribe of Judah. His obedience on the cross and His defeat of death in resurrection from the grave was Christ’s ultimate offering of praise and worship. Truly, Jesus was Judah going first.
The Image
For the past year, the Lord has enabled me to create an image that represents the flavor (or an aspect of the flavor) for each Hebraic month. He has also given beautiful words to go along with each picture. The following represents the month of Nisan:
Worship is a portal to God’s presence. It is a gateway to enter the heavenly Throne Room. A place that we are welcomed and wanted. Worship allows us to be in His presence 24/7, for worship is not just a song, melody, or sound. Worship is a state of the heart and is available at any and every moment.
- The ribbons of color represent the beautiful diversity of worship – a full spectrum of sound, movement, and truth. They also represent God’s creative and life-giving breath coming from the Lion and the Lamb in the bottom corner.
- The archway with the blood on the doorframe represents our access to worship and His presence. By His blood we gain access to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords – the reason for our worship.
- The Hebrew Letter, Hei, (on the wall) represents the breath of God and the presence of God within the human heart. It can also in its Hebraic concept represent praise.
- Jesus is represented by the Lion and the Lamb in the bottom corner – the One whom is worthy of our praise.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Psalms 103:1
Nisan is a remarkable month to breakthrough and crossover into new and deeper life with God. It is a month we can be taken to the next level of intimacy and relationship with Jesus.
This is the month to enjoy Yahweh in praise. He will then be enthroned on our praises and war on our behalf. He has already won the victory, so we can give a victory shout that breaks the strongholds in us, our families, our cities, our nation, and the world.
Shalom