1.25.26 – New Beginnings

 There are so many life lessons to learn through the Exodus story. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that it was the pattern for our journey in Messiah Yeshua (1 Cor. 9:24–10:12).

Just as Exodus 12 tells us the story of the Israelites—God's firstborn sons (Ex. 4:22–23)—leaving Egypt by their faith in the blood of the lamb, our deliverance from the bondage of this world (Egypt) begins with our faith in the blood of the Lamb. Whereas God provided a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire to guide them day and night on their wilderness journey, God has also provided us with a Comforter to guide us into all truth (Ex. 13:21–22). Both journeys take us through baptism, obedience, feasts of faith, and the ultimate goal of utilizing the inheritance of the firstborn to influence the nations to worship the King (Deut. 6:23–25; Eph. 1:13–18). But both journeys often overlook a very significant observance: time.

In between the plague of darkness and the death of the firstborn, God gave His first commandment to Israel as a nation (Ex. 12:1–2). He told them that this month will be the beginning of months (chodesh) for them.

Now, at first blush, rearranging their calendar may not seem like that big of a deal. But when we examine how Scripture unveils this topic of the beginning of the month—twelve times a year—something small and inconsequential takes on enormous significance. Up until this point in the story, the focus had been on the Egyptians, redemption, and Pharaoh. But now the focus shifts to the Israelites and how they observe God's prophetic calendar.

Through the ten plagues, the Egyptians lost their dignity, humanity, and the joyful reality that life can be centered on God's presence. Now it is time for God to forge the national life of Israel by establishing them as a people—a nation in a land that is specifically theirs.

By changing the calendar and giving them a fresh beginning, He has provided for them a way to express collective responsibility through sanctifying time at the beginning of each month (Ex. 12:1; Gen. 1:14; Lev. 23).

With the Gregorian calendar that runs from January to December, the beginning of the month is not really celebrated. But in God's economy, Rosh Chodesh (the head of the month) is the marker of the beginning of new beginnings. God is always about new beginnings!

• Every morning as the sun rises, His mercies are new (Lam. 3:22–23).

• Every morning the wicked lamp is destroyed (Ps. 101:8).

• Every morning God provides fresh manna—daily bread—to feed on (Ex. 16).

• Every morning we get a fresh opportunity to let our light shine (Lev. 24:1–4).

• Every week God renews the week following the seventh day (the Sabbath).

• Every month God renews the fertility cycle of the woman and renews our spiritual cycle—renewing us day by day (2 Cor. 4:16).

Why would God be so focused on giving us fresh starts every day? Why would God give this as the first commandment to His people as a nation? For starters, it is the very opposite of what Egypt was. God's whole goal of the Exodus is that He does not want us to wind up as Egypt did—with a slave mentality toward time. Everything given by God is so that we would become masters of time. Nothing is allowed to grow stale or old (Eccl. 9:10; Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5). We never become numb or stagnant when we are focused on maximizing our time under God's economy.

It is about the privilege, the possibility, of sanctifying time. It is a guarantee, if we do it right, that everything can begin again—morning after morning and moment by moment. That is the secret of the new month. That is why God wants us to set that day apart.

It is true that Rosh Chodesh is an unsung holiday. We are currently in the eleventh month on God's calendar. It is the month characterized by newness and renewal. Rosh Chodesh is a direct commandment from God (Num. 10:10; 1 Sam. 20:5; 2 Kings 4:23; Ps. 81:3). It is the beginning of the national life of Israel (Ex. 12:1). He is giving them a repeatable sign, a periodic reminder that they can always draw from. We can always renew our relationship with God, refresh ourselves, and embrace the possibility of constant rebirth—a new mind and new conception to understand our relationship with the Lord God of Israel. It is "anti-old." It is purposeful. It is prophetic. It is not about defining something in the sky; it is truly about the beginning of beginnings, and it is His will.

Shalom!
Alan