SNAPSHOT OF TEVET

Rosh Chodesh Tevet

We are celebrating a new Hebrew month, the month of Tevet. Biblically, every month is a new prophetic season, so every month we want to hear what God is saying about the new month we are entering into. This helps us to stay aligned with God, and thus walk in His blessing. Yahweh works in cycles and seasons. He set the moon, sun, and stars to show us what season we are in so that we can calibrate our lives in such a way that brings honor to our Lord Jesus Christ. The western Church has lost this due to the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, who operated within the Gregorian calendar- doing away with the lunar cycle and forgetting the importance of the Biblical Feasts of God. Our spiritual enemy knows that if he can distract us from the timing of God, our ignorance of times and seasons will make his job easier. Over the past couple years, I have been learning about the significance of the Hebrew months, and the Lord has given me grace to share what I have learned with you. My passion is for people to join the cycle of life that comes with being aware of God’s cycles, festivals, and prophetic seasons so that you can prosper in life.

For everything there is a season, and a time for ever purpose under heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Finding the Path of Ever Increasing Light

The month of Tevet always begins in the Feast of Hanukkah making this month a reminder of God’s faithfulness to deliver us. The Feast of Hanukkah reminds us that God wants to see His temple restored so His glory can dwell among us. Hanukkah also reminds us that our God is a God of miracles, and that His light always overcomes darkness. So, God wants you to begin Tevet full of faith and celebrating His goodness and His miracles. That is important, because Tevet is a crucial month to press forward with boldness into your destiny.

The Bible tells us that there is a path of life. On that path, things get brighter and brighter, blessings continually increase. However, there is also a path of ever-increasing darkness. Those who take that path find things going from bad to worse as their lives sink down to destruction. God does not want you to walk in darkness. He sent His son to the earth, so that we could follow the light. Jesus is the light of the world, and His light brings us onto the path of life. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter.” The month of Tevet falls on different days of the Gregorian calendar each year, and because of that it is either a time of increasing darkness or increasing light. December 21st is the darkest day of the year, and depending on the lunar cycle, that day falls in the month of Tevet. God had a message for us through natural signs in the earth. Everything that we see around us is meant to draw us closer to Him and keep us from walking away from the light.

In the month of Tevet, we want to ask, “How do we find the path of light?” We also want to ask the question, “How do we avoid the path of darkness?” To answer that question, we want to look at 2 people associated with Tevet. The first person was Samson. The month of Tevet is associated with the tribe of Dan, and the tribe of Dan is personified in Samson. The story of Samson is one of the saddest stories in the Bible. He began as a great judge, with incredible potential- but his life spiraled out of control, getting darker and darker, until it ended in destruction.

The other person associated with the month of Tevet was Esther. In the month of Tevet, Esther was taken to the palace to become queen of the greatest empire on earth. Her path grew brighter and brighter. She gained favor with the king of Persia and saved her people from destruction. Surprisingly, although their paths took different turns, Esther and Samson had a lot in common. They both lived in a time when God’s people were in great danger. In the time of Samson, Israel had been conquered and oppressed by the Philistines for 40 years. In Esther’s day the people of God had been taken captive by Babylon and then Persia, and an evil plot had been hatched to destroy them. Both Esther and Samson were divinely called by God to bring deliverance.

Before Samson was conceived, an angel gave his mother a prophetic word to reveal God’s call on his life, “He will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5).” Esther’s cousin Mordecai gave her a prophetic word for her life, “You were made queen for just such a time as this (Esther 4:14).” Both people of God were equipped by God to fulfill their calling. Samson was given supernatural strength to defeat the Philistines. Esther was given beauty to capture the heart of a king. Both had to submit to strict discipline. Samson had to live as a Nazarite. He could not cut his hair, drink wine, eat grapes, or touch a dead body. Esther had to submit to the head of the king’s harem as she went through twelve months of preparation. Both Samson and Esther faced temptation that could have thwarted their destiny. Samson was tempted by Delilah to reveal the source of his strength. Esther was tempted to turn back from her call through fear of death. Yet Samson’s life ended in disaster while Esther fulfilled her call and destiny. What made the difference? Let’s begin by looking at Esther.

Esther

In the Bible we see that Esther was willing to risk her life to accomplish God’s call to save the Jewish people. Haman, second in command to the king of the Persian Empire, hatched a plot to have the Jewish people annihilated. When Esther’s cousin Mordecai learned of this plan, he told Esther. The only way to prevent this genocide was going to be through Esther committing a capital offense- going to the king without being summoned. Esther found favor in the king’s eyes, and instead of telling him right away about the wicked Haman’s plan to kill her people, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. After two days of lavishing the king and his right-hand man with food and wine, the queen told the king that she wished for him to spare her from death. She revealed the wickedness of Haman and the king had Haman executed and made a decree that all the Jewish people could be armed and fight back against those who were going to kill them. The Jewish people were equipped for battle and were able to push back and spoil their enemies on the day that was previously marked for their destruction. The story of Esther is one of the most significant events in Israel’s history. The whole future of God’s covenant plan rested on one frightened young woman. Because Esther committed her life to God, the path of her life grew brighter and brighter. And she fulfilled her destiny in the earth.

Samson

Like Esther, Samson had a prophetic destiny. He was filled with great potential. He had a supernatural birth for his mother had been barren for many years. An angel told her that God had heard her prayers and that she would have a son who would be a mighty warrior and deliver the people of Israel from the Philistines. The angel then gave special instructions, “You must never cut his hair, because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazarite.” A Nazarite was someone whose life was totally consecrated to God. As a sign of their commitment, a Nazarite was to take a vow not to cut their hair, eat grapes, drink alcohol, or touch a dead body.

Samson grew up knowing that he had a call from God to fight against the Philistines. God gave Samson supernatural strength to accomplish that task. It has always bothered me that in cartoon stories of the Bible from my childhood always showed Samson as a big and bulky man rippled with muscles. This never made sense to me because the Philistines were so perplexed and wanted to know the secret of his strength. If he looked strong, why would they have asked that question? It was supernatural. From the story of Samson, we can gather that he did not look as strong as he was, and that is because it was God’s strength working through him. Like Esther, Samson’s prophetic calling was to save the Jewish people from their enemies. But Samson had a weakness- he refused to control his passions. He lived in a way that “felt good” instead of living in a way that was right. Even though he was called to destroy the Philistines, he was attracted to Philistine women. He married a Philistine girl and visited Philistine prostitutes. He had an ongoing affair with a Philistine woman named Delilah.

Samson’s problem was that he was called by God, but he did not have a heart for God. Because Samson lived to satisfy his passions, he jeopardized his call from God to have an affair with Delilah. When the final vow that he had made to God was broken by the cutting of his hair, the anointing of strength that God had given him was taken away. The Philistines captured Samson and they brought him to their pagan temple during one of their feasts to mock him. Samson’s path had grown darker and darker. In one last act of desperation, he asked God to give him back his strength so that could kill the Philistines. God granted him his request, and Samson brought the house down, killing himself and all of the people inside the temple.

Samson’s path grew darker while Esther’s path grew lighter. In the Hebrew month of Tevet, God wants you to look and see which path you are on? Just like Esther and Samson, you have been chosen by God and have a unique destiny. His plan that He has for you is good and it is not a path of darkness.

Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.

ephesians 1:11 (TPT)

You were sent to earth on a mission. No matter who you are, you have a call of God on your life.

Before I shaped you in the womb,
    I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
    I had holy plans for you

Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG)

Your God-given destiny is what you were created for. This goes far beyond your vocation. You will never know fulfillment until you accomplish what you were created for. The good news is that God wants you to fulfill your destiny. If you love Him and commit to His purpose, He will work in every situation you face to bring forth your destiny.

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

Romans 8:28 (AMP)

God’s Prophetic Word

How do we find the path of ever-increasing light? We follow God’s prophetic Word.

So we have the prophetic word made more certain. You do well to pay [close] attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and light breaks through the gloom and the morning star arises in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:19 (AMP)

God is not trying to keep you from discovering the light, but there is a responsibility on our part to seek Him. The path of life is lit up for you to walk on, and God is always working to keep you on that path- but we have a choice to choose to go His way or our own way. The Month of Tevet is a time to review God’s prophetic Words over your life. Maybe you are unsure of what God’s prophetic Word is for you, and I want to share with you how God reveals your prophetic destiny in different ways:

1. God speak directly to you through words of knowledge, dreams, or visions
2. God speaks to you through another person (like Mordecai did for Esther)
3. God speaks to you though a recognized prophet (every time you get a word, it must be tested)
4. God plants your destiny in your heart

No matter how God speaks to you, keep a record! Review this record frequently and keep it at the forefront of your mind. Apostle Paul gave these instructions to his son in the Lord- Timothy- and told him to war with the prophetic words. We must understand that every Word of God that is spoken attracts conflict. Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy what God has said over your life to keep you from fulfilling your destiny. The only way to prevent this is to rehearse and decree what God has said about your life. This is what Samson failed to do, he ignored the word and became unstable in his commitment to God. Learn from Samson’s mistakes and keep your heart close to God. Let Him lead you on the path to your destiny.

Ayin

The month of Tevet is associated with the Hebrew letter Ayin. Ayin is the Hebrew word for eye. This month, God wants you to see clearly. Tevet is a month to look carefully at your life and make sure you are on track for your destiny. Getting focused is important as you war against the evil eye and break the power of evil watchers. In Genesis 6, it talks about how some of the Elohim (divine beings) conspired against God and produced the giants. These Elohim are known as the watchers. They were put in chains in a place called Tartarus according to 2 Peter 2:4. If you do not break the power of the evil eye this month, it will affect your future. We must understand the evil eye structure, which is imbedded in our culture and causes rebellious angels and evil structures to manipulate us. If you have ever watched the movie or read the book The Lord of the Rings, you will remember the eye of Sauron. This eye is a picture of what is going on in the supernatural realm. The enemy’s eye is focused on those who are walking in their God-given destiny, and because of this, we must remain focused on the path that God has for us.

Do not get distracted by the enemy. God wants you to train your eyes to focus on your path and not others. He wants you to practice discipline in prayer and worship so that you can start the Gregorian year off right. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the things you need to let go of so that you can be aligned with His plans and purposes, and to increase your receptiveness to divine revelation. There are many good things out there for us to be apart of, but if it isn’t a God thing- it may be a distraction. You will need Holy Spirit to highlight for you the difference between something good and a God assignment in your life.

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Resources

Parsons, John J. “The Letter Ayin.” Hebrew for Christians, https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/Ayin/ayin.html.

Pierce, Chuck D., et al. “Tevet – The Month of Dan.” A Time to Advance: Understanding the Significance of the Hebrew Tribes and Months, Glory of Zion International, Inc., Denton, TX, 2011, pp. 312–316.

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