013 Time Forgotten

The Watchman discusses the month of Nisan in greater detail as well as the Tribe of Judah which is an important part of Nisan.  In addition, he will shed some light on this month historically and what is happening in modern times. It's a beautiful Bible study. Enjoy!

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013 Time Forgotten

Welcome to The Watchman Speaks! I’m your host, Lonnie Richardson. 

I want to continue with the discussion about time and where we currently are in God’s time.  

Now why am I so bent out of shape about God’s time? What is my fascination about these months and God’s Ecclesiastical Calendar? Why is it that I believe it is so necessary to understand God’s time and His seasons? The answer is very simple.

Time is God’s creation and God acts in His time to fulfill His purposes, not ours. The Bible is very clear about God’s time and His purpose for time. Why have we never heard about it? That’s a good question. I spent almost five years in seminary, and I didn’t hear about God’s time during any of that time. I’ve sat in a pew now almost sixty one years and I haven’t heard anything about God’s time in that length of time either. Yet, it is in the Bible, and it is factual. We’re simply not taught to look for it. The western Church is all but unaware of God’s time. 

Why is that? 

Because we are taught to look at the Bible through a Greek mindset with a western civilization lens. Anything that looks, sounds, or acts as though it may have any “Jewish” meaning has been, for ages, cast aside. However, when one looks at the Bible through an eastern Hebrew mindset, the doors of understanding and wisdom open wide.

What do I mean by that? 

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 reads:

16. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

17. so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

What Scripture was Paul talking about? The only Scripture that existed was what we refer to as the Old Testament. At the time Paul was writing to Timothy, Paul was writing a letter of correspondence. Paul would not have been so bold as to assume that his writing a letter of correspondence to Timothy would be considered as Scripture. The New Testament canon was not closed for another few centuries. 

Paul states that ALL Scripture was inspired by God and was profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and (here’s the big one) TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Training in righteousness? The Old Testament? Let’s look at the verse prior the verse 16.

2nd Timothy 3:15

And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.

It appears to me that Paul is telling Timothy that the ancient writings are pathways to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The trouble is that today, many preachers don’t want to include the “ancient writings” because they speak of judgment and wrath. They want a cotton candy gospel where one does not exist. They want a gospel that is all warm, sweet, and fuzzy. It simply ain’t so. Indeed, Paul states it specifically in 2nd Timothy 3:12.

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 

It doesn’t get much clearer than that. 

So let’s go back into the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the Tanach, and see what we may learn about God’s time and His seasons. All Scripture is by God and is profitable for teaching, correction, training in righteousness, right?

We are in the month of Nisan. Today, Monday 27, 2023 is the fifth day of Nisan/Aviv. 

As I’ve mentioned in the last couple of weeks, Nisan is the first month of God’s Ecclesiastical Calendar. It is a month of blessings. The tribe of Judah is associated with the month of Nisan. Why is that?

When the camps of the tribes of Israel were arranged by God around the tabernacle or tent of meeting during the time of Moses, when the time came to move, Judah always was the first to move. Now let’s stop and think about this for a moment. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob by his wife Leah. The Lord blessed Leah with sons because He knew Leah was unloved and God saw her affliction in Genesis 29:31-35. When Leah gave birth to her fourth son she said, “This time I will PRAISE the Lord.” So, She named the fourth son Judah. 

The name Judah, in Hebrew, comes from the Hebrew word “Yadah” which means “to praise, to give thanks, to glorify God”. 

During this very time that I am speaking to you is the very same season in which Joshua was leading Israel into the Promised Land. Judah, by order of procession whenever the camps moved, moved into the Land first.

It was the spring time. Spring time was a time when the ancient kings went to war. Joshua and Israel were going into the promised land and were going to have to fight for it. The ancients would yearn for war in the spring because the faith of the people in their God would rise. But Judah would move first. Often times the leaders of Israel would ask God, “Who will go up first into battle?” God would reply, “Judah will go up first!” Why do you think that is?

Because the namesake of Judah means “PRAISE” it is established that “PRAISE” of the LORD would lead the rest into battle. In the ancient Hebrew culture from which Israel came, Praise was a big thing. That is why there are so many Hebrew words describing precise elements and extents of Praise. I’ll give you a few but this is the short list and it is by no means comprehensive. 

1.     Yadah – The root from which the name Judah is obtained. It means to lift one’s hands up in praise and acknowledgment of GOD.

2.     Barach – To kneel down, greet, or bless.

3.     Ruah – To pierce the ear with sound. A shout. A trumpet blast. Root for Ruach or the name proper of Holy Spirit, a spirit wind.

4.     Teruah – Also, to pierce the ear. A loud shout, alarm, or tempest of joy. It should be noted that “Ruah” and “Teruah” were key to bringing God’s presence. I Chronicles 15:28 “Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting (Teruah), and with sounds of horns, with trumpets, with loud sounding symbols, with harps and lyres.” 1st Samuel 4:5-7 “As the ark of the Lord came into camp, all Israel shouted (Ruah)with a great shout (Teruah), so that the earth resounded.”

5.     Halal – To praise God in free and unrestrained celebration.

6.     Hallelujah – From Halal – An exhortation to enter into unrestrained praise (Halal) for Yah (the Lord). 

God always put Judah first because Judah represented praise. Wherever Israel went, whether in peace or in war, the representation of Praise unto God went first in the tribe of Judah! I’d say that’s pretty good advice for present times as well. Whenever you walk into a battle of any kind, always let praise precede you!

Now if that’s not enough for you then consider this. When God distributed the Promised land to the tribes of Israel, God chose Jerusalem as His dwelling place. Where is Jerusalem? It is located within the parcel of land granted to the tribe of Judah. Why? Because God always dwells in the midst of His PRAISE! Psalm 22:3 “Yet You are Holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” Psalm 114:2 “Judah became His sanctuary, Israel, His dominion.” God dwells where His praise (Judah) is.

Pretty neat stuff huh?

The symbol of the tribe of Judah is the Lion. Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, is the Lion of Judah. Now when I say Yeshua Ha-Mashiach I don’t want any of you to become confused. The name “Jesus” in the Greek is “iesus”. From an English standpoint it is a double vowel beginning of a name and while it is not unheard of is still considered a rarity. When translated into English the “I” becomes a “j” and is translated as Jesus. However, Jesus was not English or even Caucasian for that matter. He was a son of Israel from the tribe of Judah or Yahuda. There is no “j” sound in Hebrew. His name was Yeshua. “Mashiach” means “messiah”. Yeshua Ha-Mashiach is Jesus the Messiah or Jesus Christ, Christ and Messiah being the same. Christ or “christos” is Greek. Messiah or Mashiach is Hebrew.

Judah is the tribe of David. Judah is the Tribe of Jerusalem. Judah is the tribe of Jesus.

Now the constellation associated with the Tribe of Judah is Aries. Now some of you are thinking that if the symbol for Judah is the Lion shouldn’t the constellation associated with Judah be Leo.

No, that’s incorrect. You are thinking from the logical Greek mindset which will, on occasion, mislead you. Allow me to clear a few things up.

First, I am not speaking from an astrological perspective. I’m not speaking of signs of the zodiac, which I believe to believe to be a perverted twisting of the heavenly signs by the devil. I’m speaking about the presence and movements of heavenly bodies that God put into place.

Second, I mentioned the Greek mindset and how it might mislead you. Ancient Hebrew culture accepted things as fact as God said them to be. The Greek mindset relies more on philosophical reasoning. If you can understand God by your mere intellect and reasoning then we would have no need for the Bible and God wouldn’t be a God worthy of our praise and worship. This presents a slight problem for some. It’s not precise to say that the answers you come up with are entirely wrong answers. Rather it is that, perhaps, you have not asked the correct questions. That’s one of the differences between the two cultures. 

To understand why the constellation of Nisan/Judah is Aries we go back to Genesis 22 when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac to the Lord. At that time God provided a Ram, a male sheep, as a substitutionary sacrifice in Isaac’s place. In ancient Hebrew culture, this is where the Ram’s Horn Shofar was established by God. I find it amazing that a ram, a male sheep, was sacrificed for a son of Abraham. I find it amazing that a male lamb was sacrificed when God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. I find it amazing that Jesus was sacrificed, as the lamb of God, for all mankind on the same date! The fourteenth day of the first month. 

A ram. A male sheep. Sacrificial lamb. PASSOVER! The month of Nisan is the month of sanctification, deliverance, redemption, and Joy. For those of us who believe that Jesus is the real deal, it’s a month of looking forward to our inheritance! 

As I mentioned earlier, Nisan is a month when Judah moved into the Promised Land. They were about to go to war. Perhaps you are at peace, in a place of rest currently. Now would be a good time to look about with a discerning eye and see what might be on the horizon that would upset the apple cart and take necessary precautions. Nisan is a month of miracles. Indeed, throughout the Bible, many miracles occurred during this month. It is also a month of blessings.

This month is the beginning of a new planting season. What are you planning and planting? For instance, Cheryl and I have begun to pray and seek God’s guidance for our fast approaching retirement years. I love wood working with antique hand tools. I’ve learned to build many things that are useful and more than a few things that actually quite beautiful. But my workspace was exceedingly limited, cramped, and small. We invested in a 10 X 16 shed that will serve as my woodworking shop when I retire. Additionally, we are installing electricity for lighting that I’ve never had before as well as a few power tools and a laser cutting/engraving machine. It should provide additional income in our retirement years. We’ve prayed about this for the last two or three years, so it’s not something that we decided on a whim. 

In addition to all that, we have invested in God’s Kingdom as well. We’ve invested in updated computers, software, cameras, lighting and technology that will allow us a more efficient and streamlined work flow in presenting this pod cast, a Youtube channel, as well as a web site. And we also bring forth our offering of first fruits the first Sunday of every month. 

You know, the first of the months is a fun and exciting time around my house as is the full moon at mid-month. But the Month of Nisan is extra-special for us. Other months that are special are Sivan, Elul, and Tishri. I’ll get into those months as the year progresses. Nisan, Sivan, and Tishri are the months of God’s appointed times, the Feasts, the Mo’edim. But again, Nisan is a special time for us. How do we celebrate the Passover?

Well, we start with a small celebratory meal. Lamb is kind of expensive in these parts. It’s not like Tennessee is over run with farmers raising lambs. But I’ll buy a couple of lamb chops and cook them on a grill, over fire. I’ll cut them into 6 small, equal sized portions and serve them with matza bread and a dash of horseradish for bitter herbs. I have some small wooden cups made of olive wood from Israel and I’ll drink one cup of vine juice for each of the four promises in Exodus 6 and an extra cup for the inheritance that I’m still waiting on. When we are finished with that, we’ll have communion and a normal meal. I’ll read from Chapter 6 of Exodus and Matthew 26:20-35.

I sound the Ram’s Horn Shofar and the Yemenite. I’ll pray and ask God’s blessings upon my household and church. 

Now some may say, “That sounds like a ritual.” I suppose that you could say that. But I believe that there is a difference in ritual and joyful obedience. You see, a ritual is when you do something because “that’s the way it has always been done”, or “we have to do it”. Obedience is doing something joyfully because you truly believe it pleases the Father that you remember the mighty things that He has done in the past and know that He can still do them today. You see, in my household, it’s not that we have to do this because if we don’t we’re going to make God angry. No, that’s not it at all. We look forward to doing it because we remember how faithful our Father is to His Word. It is something that we can’t wait to do!

The Feast of Unleavened Bread? I, as the head of my household, eat matza for the week with water and orange juice. We, as a family, evaluate our lives individually and collectively as a family and pray in repentance.

The Feast of First Fruits? As I’ve already mentioned, Cheryl and I give an additional offering the first of every month. Sometimes it goes towards the church. Sometimes, it goes to an individual or family who is struggling. Which ever the case may be, we give anonymously, asking God to multiply what we have given to fulfill His purposes.

Now, do we have to do that? No. I don’t suppose that you do either. But I can tell you this much. I have found that when I am faithful to God in following His instructions, He has been faithful to keep His promises and has blessed my socks off!

But no matter what I do, no matter where I go, the PRAISE of the Lord goes ahead of me! Judah shall go up first! The Lord Dwells in the midst of His praise.

Before I leave you I have a request as well as something for you to think about.

Friday evening my son, Shane, his wife, Radene, and my grand-daughter, Ayva landed in South Africa to begin their mission trip. I would ask that you join with me in prayer for their well being, that God would be glorified by their efforts, and that they would return safely home.

Now as far as what I have shared with you about this season, you need to know and consider a few things. The state of Israel is in chaos as protests are growing in the nation as it struggles to settle with new government leadership. Syria has struck United States installations and the United States has retaliated. China has come into agreements with Iran and brokered agreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as Iran and Syria. An Israeli leader recently made a speech about “the Greater Israel” which is a prophecy in regards of the “Land of Israel” that’s God’s people Israel not necessarily the State of Israel reaching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. This area would encompass not only the State of Israel but Jordan and half of Iran. This has the nation of Jordan aggravated because they believed what was being spoken was an Israeli threat against the kingdom of Jordan by the State of Israel. 

Things are tense in the middle east and the Fact that China is making allies there as well as threatening parcels in the Pacific as well as other places in the world, namely the United States, leaves the future of the world in the balances. Now add Russia attacking Ukraine and sucking the money out of the United States and Europe and we have economic stability on a world stage beginning to appear shaky as well. 

However, throughout the Bible, God has protected and provided for His faithful people time and time again WITHOUT taking them out of the world by rapture. I’m not saying that His people have not suffered hardships because they have. But they were preserved. Why do I mention these things?

It’s the same reason that I present God’s time and His seasons in this podcast so that you know what God’s time is and so that you can participate and align yourself with God’s time or continue to ignore it. I can say then, after all is said and done, that you were warned and I’ll have no blood on my hands.

I am The Old Watchman, Ezekiel. You have been warned!

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