Shevat
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Month of Shevat - Month 11
Month of Shevat - Month 11
Jan / Feb in the Gregorian Calendar
Hebrew Alphabet - 'Tzadik' - symbolizes the righteous one
Tribe - Asher
Constellation - Aquarius - the water carrier
Hebrew Alphabet - 'Tzadik' - symbolizes the righteous one
Jehovah Tzidkenu - Righteousness is one of the chief attributes of God as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible
1 “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked,
Jesus our righteousness
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
21 For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.
Righteousness should be our foundation
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
tzadik was considered to be an intermediary between men and God - light & salt
the personality of the tzaddik is calibrated to the Manufacturer’s original specifications, so that everything about him is just as his Creator meant it should be, and all he desires is what his Creator desires.
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Shevat- The month of the new year of trees
Commonly known as Tu Bishvat, this day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.
Tu BiShvat is the day that each tree ages a year for the purposes of determining if one can eat from it.
Tu B'Shevat was counted as the birthday for all trees for tithing purposes: like the beginning of a fiscal year
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food.
Jews plant the trees
It is also called Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot (Hebrew: ראש השנה לאילנות), literally 'New Year of the Trees'. ... In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration.
Bible connects us to a tree planted by the rivers of water
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
A tree needs energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water. The root must be healthy connected to the water source. Fertilize and prune.
God breathed into us made us human beings
Son of God the light of the world
Water - The Holy Spirit
Fertilize - Word of God our nourishment
Father God prunes us every ear
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
According to John 15:1-8, our interpretation of the sanctifying work that God accomplishes in our lives—especially during times of trial—is directly related to our understanding of pruning. This, in turn, affects our response to personal suffering and to others in their time of trial. If we view pruning as punitive, rather than restorative, we lose sight of God’s undying love toward us and we become like Job’s anti-gospel counselors who immediately assume God is punishing our fellow Christians and, therefore, we are now free to cast judgment and harsh treatment upon them.
Tribe of Asher
Asher 8th son of Jacob through Leah’s maid Zilpah
Asher literally means Happy
13 Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.
20 “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
Beware of King’s delicacies- Daniel fast and good to mediate on the book of Daniel
The first month for us will set the stage for the rest of year
24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil.
Who Was Asher?
Who Was Asher?
The Tribes of Israel were often identified with the personalities and character traits of their founders, so let's start by getting to know Asher himself. Asher was characterized as happy, intelligent, intuitive, open to others, and a little bit impetuous. In fact, his name means ''happy one''.
Thus, the Tribe of Asher was known to be the happiest of the Twelve Tribes. This happiness partly came from the fact that there were also amongst the most prosperous of the tribes. They were described as enjoying all that life has to offer, particularly in terms of fine dining, even if that made them a little more wasteful than the other tribes.
The Blessings of Asher
The Blessings of Asher
Part of these characteristics are based in the prophetic blessings of Asher. What are these? Before sending them out to settle different parts of the region, Jacob gave each of his sons a blessing that would define their future. Jacob described Asher as a most blessed son, saying that the land of Asher would have rich food and delicacies fit for kings. As blessings go, that's not bad.
However, it's not the only blessing the Tribe of Asher would receive. Moses also gave a blessing to each of the twelve tribes. Moses' blessing said that Asher would be blessed with sons, pleasing to his brothers, and have his foot immersed in oil.
Pictures pleasure, happiness, delicious and fatness
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
Though the world may look dark, with no hope, and impossible to overcome – here is the promise of the Lord
“Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalm 35:27b)
Lesson from Asher
Despite all its blessings, the tribe of Asher failed to drive out the Canaanites, and “because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land” (Judges 1:31-32). In the time of Deborah and Barak, “Asher remained on the coast and stayed in its coves” rather than join the fight against Jabin, a Canaanite king (Judges 5:17). This failure to aid their fellow tribes could indicate a lack of reliance on God, a lack of effort, a fear of the enemy, or a reluctance to upset those with whom they did business. Thus, the example set here is a negative one: although Asher was richly blessed, they did not behave admirably; when the time for action came, they failed to trust in God and honor His plan.
Later in Judges, Asher does respond to Gideon’s call to repel the Midianites, Amalekites, and others from the East (Judges 6:35). In another important gesture, Asher accepts Hezekiah’s invitation to the tribes from the Northern Kingdom to join the Passover celebration in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 30:11). This was considered an act of humility, proof of a contrite heart before God.
In the end, we find that Asher received many great blessings from God. Having received a blessing, they were expected to obey the Lord’s commands. In this they sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. We, too, have been blessed by God (Ephesians 1:3), and the Lord expects us to obey His commands (John 14:15).
A month to get back on track
Constellation - Aquarius (the water carrier)
Aquarius is one of the most ancient constellations in the night sky and in most cultures is visualized as a man pouring water from a vessel, hence the Latin translation of its name meaning the “water-carrier”.
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Matthew 10:42 AMPC “And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
Let’s immerse ourselves in the Word of Lord and in the Spirit of Lord this month and set the stage for the entire year.
11 If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.