10th month of God's year - Tevet

After sunset on Tuesday 31st December we entered the 10th month of God's calendar. Coinciding with the 1st day of the “man made” Gregorian calendar, which I am absolutely sure is of no interest or significance to God, and also of no interest or significance to me either!

Just to remind you ROSH CHODHESH:

HIS IDEA: “He made the moon to mark the seasons…”. Psalm 104:19

HIS COMMAND: : “At the beginning of your months you shall blow the trumpets…” Numbers 10.10 and Psalm 81

HIS INVITATION: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; BUT on the Shabbat it shall be opened and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.”

HIS PROPHETIC WORD: “Every month on Rosh Chodesh, and every week on Shabbat, everyone living will come to worship in my presence.” Says The Lord. Isaiah 66: 23

This 10th month named by man, Tevet, probably during the Babylonian exile from the Akkadian word Ṭebetum, meaning "muddy”, possibly related to the heavy winter rainfall that can fall during this month. The only time I could find this month referred to as Tevet in the Scriptures is in the Book of Esther, otherwise it is always referred to just as The Tenth Month.

We also enter the 7th night of Channukah. As we light the candles, we will see the light getting brighter as we bring the Chag of Channukah, the miracle of Channukah, from the 9th month of Kislev, seen as the darkest month, into the first days of this 10th month.

As you know The story of Chanukah does not appear in the Torah because the events that inspired the holiday occurred after it was written, but it is mentioned in John 10:22: “Then came Channukah in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Yeshua was walking around inside the Temple area in Shlomo’s Colonnade. “

Sadly for me Hanukkah seems to have become more about the Menorah and doughnuts than the cleaning of the Temple. As I mentioned last month the “tradition” of there only being enough oil for one day to rededicate the 2nd Temple, after the victory of the Maccabees, and it miraculously lasting for eight days, is JUST A TRADITION. There is no historical evidence for this, or mention of it in the Book of Maccabees.

So many seem to focus on the lights of the Chanukkiah rather than the cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple itself, and the amazing victory of the Maccabean army, under Judas Maccabeus, that made it possible. But they could not have lit the Menorah if they had not first cleansed the Temple of its pagan idols, and they could not have cleaned the temple, if that remnant of Jews had not refused to assimilate to the world, but decided to stand on God’s Torah.

So we should also especially remind ourselves that if it was not for the victory we celebrate on Hanukkah, maybe many would not be celebrating the birth of the King of the Jews (despite the man made date!). It is always good to want to know the whole picture, rather than just a part.

When I was reading some extracts of the Book of Maccabees this week I was reminded that after the Temple was cleaned, the war continued. And even though God is not mentioned in the 1st Book of Maccabees, He certainly is in the 2nd. So this is an extract of another battle after the cleaning of the temple.

2 Maccabees 13: “When Judas heard that Antiochus with his barbarous arrogance was coming he ordered the people to call upon the Lord day and night, now if ever, to help those who were on the point of being deprived of The Law and their country and the Holy Temple, …..then he determined to march out and decide the matter by the help of God before the King’s army could enter Judea and get possession of the city.

So committing the decision to the Creator of the world, and exhorting his men to fight nobly to the death for the Laws, temple, city, country, he pitched his camp near Mo’da’in. He gave his men the watchword, “God’s Victory”.

Then chapter 15: But Judas Maccabeus did not cease to trust with all confidence that he would get help from the Lord, and he exhorted his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but to keep in mind the former times when help had come to them from heaven, and now to look for the victory which the Almighty would give them.

Sadly 230 years later the Romans reclaimed Jerusalem and destroyed the 2nd Temple.

Before this, of course, we have the story of the first Temple’s destruction. As recorded in Jeremiah 39, we read: “In the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar King of Bavel marched against Jerusalem with his entire Army, and began to lay siege against it.”

This ultimately culminated in the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, and the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah.

Now there is a minor “man made” fast on the 10th day of this 10th month to mourn and remember this siege. BUT the good news is that in Zechariah we read: The Lord God of the Armies says, The fast days of the 4th, 5th seventh and TENTH months are to become times of joy, gladness and cheer for the house of Judah…” However, we need to remember that all these fasts were instituted by man in memory of calamities and disasters related to Jerusalem and the destruction of both temples, they were not commanded by God.

This 10th month as I said, is also mentioned during the story of Esther.

“We read in the book of Esther that is was in this 10th month of Tevet that Esther was taken to King Ahasuersus, and he liked her more than any of his wives, none other obtained such favour and approval from him. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in Vashti’s stead.

So in the tenth month this was the beginning of another miraculous story of God’s intervention to deny and stop another dark evil plan to annihilate the Jewish people. And again what a story, of certain people being in the right place at the right time, and willing to do the right thing.

In Ezekiel Chapter 29 we have it recorded that in this tenth month the Word of The Lord come to Ezekiel telling him to turn his face against Pharaoh King of Egypt, and declaring that The Lord God of Israel was against Pharaoh describing him as a big crocodile lying in the Nile!

Prophesying that Egypt will become a desolate waste, and The Lord God will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries, to the gather them and bring them back, but for them to be a humble kingdom. Never again to dominate other nations. Then……. “They will know that I am Adonai Elohim.”

Interestingly during the reign of Ptolemy, an Egyptian monarch from 305 BCE, ordered the translation of The Torah into Greek. He knew it would be a complicated job, and gathered 70 scholars, and hoped it would give the Greeks a literal understanding of the Five Books of Moses.

This was seen as a tragedy by many, as Ptolemy was just wanting to Hellenize The Torah, and just add it to the ‘classics' in his library. It was inconceivable to him that a ‘God given document’ should be treated any differently to books written by man. The translation was completed on the 8th day of the 10th month Tevet.

Other historical events that have happened in this month include the ejecting of the Sadducees from the Sanhedrin on 28 Tevet in 81 BCE. This happened because they were seen as a sect that denied the Oral Law and authority of the Sages, who dominated the Supreme Court. They were then replaced with “Torah-loyal disciples.”

On 30 December 1066 (9 Tevet) the Granada Massacre took place when a Muslim mob stormed the Royal Palace in Granda. They killed the Jewish Vizier, Joseph Naghrela, and massacred most of the Jewish population of the city.

22 Tevet 1496 the Jews were expelled from Portugal, four years after they had been expelled from Spain.

On 1 Tevet (1668) the Jews were expelled from Vienna in Austria, during the reign of Roman Emperor Leopold 1st.

17 Tevet (1728), some good news, The first New York Synagogue was erected in Lower Manhattan, Shearith Israel.

In 1808 during this 10th month, civil rights were eventually granted to the Jews living in Westphalia, a region of Germany. Many Jews had lived in the area since the early 13th century. They were then victims of the black death persecution during 1348-49, during which they either fled or were expelled. During the second half of the 14th century they returned with Jewish autonomy severely restricted by government control. But then eventually on 27th January 1808 (27th Tevet) they were granted civic rights, and were able to engage in the profession of their choice for the first time.

Finally the number ten is seen to represent Law and Order, it is written in Hebrew with the letter yud, the very smallest letter. In the very first chapter of Beresheet (Genesis) we find the phrase "God said" 10 times, which is a testimony of His creative power. God gave the 10 Commandments to man. Ten therefore represents man's responsibility to keep the commandments. Just as a tithe is a 10th of our earnings and is a testimony of our faith in the Lord.

The Passover lamb was selected on the 10th day of the 1st month (Exodus 12:3), as Yeshua, Himself ,the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, entered His father’s house, The temple, on the 10th day of the 1st month, in Jerusalem just before Passover.

And the 10th day of the 7th month is the Holy Day known as the Day of Atonement which will be the prelude, many believe, to Yeshua fulfilling the fall Feasts just as he has fulfilled the Spring Feasts.

So once again a month full of almonds and raisins, bitter sweet.

Abba father, we dedicate ourselves afresh to you as we enter and receive this new 10th month, this new portion of time. May we be daily mindful that you are Adonai Tzaviot, the Lord of the Armies, and we pray that you will continue to neither slumber nor sleep as you Watch over Israel. May your Kingdom Come, and as your perfect will is done in Heaven, may it be done here also on earth, and give us complete victory over those who continue to plot and plan the Annihilation of Your Chosen People from Your Land, which You gave them, as an everlasting covenant.

יהי רצון מלפנין יהוה אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שתחדש עלינו חודש טוב, באדנינו ישוע המשיח

May it be Your will Lord our God, and God of our fathers, that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.