THE MONTH OF ELUL
The Sixth month on the Scriptural calendar is the final month before the Fall Moadim start. (The last 4 Appointed times (Moadim) are the Fall Appointments that we have with YHVH ~ 'Fall 'as in Yisrael's Fall season). This Sixth Month on the Scriptural calendar is also called Elul since Babylonian exile. The word "Elul" (aleph, lamed, vav, lamed), the after-captivity name of this month, forms the well- known acronym “Ani Ldodi Vdodi Li” which means "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine". (Song of Songs 6:3). Elul normally corresponds on the Gregorian calendar with August/September.
Fall Moadim (Appointed times):Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets or Day of the Awakening blast),
Yom HaKippurim, (Day of the coverings also known as Day of Atonement)
Sukkot (the 7 day Festival of Booths or Tabernacles)
And Shemeni Atzereth (the Eighth Day assembly that falls on the eighth day at the end of the seven days of Sukkot. This Eighth Day Assembly (Shemeni Atzereth) is a one- day Appointment/Festival that speaks so beautifully of the "eighth day" (which at the same time is the First day of a new beginning) that will come after the Millennium (Millennium= the seventh thousandth year which gets portrayed beautifully by Sukkot)
Yom Teruah falls on the first day of the Seventh Scriptural month. (Normally it corresponds with somehwere during Sept or Oct on the gregorian calendar) The Sixth Month (Elul) begins thus 29/30 days before Yom Teruah and 40 days before Yom Kippur. Jewish tradition treats this entire 40-day period as a time of spiritual preparation and renewal leading up to Yom Kippur.
Traditional services throughout the29 or 30 days of this month include blowing the shofar every day in the morning (the Jews don't blow it on Shabbat and also not on the last day of this month, in anticipation for the start of Yom Teruah) as also readings from the Tehillim/Psalms. It is a good tradition and something that we can apply too to our personal prayer lives. (Not a commandment though, so you don't have to do it.) It can be a blessing to read through the entire Book of Tehillim/Psalms during this Sixth month. If you read 4-5 average psalms a day, or 1-2 of the longer ones, you can make it through the entire book.
Traditional services throughout the29 or 30 days of this month include blowing the shofar every day in the morning (the Jews don't blow it on Shabbat and also not on the last day of this month, in anticipation for the start of Yom Teruah) as also readings from the Tehillim/Psalms. It is a good tradition and something that we can apply too to our personal prayer lives. (Not a commandment though, so you don't have to do it.) It can be a blessing to read through the entire Book of Tehillim/Psalms during this Sixth month. If you read 4-5 average psalms a day, or 1-2 of the longer ones, you can make it through the entire book.
Bringing ourselves before YHVH
We are living in serious times and need to trust our Father YHVH to help us prepare our hearts to draw closer to Him daily and to ask the Ruach (the Spirit) to search our hearts and show us if there is anything that is not pleasing to the Father. We need to make ourselves ready ("the bride will make herself ready") for the coming of the Messiah Yahshua who will come on the clouds with a future Yom Teruah (the Day of the great awakening blast) and during this time we are more aware of the fact that Yahshua is coming back and we need to be ready.
Interceding for Yisrael
May we also realize the seriousness of being "watchmen on the walls of Yerushalayim" more than ever before.
During the month of Elul there is also an expectancy as we look forward to the last Fall -Appointed Times (Fall as in the Fall of Yisrael) where we are rehearsing the End time scenario from Yom Teruah leading up to Sukkot. (Sukkot speaks of the Millennium reign when Yahashua will tabernacle with us to rule and reign from Yerushalayim) and then the Eighth day assembly (Shemeni Atzereth) which speaks of the new beginning at the end of the Millennial reign of Yahshua. (So Sheminie Atzereth portrays the beginning of the Renewed heaven and earth and the new Yerushalayim that will come down out of heaven and the booth of YHVH and the Lamb that will be with us for eternity. (See especially Rev 21:1-3 and I Cor 15:23-28).