Jewish Month of Shevat

Shevat, beginning January 17th this year, is the 11th month of the Jewish religious calendar. On the first day of Shevat, at the end of Israel’s forty-year wilderness journey, Moses began to speak to the people to remind them of the consequences of unbelief, the benefits of obedience and a right relationship with God, and to call them to renew their covenant with the Lord. Paul tells the Corinthians to examine themselves for the purpose of seeing if their faith is genuine. This is a month to review our journey to see if it has been by faith or ruled by fears and to gain wisdom from our elders that will help us inhabit by faith what the Lord has prepared for us.

We have the promise... “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17) In the month of Shevat, the prophet Zechariah began a series of visions from the Lord. In these visions he is actively engaged in asking questions and responding when asked… “My lord, what are these?... What are these coming to do?... Where are you going?... Then I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head’… he said to me, what do you see?” Do not be afraid to encounter the Lord and ask questions. This is a season to review the prophetic words given to us and to be prepared in our visions or dreams to interact with Heaven.

Asher, meaning happy, is the tribe for this month. A key to this season is the strength that joy releases in us. Leah received her 6th son, Asher, through the womb of Zilpah, her handmaid, and her confession was “Happy am I.” This is a time for drinking deeply of happiness as we joyfully see what God is bring forth for us from the wombs of His people. The prophetess Anna, from the tribe of Asher, got to see and speak about the One who had come forth into the earth from the womb of Mary.