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The Moon Governs The Months In God^s Holy Calendar
There are many songs about the moon in this western culture. Remember Moon River and By The Light Of The Silvery Moon? Other cultures also have songs and stories that relate to the moon. The moon induces romance in some, was used to measure time especially before the paper calendar came into use and it shines light at night.
Here is an old song that some of you might be familiar with.
New Moon
You shed light in the night
You give me hope of a harvest
You help me chop my crop
You are probably more familiar with the pagan version of this song, Blue Moon. I m just teasing, I made those words up myself. But two full moons in one month, what a ridiculous concept.
Today we have lights all over the place to help us see in the dark, in our homes, in our cars, on our farming equipment and on our streets. We generally don^t pay much attention to the moon anymore.
Nevertheless:
God commands the observance of New Moons.
The definition of observance that I am using here is to notice or perceive as opposed to making them Holy Days.
Please turn to Genesis 1:14.
Since creation the moon has played a prominent role in man^s life and in God^s plan for man.
Genesis 1:14 to 19. I will be reading from the Revised Standard Version.
Here it speaks of the fourth day of creation.
14 And God said, ~ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth. ~ And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day (that is the sun), and the lesser light to rule the night (that is the moon); he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
The Jerusalem Bible translates verse 14 to read;
and let them indicate festivals, days and years.
The festivals that they indicate are God^s appointed High Holy Days and the days include the New Moons that establish the beginning of the months. You cannot establish any of God^s High Holy Days without first establishing the beginning of the months.
God^s holy calendar is a lunar calendar. All the High Holy days are set according to this Holy calendar. The moon governs the months in this calendar. It is one of the two world time pieces. The sun to govern the days and the moon to govern the months. Both were created by God for these purposes and are irrefutable to a sensible person. In a lunar calendar the fifteenth day of the month is always a full moon, thus one full moon per month, always. Months never begin and end with a full moon, a Blue Moon being the second full moon in the month. Ridiculous or should I say pagan.
The most common word for moon in Hebrew is ghoh~desh (Strong^s No. 2320, חדש ). The one word is translated as either moon or month or new moon depending on its application. There is a second Hebrew word for moon. It is yah~reh~agh (Strong^s No. 3394, ירח ).
In Greek the word for moon is selainai (Strong^s No. 4582, σεληνη ) and for month main (Strong^s No. 3376, μην ). New Moon is noumeinia (Strong s No. 3561, νουμηνια ).
God named the months by numbers 1 through 12. The thirteenth month is not mentioned in the Bible. At least not by that name. All twelve other months are mentioned by number.
The expression ~ New Moon ~ in the Bible refers to the beginning of the monthly cycle of the moon. There are differences of opinion on the exact definition of New Moon. The Bible does not give an exact definition. United Church of God follows the Jewish mainline tradition.
Please turn to Numbers chapter 10: verse 10 (NIV)
New Moons were observed in ancient times as ordered by God. There are several references to this fact in the Bible. I will state one here.
Numbers chapter 10: verse 10
Also at your times of rejoicing, your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals, you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.
Here we see God himself talking and saying that trumpets should be blown and sacrifices and offerings made on the New Moons, all the New Moons. Many translations say on the first day of your months instead of New Moon. This proves that there is no confusion as to what the New Moon represents, it is the first day of the month and the beginning of the lunar cycle.
Numbers 10:10 tells us how new moons were observed in the old days as commanded by God. We no longer blow trumpets or make animal sacrifices but we are still required to observe New Moons, to at the least take notice of them because it also says And they will be a memorial for you before your God. See also Numbers 28:11 and 14, it makes it plain to see.
So you can see that; God commands the observance of New Moons and that the New Moon establishes the first day of the month.
The observance of these days mentioned, the New Moons and the annual or appointed Feasts, the High Holy Days, is to be done into perpetuity or as long as you are able.
Please turn to Revelation 12:1. I will show you another place where the moon plays a prominent role in Christianity. Revelation 12:1. I will be reading from the NASB.
A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
This passage depicts the true church of God. In Revelation a woman is used to symbolize a church. Jesus is elsewhere spoken of as the sun and like the sun. The crown of twelve stars on her head represent the twelve apostles and possibly also the twelve tribes of Israel. And most notably she walks on the moon. The moon establishes the path or the Way that she takes.
The United Church of God puts out a calendar every years to guide us in observing God^s appointed Feasts. On this wallet sized calendar the first day of the sacred year is given. In the first month we observe the Passover on the 14th day, the First Day Of Unleavened Bread on the 15th day and the Last Day of Unleavened Bread on the 21st day of the first month.
The first day of the seventh month is also indicated on this calendar, that is the Day of Trumpets. In this seventh month we also observe the Day Of Atonement on the 10th day, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles on the 15th day and the Last Great Day on the 22nd day of the seventh month.
So you can see how important the first day of the month and the new moon which establishes the first day of the month are. How could we possibly know which days our Feasts are on if we did not know which day was the first day of these months?
I would like to see a small change to this calendar, that is to indicate which day is the first day of the rest of the months in order that we might note these days also and be more in tune with God^s Holy calendar and the lunar cycles.
There is no doubt whatsoever that we should observe New Moons and that the months should be governed by the moon, as created and directed by God Almighty, and not be trampled over by the distortions of the world^s calendar. Again I am using the definition of observe as to notice or perceive or to look at with attention and not to make a Holy Day of it.
We are God^s people living on God^s planet living out God^s plan for mankind. We must hold fast to what God has provided for our guidance in the Way of Christianity. The moon and its cycles play a dominant role in establishing God^s Feasts. The New Moons establish the new year and every new month. Observe the New Moons.
2010 Jacques Gauvin