Kislev: The Month of Hope

Today begins the new Hebrew month of Kislev. Kislev is the ninth month of the spiritual year and the third month of the civil year. Meaning security, trust, and restful sleep, Kislev is a month to focus on whom or what we trust and to evaluate whether our lives are truly built on the rock of faith and trust in Christ.

We are still in the fall season on the Hebrew calendar. The fall is the season of repentance. We end this season with Kislev being the month of hope. In Greek, hope means expectation, confidence, specifically well-grounded expectation (Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek). Romans tells us that our hope comes from Christ, the root of Jesse, in whom the Gentiles will find hope (Romans 15:12). Paul says to us, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13, CSB).

Hope is something the enemy targets in our hearts. He aims his flaming arrows at us (Ephesians 6:16) so that we get stuck in cycles of hope deferred. We will look more fully at hope throughout this month, and I will share a key insight the Holy Spirit revealed to me about the focus of our hope: breaking the hope-deferred cycles.

The Hebrew letter for Kislev is the samekh. Samekh is the 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph-Bet) and has a value of 60. Sixty is the number of God's protection, which we see in its meanings. This letter means

• To support, aid, assist, prop up, to uphold
• To rely on or trust in
• To turn aside
• To come full circle
• To lay hands on for consecration and support

To have hope in God means trusting Him. We trust in His protection, provision, assistance, and care. Through a relationship, we come to trust that He will support us no matter what we are facing in our lives.

This month, we want to examine our hearts and motives to break up old patterns of mistrust that hinder our walk with the Lord (Pierce). We need to come before the Lord and ask Him to reveal mindsets and patterns that are causing unbelief in our hearts.

We also want to examine with the Lord our inner circles of trust. Who are we supporting, and who is supporting us? Are they trustworthy, and are they the ones God wants us to partner with in this season? Alignments in this season are crucial to our kingdom assignments. Proper alignment can propel us forward as we work together to advance the kingdom of God. In the same way, incorrect alignments can hinder our assignments, cause delays, and even lead to destruction. We need wisdom in this hour, on whom we share our hearts and plans.

Benjamin is the tribe of Kislev, and the constellation is Sagittarius. Both point to the archer and are proficient with a bow and arrow. Benjamites were master archers. The Bible tells us,

The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons and grandsons, 150 of them. All these were of the sons of Benjamin (2 Chronicles 8:40, NASB95).

Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin (2 Chronicles 12:1-2).

The prophetic significance for us is that we need to be in active training this month in warfare strategies. Ask the Lord to reveal prophetic revelation, the rhema word, for the battles we are facing and any strategy for ones He knows are coming. Psalm 18:30-35 says,

As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God,
The God who girds me with strength
And makes my way blameless?
He makes my feet like hinds' feet,
And sets me upon my high places.
He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds me;
And Your gentleness makes me great (NASB95). 

Trains the Hebrew word lamed (H3925). It means that God is teaching, training, and instructing us to be skillful in a certain way. It is a picture of a herdsman guiding an ox along its path by goading it. In the Hebrew letters, it reveals that being trained is the pathway that leads to our maturation (lamed, mem, and dalet).

We cannot afford to be ignorant and untrained if we are going to stay walking in discernment and free from deception. Darkness is increasing, and deception is very subtle. However, Kislev also reminds us that might always shines in darkness as Hanukkah begins the last few days of this Hebrew month.

Hanukkah is a holiday of lights that begins on Kislev 24 (December 14) and ends on Tevet 2 (December 22). It reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12) who came to rescue the world from darkness (Colossians 1:13). And that when darkness covers the earth, God's glory will shine on His people (Isaiah 60:1-2).

One last aspect of Kislev to note is that it is the month of rest and restful sleep. God promises to give His beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2), and in His presence there is rest (Exodus 33:14). Many of us struggle with rest and getting a good night's sleep. This can be due to physical issues in our bodies, trauma in our souls, or spiritual warfare that is attacking our rest. Are there habits that we have at night that hinder His presence from abiding with us in the nighttime hours? This month, seek the Lord for answers on any sleep issues.

Blessings,
Brandee