Adar 5780 – Overcoming Fruit From the Tree of Life

By Beth Auman and JoBeth Kested

At sundown on February 25, 2020 we will enter the month of Adar, which is the 12th and last month in the Hebraic ecclesiastical calendar that began with the month of Nissan. It will last for 29 days to March 24th.

Adar is the happiest and most joyful month of the year. The Jewish motto in this month is “When Adar comes, joy is increased.” Adar means “strength and power” and is a month to overcome bitterness, to experience good fortune and fullness of joy. This is the season to overcome the giants of fear, anxiety, depression and bitterness in our land and to see any “Haman” plots of destruction against us exposed and defeated.

      “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalms 16:11

The Tribe of Naphtali is associated with the month of Adar and means “Sweet victory!” It is celebrating that the curse of bitterness is overcome and turned into sweetness. Naphtali was the sixth son of Jacob and second son born to Bilhah, Rachel’s maid. In Genesis 30:8 (CJB) Rachel said, “I have wrestled mightily with my sister and won,” and called him Naftali [my wrestling].” 

 Jacobs last words spoken to his son: “Naphtali is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words.” (Genesis 49:21) The image is of one who springs forth with great speed and speaks eloquent words of wisdom that bring good news; with a beautiful ability to speak and communicate well. Part of the final words of Moses to the Tribe of Naphtali: “O Naphtali satisfied with favor, and full of blessing of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 33:23a) It is said in apocryphal writings that Naphtali instructed his sons to fear the Lord; to serve and to follow after Him. The men of Naphtali were fearless warriors and the tribe was part of the rear guard behind the Tabernacle when moving in the wilderness. Despite all their blessings, the tribe of Naphtali failed to obey God’s command to drive out all the Canaanites living in their territory.

What can we learn from the Tribe of Naphtali in this month of Adar?

Clue – Fear the LORD, serve and follow after Him!

Let’s embrace the lessons to be learned from the tribe of Naphtali this month: to seek the favor of the LORD, to fear the LORD in all things, to speak words of wisdom, to drive out all our enemies, and to pursue the sweetness of overcoming joy! Yes, AMEN!

     “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalms 42:1-2a

What is the fruit from the Tree of Life that Adonai is offering to us in the month of Adar? (Revelation 22:2)

Clue – Sweetness in overcoming joy!

The Feast of Purim is in the month of Adar and is the happiest, most joyous celebration time in the Hebraic calendar. This is definitely a month for those who have prevailed with us on the “Quest of the Overcomers” to experience fullness of  joy!

   “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22 NKJV

     Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

 The Feast of Esther is on the 13th of Adar, which celebrates the story in the book of Esther about the beautiful Jewish girl that became the queen of king Ahasuerus in ancient Persia. The Feast of Purim, on Adar 14, is remembrance of when the wicked schemes of Haman’s bitterness towards the Jew, Mordecai, (Esther’s uncle) to destroy all the Jews in the land, were overthrown and turned into sweetness of joy!

     “When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” Esther 3:5-6 NASB

   “…In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring. And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.” Esther 3:12-13

     And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

Esther trusted in the wise counsel of her uncle Mordecai and submitted herself and the eminent destruction of her Jewish people to God. She relied totally on Him alone as she instructed all her handmaidens and the Jews in the city to fast and pray with her. With clear instructions, requiring her trust and obedience, she was not disappointed to see the salvation of God. In the end it was Haman and his entire family that were destroyed and the Jewish people were saved!

   “By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

     The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday.” Esther 8:11-12, 16-17a NKJV

What is our Spiritual warfare assignment in this month of Adar?

Clue – Wrestle to Overcome!

It was sad to learn that the tribe of Naphtali did not obey God’s command to drive out all the Canaanites living in their land. We must identify any anti-Christ spirit rising up against us that would keep us focused on the giants of fear or bitterness that would hinder us from breaking through to the abundance the LORD has prepared for us in this next season. Adar is the month to root out any remaining giants in your life, your territory, that would keep you in depression, despair or defeat. It’s time to break any wrongful decrees spoken against us or personal vows we may have made in the past.

When trials come our way, the moment that it begins, submit it all to Adonai immediately. The word submit means to duck, get out of God’s way so that He can bring the victory quickly. When we submit immediately, He responds immediately even if sometimes we cannot see it. If we wait and try to defeat the devil alone then we are fighting a loosing battle. Our God is El Gibbor – the One who fights for us, our Champion! (Zephaniah 3:17) With God all things are possible. Without Him we lose. Esther did not perish nor did the Jewish people. Nor will you! As you learn to submit your circumstance immediately to the LORD, walk in His ways of wisdom and instruction, you will also eat of the ripe fruit in this month of extravagant joy in overcoming enemies and strategies of destruction!

Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:9-10 NKJV

     “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,” Isaiah 61:1-2a.

KUF is the nineteenth letter in the Hebraic alphabet and is linked with Adar – symbolizing the ending of a masquerade and entering the joy of true spiritual identity. It is the only letter with a line that descends beneath the baseline, representing one who ventures below what is acceptable or unholy, violating the boundaries of truth in the Torah. The KUF reveals both the sacred and profane and is also the word for monkey. Therefore, it symbolizes revealing the essential importance of removing a cover or mask of the superficial, animalistic, baselessness of humanity to reveal true holiness within.

     “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” II Corinthians 7:1

     “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” 2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

What is the doorway to the dungeon of depravity and ungodliness?

Clue – The root of bitterness.

Pride and succumbing to bitterness led Haman down the path to hatred for all Jews because Mordecai wouldn’t bow to honor him; and it ultimately led to his destruction. Ask the Lord to reveal any bitter fruit in your heart. Allow Him to search your heart and yield any bitterness that is exposed back to Him with genuine repentance. Ask Him to overturn any offenses and evil decrees that have taken root in your heart and created bitterness. Ask Him for the gift of repentance with forgiveness that will turn bitterness to sweetness. The sweetness in overcoming joy is the fruit Adonai offers us this month. Yeshua, our Messiah, paid the ultimate price for our victory and joy by overcoming all sin and death.

     Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; Hebrews 12:14-15

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. II Peter 3:9

        “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4

 The Constellation of Pisces aligned with Adar is a picture of two fishes. It reminds us of when Jesus sent Peter to go fishing and miraculously found the gold coin in the mouth of a fish to pay the required temple tax for them both (Matthew 17:24-27). In Jewish tradition, fish are a sign of blessing and fruitfulness and the two fish represented in Pisces also symbolize a double portion! Just as fish live in water, the Jewish people thrive when immersed in the Torah and we cannot hope to be overcomers without the life-giving water of God’s Word. Adar is the month to trust and seek the LORD for a double portion of His miraculous supply!

O, Heavenly Father, we ask for Your overcoming, empowering, sufficient grace to identify any “Haman” intents to kill and destroy us or our families and to expose any giants rising against our lives, or within our territories, to defeat us in our continuing Overcoming Journey. Free us from captivity in any dungeons of depravity and the pain of offenses from roots of bitterness. Grant us the gift of repentance, turning darkness to light, with the taste and sweetness of overcoming joy from Your Tree of Life. Grant us the double portion of Your miraculous provision for all our needs according to Your riches in glory during this month of Adar. In Jesus’ Name, amen!

   “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:19-20

 In a final note, Adar was also the last month the Jewish people spent in Egypt before the Exodus. Adar’s joy is so great, in part, because it serves as the opening to celebrating the miraculous joys of Passover during the next month of Nissan that will begin a New Year.

      “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25 KJV

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All scriptures are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Reference credit: “A Time to Advance” by Chuck Pierce with Robert and Linda Heidler  © 2011

(Photography purchased or taken by Beth Auman and JoBeth Kested. Photo Art by Beth Auman)

© Beth Auman and JoBeth Kested 2020

 

An Invitation to Join the Quest of the Overcomers by Beth Auman and JoBeth Kested