Excerpt from The Quest of the Overcomers by Beth Auman and JoBeth Kested

What is the ripe fruit for us to partake this month of Elul? (Rev. 22:2a NKJV)

Clue — Mercy for repentance with forgiveness!

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” Micah 7:18 NIV

In Jewish history, God revealed Himself in great mercy in the month of Elul. It follows the two prior months where God dealt with the sins of the people in the wilderness at Sinai. Moses sought the mercy and favor of the Lord on behalf of the people because the Lord was ready to destroy them due to their unfaithfulness and idolatry (Genesis 32-33). The people repented and God mercifully forgave and made a new covenant with them. Moses then ascended Mount Sinai again to receive the “tablets of the covenant” to replace the ones broken when he saw the people’s idolatry.

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13b

The Hebrew letter YUD is associated with this month which means “God has appointed mercy from His hand.” We need to grab the mercy God is extending to each of us from His outstretched hand to us! This is a time to experience God’s mercy for repentance and forgiveness.

Jewish tradition teaches that the month of Elul is a particularly propitious time for repentance that builds through this month to the period of Selichot, to Rosh Hashanah, and finally to Yom Kippur. The word Elul means to search. Let us seek the Lord’s mercy and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts in the next 40 days to reveal any hidden sin for repentance in order for us to enter Adonai’s rest and to feast with Him on Yom Kippur; the Day of Atonement.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

What does it mean that Elul is the month when “the King is in the field?”

Clue — He comes near to us and welcomes us to come!

There is an interesting Jewish phrase for this month that says, “The King is in the field.” For most of the year, the King dwelt in his palace, protected by high walls with guarded gates and only approachable with great difficulty through royal protocol. But, during one month of the year, the king would set up the royal tent in a field close to the people and all were welcomed to come. The proclamation was declared, “The King is in the field!” God is especially accessible and welcoming to us at this time. The King of Kings is close to us and bids us welcome! We can put aside all of our religious striving and spiritual pretenses. He draws near to our homes, our workplace and the everyday places where we are! He moves among his people and loves for us to approach him. This is a time where he lavishes his mercy, forgiveness and love upon us. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine!”

The Constellation Virgo, the Virgin, is aligned with Elul and is traditionally linked with the scripture from Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine!” In Hebrew, the first letter of each word spells out the name of this month, ELUL! This is a fortuitous time when God is beckoning us to come and seek Him for special times of intimacy with Him!

“He has brought me to his banqueting place, And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me]. Sustain me with raisin cakes, Refresh me with apples, Because I am sick with love.” Song of Solomon 2:4-5 AMP

Elul is the month that the King is in the field for us to come close to Him. We have access to our beloved during this month that we do not have during other months. It is the month to see the promises and blessings of God manifest; a month to receive rewards! We would all love it if Adonai would just give us what we want when we ask. That is not His way. We just walked through the time of dire straits during the month of Av. But, this is not a time to fear. Like the sons of Issachar, we must understand the signs of the times and expect to see exactly what He is uncovering for us to see. This is a time to receive His rewards, moments of breakthrough and to move forward with Him as the Overcomers He is calling us to be. How will you connect with Him this month? Will you draw near to Him and rest your head on His shoulder and receive His love for you?

We must find our way to “vav” ourself to Adonai this month. Vav is the 6th letter in the Hebrew alphabet and is a connecting letter. It is a hook, a spear, a tent peg and connects things together. The letter Vav in Hebrew literally implies the connecting between heaven and earth. This month of Elul is a special time of connecting Heaven and Earth; our hearts with His heart.

“Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.”Song of Solomon 1:4 KJV

Elul is also referred to as “the eye of the needle” month. God is not asking us to change everything all at once this month, but what little thing can we surrender or what little place can we open in our hearts to Him that we may have been holding on to? The challenge is to yield even the smallest thing or establish the smallest place completely dedicated to Him and let Him prove Himself to us in a BIG way! He is calling to us to, “Open up the eye of the needle and I will open to you the grand storehouses of my goodness!”

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.“ Jeremiah 29:11 TLB

To read more about Elul click here: https://faithtestimony.org/quest-of-the-overcomers-by-beth-auman-and-jobeth-kested/elul-5779/