Beit Shalom Messianic Synagogue Thomasville, Georgia Robert Ackerman, Rabbi Herbert Brooks, Assistant Rabbi Elul 5777: Preparation For Covenant Renewal 5778 A Devotional Walk through the month of Elul leading to Rosh Hashanah, Tishrei 1, 5778, September 21 2017 A Time To Focus On Repentance, Renewal, and Return! "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" - acronym for Elul. It means: "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine." Song of Solomon 6:3 The Hebrew month of Elul is traditionally the month of introspection and reflection during the 29 days prior to the Ten Days of Awe which begins with Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) and concludes with Yom Kippur. Two of the hardest things to do in life is to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. These life struggles over forgiveness can ultimately keep us from moving forward in our lives. Yeshua in Matthew 6:14&15 said: 14 "For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. If we genuinely seek to have a heart like King David we can and will overcome these spiritual strongholds in our lives: 13 ADONAI has sought for Himself a man after His own heart. So ADONAI will appoint him as ruler over His people...1samuel 13:14b. Consider praying David's prayer in Psalm 86:1-13 each day in Elul to begin your time of prayer and study. 1 A prayer of David. Turn Your ear, ADONAI, and answer me, for I am weak and needy. 2 Watch over my soul, for I am godly. You are my God save Your servant who trusts in You. 3 Be gracious to me, my Lord, for to You I cry all day. 4 Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, my Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For You, my Lord, are good, and ready to forgive and full of mercy to all who call upon You. 6 Give ear, ADONAI, to my prayer, listen to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You will answer me. 8 There is none like You among the gods, my Lord, there are no deeds like Yours. 9 All nations You 1
have made will come and bow down before You, my Lord, and they will glorify Your Name. 10 For You are great, and do wonders You alone are God. 11 Teach me Your way, ADONAI, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart to fear Your Name. 12 I praise You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and glorify Your Name forever. 13 For great is Your lovingkindness toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest part of Sheol. B'shem Yeshua, In the name of Yeshua, Amen. For each day of the month there are verses from the whole of the Scriptures and our siddur. Look up other verses from the Bible which relate to the topic for that day. Scriptures are from the Tree Of Life Version of the Bible. 1 Elul, 5777 August 23, 2017 4 "I prayed to ADONAI my God and confessed, saying: 'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His mitzvot, 5 we have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have acted wickedly; we have rebelled; we have turned away from Your mitzvot and from Your rulings. Daniel 9:4-5. 2 Elul, 5777 August 24, 2017 13 One who covers up his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13. 3 Elul, 5777 August 25, 2017 We have turned aside from Your commandments and Your good instructions, and it has not profited us. But You are just concerning all that is come upon us, for You have done truly, but we have dealt wickedly. Siddur, page 101. 4 Elul, 5777 August 26, 2017 8 "Remember Yom, to keep it holy. 9 You are to work six days, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a to ADONAI your God. Exodus 20:8-10a. 5 Elul, 5777 August 27, 2017 7 Hear, ADONAI, when I call with my voice, be gracious to me and answer me. 8 To You my heart says: "Seek My face." Your face, ADONAI, I seek. Psalm 27:7-8. 6 Elul, 5777 August 28, 2017 2 Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness! You set me free when I am in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:2. 7 Elul, 5777 August 29, 2017 19 Forgive now the guiltiness of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You have pardoned this people from Egypt until now!" 20 ADONAI answered, "I have forgiven them just as you have spoken. Numbers 14:19-20. 8 Elul, 5777 August 30, 2017 2 Blessed is the one whose guilt ADONAI does not count, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Psalm 32:2. 2
9 Elul, 5777 August 31, 2017 24 "If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, yet when they return and confess Your Name, praying and making supplication before You in this House, 25 then hear from heaven, forgive the sin of Your people Israel and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and to their fathers. 2Chronicles 6:24-25. 10 Elul, 5777 September 1, 2017 3 Therefore tell them, thus says Adonai-Tzva ot, Return to Me it is a declaration of Adonai- Tzva ot and I will return to you, says Adonai-Tzva ot. Zechariah 1:3. 11 Elul, 5777 September 2. 2017 16 So Bnei-Yisrael is to keep the, to observe the throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and Bnei-Yisrael forever, for in six days ADONAI made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested. Exodus 31:16-17. 12 Elul, 5777 September 3, 2017 9 Help us, God of our salvation for the sake of the glory of Your Name. Deliver us, and atone for our sins for Your name's sake. Psalm 79:9. 13 Elul, 5777 September 4, 2017 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1:9. 14 Elul, 5777 September 5, 2017 9 He has sent redemption to His people. He has ordained His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His Name. Psalm 111:9. 15 Elul, 5777 September 6, 2017 13 You in Your lovingkindness led the people You have redeemed. You guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:13. 16 Elul, 5777 September 7, 2017 7 O Israel, wait for ADONAI. For with ADONAI there is lovingkindness, and with Him is full redemption, 8 and He will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. Psalm 130:7-8. 17 Elul, 5777 September 8, 2017 22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22. 28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life sees the light. Job 33:28. 18 Elul, 5777 September 9, 2017 13 "If you turn back your foot from, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call a delight, the holy day of Adonai honorable, If you honor it, not going your own 3
ways, not seeking your own pleasure, nor speaking your usual speech,14 then You will delight yourself in Adonai, and I will let you ride over the heights of the earth, I will feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob."For the mouth of Adonai has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14. 19 Elul, 5777 September 10, 2017 18 For after I returned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I struck my thigh I was ashamed and also humiliated, for I bore the disgrace of my youth. Jeremiah 31:18. 20 Elul, 5777 September 11, 2017 1 "But now listen, Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen." 2 Thus says ADONAI who made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you: "Do not fear, Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen." Isaiah 43:1. 21 Elul, 5777 September 12, 2017 My heart exults in ADONAI, my horn is lifted high in ADONAI. I smile wide over my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 There is none holy as ADONAI, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. 1Samuel 2:1b-2.. 22 Elul, 5777 September 13, 2017 9 It will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God. We waited for Him He will save us. This is ADONAI we waited for Him. We will rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Isaiah 25:9. 23 Elul, 5777 September 14, 2017 Because we have trusted in Your holy, great, and revered Name, we shall rejoice and be glad in Your saving power. Siddur page 39. 24 Elul, 5777 September 15, 2017 7 O may He give Israel's salvation out of Zion! When ADONAI restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad! Psalm 14:7. 25 Elul, 5777 September 16, 2017 27 Then He said to them, " was made for man, and not man for. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of." Mark 2:27-28. 11 He said to them, "What man among you will not grab his sheep and lift it out, if it falls into a pit on? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is permitted to do good on." Matthew 12:11-12. 26 Elul, 5777 September 17, 2017 6 But I trust in Your lovingkindness, my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to ADONAI, because He has been good to me. Psalm 13:6. 27 Elul, 5777 September 18, 2017 31..but they who wait for ADONAI will renew their strength. They will soar up with wings as eagles. They will run, and not grow weary. They will walk, and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31. 4
28 Elul, 5777 September 19, 2017 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 13 Do not cast me from Your presence take not Your Ruach ha-kodesh from me. Psalm 51:10-11. 29 Elul, 5777 September 20, 2017 40 Let us examine and test our ways, and let us return to Adonai. Lamentations 3:40. 1 Tishrei 5778 September 21, 2017 Rosh Hashanah 5