Nisan is the first month in the Hebrew calendar. The Torah itself says so, in Exodus 12:2:
This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Since Nisan is the first, other months are counted in the Bible as the second, third month etc. The names in the current Hebrew calendar were only added after the Babylonian exile, and they are in fact of Babylonian origin.
Nisan is the month of Passover when we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord. We also remember the Exodus from Egypt, with signs and wonders, marking the beginning of Israel as a nation. So, we can see that the month is packed with significant events. What can we learn from the Bible about such a time? How should we live so that we are prepared, when a significant move of God comes?
The phrase “this shall be your beginning of months” is actually considered a commandment, and Jewish sages have noted that this is the very first commandment that God gave to the people of Israel. They were still in Egypt, but they were getting ready for the Exodus. The liberation from Egyptian bondage and the beginning of the history of the nation of Israel was about to begin. What should the people do? Start counting the time. Why?
For a slave, it does not matter which day, month or year it is: every day is the same, they have no possibility to take initiative, to make their own plans. It is a time without time. I can imagine that the life of Hebrew slaves in Egypt was like that. Then, all of a sudden, they were told to note the time. Something important would soon start to happen. They were to take a young lamb at the beginning of the new moon, and when the moon stood full, the great Exodus started. God moved in their lives in a revolutionary manner, with His mighty hand and an outstretched arm, so that the whole Egypt saw that there is no other God.
With the Exodus, the Jewish people went on a journey, they started a long process, which included learning many lessons and which would eventually bring the next generation to the Promised land.
Another important event occurred on the first day of Nisan a year later: the Tabernacle was completed.
And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. (Exodus 40:17)
When Moses finished the work:
Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34-35)
This event in a way signifies the fulfillment of the purpose of the Exodus. People were free from slavery – now to what? The Bible tells us that they were liberated in order to receive the Word at Mount Sinai, and then, as they obeyed, they experienced the presence of God in their midst.
The whole process started in a specific moment of time. And throughout our journey, it is important to discern the times. God places Divine opportunities in each of our lives, and we should be careful not to miss them. The Greek has two expressions for time: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos denotes the normal passing of time, while Kairos designates a special, appointed moment. It is similar to the Hebrew word Moed, an appointed time.
Time is an interesting commodity: everyone receives exactly the same portion. Poor or rich, educated or simple, good or bad. The difference is what we make out of it.
Handling time properly brings wisdom and understanding of the Lord’s will. No wonder that this was the first commandment God gave his people as they were leaving the state of slavery. Be aware, be wise, discern to understand the will of God.
In uncertain times, rather than worrying about things over which we have no control, let us focus on that which we can do. Each one of us has been given the same amount of time. Use it in accordance with His will, and it will be worth it, no matter what may come.
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