This week begins the month of Elul, the 6th month on the Hebrew calendar. Elul is “spiritual inventory” month, a time of deep soul searching to root out areas of sin which have taken root in our lives…a time of introspection and prayer.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from every unrighteousness.

It is taught that in the month of Elul, the King is in the field, checking on His harvest. Will He find workers?

Matthew 9:37 – Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

Elul is the 6th month, preceding the 7th which of course begins the fall festivals. We are also living in the 6th millennium, which of course precedes the 7th, a time when the King will reign. Remember that when the Israelites were in the wilderness, the manna was double on the 6th day. It is a time of preparing for the 7th! Are we prepared to meet the King?

Amos 4:12 - …prepare to meet thy Elohim, O Israel!

During the month of Elul, there are a number of special rituals leading up to the High Holy Days. It is customary to blow the shofar every morning (except on Shabbat) from Rosh Hodesh Elul (the first day of the month) until the day before Rosh Hashanah. The blasts are meant to awaken one's spirits and inspire him to begin the soul searching which will prepare him for the High Holy Days The blast of the shofar is a call to action…a time to get serious! Psalm 27 is also customarily read each day.
Elul precedes the month of Tishrei, which contains the High Holy Days: The Feast of Trumpets and The Day of Atonement (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)—as well as the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) shortly afterward.

One rabbinical interpretation is that the word "Elul" means "search." Elul is a time to search our hearts. During the month of Elul we "search" our hearts for evil and repent in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. The Targum on the words 'losur osah' (to search it [the land)] Bamidbar (13:32) translates "Le'allelah yas ar'ah". From this it is derived that the word "Elul" means "search" or "inspect", alluding to the nature of our task during this month. Another rabbinical interpretation of "Elul": "Elul" means "returned with," specifically with those Jews who returned to Israel after the 70-year Exile in Babylonia./Repentance

It is customary (at least among Orthodox Jews) to blow the shofar (ram's horn) every morning during the month of Elul, at the conclusion of the morning prayer service.

With the beginning of Elul, one awakens to teshuva—repentance—turning back to the path. Hearing the shofar helps to make for such an awakening. Elul is a period of preparation. It involves "introspection, review of the year, and preparation for repentance." Selichot, or penitential prayers, are said the Saturday before Rosh Hashanah, for a minimum of 4 days beforehand. On the first night of Selichot, prayers are said at midnight. This intensifies the approach to the "Days of Awe," the ten days encompassing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

What about repentance?
Repentance

Scripture says:
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Note carefully verse 9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Yeshua's Baptism Likely Happened on the 1st of Elul


Even though the scriptures are not specific about the time frame when Yeshua was baptized, We can surmise from patterns in scripture that point to the fact that he was baptized 40 days before Yom Kippur.
The month of Elul on the Hebrew Calendar has 30 days and there are 30 trumpet warnings for each day leading up to the Feast of Trumpets, called Yom Teruah. Then there are 10 more days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
We can accurately see that Yeshua himself fulfilled these 40 days of repentance when he was led by the Ruach ha’Kodesh (Holy Spirit) into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil:
Matthew 4
1 Then was Yeshua led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
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Why would the Holy Spirit lead Yeshua to fast and pray immediately following his baptism for 40 days and nights? Yeshua was celebrating the 40 days of repentance leading up to Yom Kippur!
How do we know Yeshua was baptized 40 days before the Day of Atonement? On the Day of Atonement, (Yom Kippur) the priests in the temple were supposed to choose two goats. They were to cast lots over the goats to see which one would be killed and which one would be sent into the wilderness. (The full instructions are found in Leviticus 16.) When Yeshua came to John for baptism, all of his actions were meant to fulfill the requirements of the Day of Atonement. While the priests were carrying out these rituals in the temple in Jerusalem, Yeshua came to John for baptism. John was the true High Priest in the eyes of God. Caiaphas was the High Priest in the Temple, chosen by men. Yeshua was, in effect, presenting Himself as the first goat, which was to be “killed” for the cleansing of the sanctuary. His baptism was the moment of His legal death. Baptism represents death (Romans 6:4) -
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

After His baptism, Matthew 4:1 says, “Then was Yeshua led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
He Immediately fulfilled the pattern of the second goat, which at that time was being led “by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:21). The Hebrew word translated “fit” here means seasonal, timely, or ready. In this case, we see that the “fit man” was the Holy Spirit, who always comes at the appointed time and season to do the work. And so we see that Yeshua’s baptism and the Spirit’s leading Him into the wilderness ran directly parallel to the temple activities on the Day of Atonement. This can only indicate that He was baptized 40 days before the Day of Atonement, which would have been about 30 days before his 30th birthday on the Feast of Trumpets.

Famous events in Elul
1 Elul - Moses ascends Sinai for 3rd 40 days (1313 BCE)
10 Elul - Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
12 Elul - Nachmanides Born (1294)
17 Elul - Noah Dispatches Dove (2105 BCE)
23 Elul - Dove brings Olive Leaf to Noah (2105 BCE)
25 Elul - The 1st day of Creation (3761 BCE)
25 Elul - Jerusalem Walls Rebuilt (335 BCE)

Finally, Elul is about preparing for the King of KINGS. How about committing to prepare for the King? He is coming!

Revelation 19:11 - "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."