Page 159 - Foundations

when discoursing on this passage from Genesis, comment on the divine role the heavenly bodies serve
as they mark the annual seasons and passage of months and years. Although much more is indicated
by this passage, it is certainly true that Yahweh determined that the lights in the heavens should serve
as a sort of divine calendar. The passage above states that the lights in the heavens are “for seasons.”
We recognize that the angle at which the earth faces the Sun changes over the course of a year. This
results in distinct seasons being observed on the earth.

The Hebrew word translated as “seasons” in the passage above is “moed.” A common mistake is
made due to the fact that we are reading an English translation of a book originally written in ancient
Hebrew. The mistake is in assuming that the Hebrew word translated as “seasons” is referring to the
four seasons of the year that we know as winter, spring, summer and fall. The Hebrew word “moed”
actually means an “appointed time.”

The feasts of God are collectively called “moedim.” Three times a year, on dates prescribed by God,
all Israel was required to gather at the place appointed to observe the feasts. The dates were based
upon Yahweh’s divine calendar. We can see the relationship between the moon and Yahweh’s
calendar and appointed times in the following verses.

Psalms 104:19
You made the moon to mark the [moedim], and the sun knows when to set.

Isaiah 66:23
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come
to bow down before Me,” says Yahweh.

If we were to state the verse above in modern vernacular we might say, “from month to month and
from week to week, all mankind will come to bow down before Me.” The new moon marked the
beginning of the month for the Jews. This was Yahweh’s design for a calendar. The English word
month is derived from an ancient Germanic word meaning “moon.” The time it takes for the moon
to go through all of its phases and return to the same point is 29.53 days. Because the lunar cycle does
not perfectly match the solar day, the month prescribed by Yahweh may be either 29 or 30 days in
length.