The Hebrew Month of Adar | Surrendering to God’s Instruction and Timing
The Hebrew month of Adar centers on increased joy, faith, unity, divine timing, and the anticipation of God’s promises. The word Adar signifies power and strength. It is a month to embrace mixed emotions that come with new beginnings and trust in divine timing.
The Hebrew month of Adar represents a moment of tension between obedience and surrender—obeying God’s divine instruction and, at the same time, surrendering to His process and timing.
The Hebrew month of Adar prepares you for Nisan, when Passover is celebrated, positioning you for a changed mindset and emotions from slavery to liberation. Embracing mixed emotions and surrendering them to God allows for purifying your identity—setting into motion the mercy and revelation that will come in Nisan.
Prophetic Quickview of Adar
Adar is a month of surrendering to God’s instruction and timing, which leads to joy and expectation!
- Hebrew letter associated with Adar: Kuf, kuf is related to exponential, doubling, great number, and multiplying, It is also the first letter for the word kedushah, which means holy.
- Hebrew tribe associated with Adar: Naphtali, Naphtali was known as the “cheerful messenger” of hope, eager and swift to carry out his missions, demonstrating a commitment to others.
This is the month to…
- Trust the Lord will deliver the gift He has deposited within you in His divine time
- See the connection between how you speak and the impact it has on others
- Connect to God’s instruction, pray it, and speak it in His timing
- Position your heart to listen and hear before carrying His message to your family, friends, neighbors, or nations
- Watch for how the Lord may separate or remove you from one place and fully immerse you into another
- Honor and discover more about Purim (the 14th), a day to remember God’s faithfulness and the power of selfless obedience (see Esther)
The Hebrew Month of Adar and the Festival of Purim
The festival of Purim is introduced in the book of Esther (Esther 9:20-23). The name Purim comes from the Hebrew word purim, which means “lots.” Haman cast lots to determine the day he would annihilate the Jewish people. The day selected was nearly one year later in Adar (Esther 3:7).
Purim commemorates the Jewish people’s deliverance from Haman, a wicked official in the Persian empire that represents a demonic spirit that seeks to divide and pull apart God’s people so they step out of God’s protection.
As Esther embraced the mixture of emotions and situations…
- Orphaned and poor
- Accepted and beautified by the king
- Fearful and courageous
… she trusted in the instruction given to her by Mordecai, her uncle who adopted her as his own and stepped out in faith, surrendering the outcome to the Lord.
Mordecai gave a copy of the written order to kill the Jews to Esther and… “command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people… And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’
“Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!’”—Esther 4:7, 3-16 (emphases added).
Can you sense the urgency of instruction given to Esther and her determined obedience to “go to the king”?
Can you identify God’s perfect and divine timing unfolding through all the events in the book of Esther “for such a time as this”? In the end, Esther surrendered the outcome to God, stating, “If I perish, I perish.”
The Expectation of Joy in Adar
As mentioned, Adar means “power and strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 says, “… for the joy of the Lord is my strength.” The joy of deliverance came after a time of being set apart, fasting, and obedience.
As evident in Esther’s story, God’s power and strength are not the same as humanity’s, bringing to light the truth of Zechariah 4:6, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
God, never mentioned by name in the book of Esther, orchestrated the events. His Spirit is at work, leading us to have faith even when we can’t see or understand.
Set Apart and Holy
Esther was set apart—first from her family as she was brought into the king’s palace, and then from the other women as she was chosen to be queen. In this “set apart” time, she was prepared with oil, perfume, and spices.
- Oil represents the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20).
- Perfume signifies worship, sacrifice, and deep devotion (Luke 7:38).
- Spices symbolize purification, blessings, and abundance, specifically incense (Psalm 141:2).
Can you see how God arranged these events to represent the purifying process we go through as we obey and surrender? We need the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We must be fully devoted to the Lord and exchange our thoughts for His pure ones in prayer.
Esther was set apart and purified, beautified, and then was given instruction, obeyed, and made the decision to approach the king.
Even then, her preparation continued… She prepared to approach the king by calling for a fast and praying. She had already decided she would obey Mordecai’s instruction. That was no longer in question. The fasting and prayer were done to provide power and strength—courage—as she obeyed. Then came joy.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”—Psalm 30:5
Hebrew Letter Kuf | Kedushah, Holiness
It is no wonder the Hebrew letter Kuf is associated with Adar. Kuf symbolizes holiness, or “kedushah,” being set apart for God’s purposes.
Holiness means being set apart, not only from other nations and cultures but also from materialism, allowing for full immersion in spiritual matters. True separation unto God requires obedience to His Word, as holiness and obedience are inseparable.
Resting in the Holy Separation
Separation and holiness are introduced in Genesis 2:3, when God blessed the seventh day, separating it and calling it holy, then rested from work.
Holy separation, obedience, and rest are connected to productivity. Jewish teachers say holy separation has two stages.
- It begins with our effort and discipline.
- It ends with the gift of sanctification from our Father.
For God, separation from the world means being intertwined and connected to Him, trusting in Him to do the work.
The Hebrew Tribe of Naphtali
The Hebrew tribe of Naphtali is associated with the month of Adar, highlighting joy, swiftness, and generosity.
Naphtali was known for his speed and joy in delivering messages. His biblical blessing (Genesis 49:21) compares him to a swift deer and a cheerful messenger who uses beautiful words. His tribe’s land was fertile in Galilee, producing early harvests and blessings to Israel.
This opened doors to cycles of giving, sustaining both spiritual and physical life.
In Esther 9:20-22, Nephtali’s cheerful message and generosity are represented.
“And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” (emphasis added)
This passage speaks to the delivery of messages (letters), celebration and joy, rest from enemies, sorrow turned to joy, and generosity—giving gifts to the poor.
Takeaways in the Hebrew Month of Adar
The takeaway in the Hebrew month of Adar is there is power and strength released from Heaven when…
- Choosing to say “yes” to God’s instruction
- Trusting Him as events unfold
- Surrendering the outcome at His feet
- Continuing to pursue holiness, even as you wait upon the Lord
- Living generously and expecting joy
The expectation of joy positions us to hear God’s voice and see His hand at work in every area of our lives.
On the other hand, we must be aware of the enemy’s plans to use fear, despair, and intimidation to divide us—reflected in Haman’s attempt. This can leave us deaf and blind as we perceive life through our circumstances versus the truth of the Word.
Let us incline our hearts and ears to listen and hear His instruction, commit to saying “yes,” and surrender the outcome at His feet.