What is the Biblical truth about "New Years day?" ( Ex 12:2)

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

HAPPY NEW YEAR?  seriously?  Making "New Year's resolutions?"  seriously?   Perhaps many have good intentions and they are following the same crowd for over 2 thousand years.  Many celebrate New Year's Day with funny pointed hats, noise makers, a reason to get drunk, throw wild parties, looking forward to the next day off.  Shooting off fireworks, shooting pistols into the air (but those bullets have to come down somewhere, maybe through someone's roof).   but what does God say about "New Year's Day?"

EXODUS 12:2   "THIS MONTH SHALL BE UNTO YOU THE BEGINNING OF MONTHS; IT SHALL BE THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR TO YOU!" 

Adonai, in His infinite wisdom set the beginning of each year in the Spring time, during the Hebrew month of "Nissan" which is in March on the Gregorian calendar.  This year, God's "New Year" is on Thursday, March 23rd, which is the first day of the month of Nissan.

If you think about it, it makes sense to celebrate the dawning of a "New Year" in the Springtime, when everything is coming back to life while the Gregorian/Julian calendar places it in the midst of Winter, when everything is cold, bleak, gloomy, and dead.  But then how did this happen? Someone changed God's timing for the New Year from March to January.  Who done it!!

The idea was put forth before Rome became a Republic and still had kings.  There was "Numa Pompillius" who decided to change the time of the New Year from March to January to celebrate the Roman god "Janus".  In 45 BCE, Julius Caesar proclaimed January 1st as New Year's day.  In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII made a few more changes but kept January first as New Year's day. 

The calendar was changed from a lunar set calendar, set by Adonai, to a solar-based calendar, set by man!  Maybe they didn't like holidays being on different days every year, but that was the perfect will of God, that the calendar be set to the cycles of the moon and not the sun.

What do I think about New Year's day? January first?  It is just another day on the calendar, just a change in the month, that's all.  Nothing to get excited about, to jumped around and do flips.  If someone says to me:  "Happy New Year" of course I will respond with the same so as not to ignore the person or show rudeness, but as believers, we should all know when GOD says the New Year begins, after all, it's His earth, His moon, His sun, and all that exists in the heavens above and on the earth below. 

So How was January first for me?  I entered it with a cold and almost choked on flem inside my throat early in the morning as if invisible fingers were squeezing my windpipe, yet I survived as my wife knows what to do. She'll make me hot tea with lemon and honey.   For most people, a common cold is not life-threatening, for me it is.  My wife says "Sleep sitting up, it is a safety measure!"  So much for January 1st.

So how about "New Years resolutions?" Promises for a new year?  People have good intentions but most resolutions are not kept:   I promise to stop smoking and drinking.  I promise to stop "a fussin and a cussin".  I promise not to smack my kids in the face anymore, (I'll just punch them in the arm)
I promise to start going to church (that's a good one) since my wife/husband hounds me every week.  I promise to do this and that...

Yet the WORD of God teaches us about making "vows" with "I promise to...' or "I will..."  who knows if you will keep your promises.  So, what would be a good idea to start out the new year with, whether you celebrate it on January 1st or in March, that's up to each person who is reading this?

"LORD and Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus' name, and ask that for this new year, you might grant me more spiritual maturity, more maturity as a believer and member of the household of faith.  More understanding of your WORD, and wisdom to put what you teach me into action.  Teach me how to wait on You and pass your tests of faith.  Grant me physical health to be able to live each day until you call me home...Amen"

As you might see, these are not "promises" nor "demands" only "requests" directed to our Heavenly Abba.  I would think that with this short prayer, everyone could start the new year well.  (I am sure you could add to the list.) 


Ben Avraham