The Hebrew word for Moon is "Ye'Rahh", meaning "lunar month." Since the lunar month always began with the appearing of the New Moon, the term "new moon" also came to mean "month."
Genesis 7:11 says:"On the 17th day of the 2nd month (New Moon), when Noah was 600 years old, the springs under the Earth broke through the ground, and Water flowed out everywhere. The Sky also opened like windows and Rain poured down." Exodus 12:1-4 says:"While Moses and Aaron were still in Egypt, the Lord spoke to them. He said,'This month will be the 1st month (New Moon) of the year for you. This command is for the whole community of Israel. On the 10th day of this month (New Moon) each man must get one lamb for the people in his house. If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, then he should invite some of his neighbors to share the meal." Isaiah 66:22-24 says:"I will make a New World -New Heavens and a new Earth that will last forever. In the same way, your names and your children will always be with Me. Everyone will come to worship Me on every worship day; they will come every Sabbath and every first day of the month (New Moon)."
As the "lesser luminary for dominating the night," God provided the Moon as a means for marking "appointed times." Genesis 1:16 says:"So God made the 2 large lights. He made the larger light to rule during the day and the smaller light to rule during the night." Psalm 104:19 says:"Lord, You made the Moon to show us when the Festivals begin, and the Sun always know when to set."Jeremiah 31:35 says:"The Lord makes the Sun shine in the day, and He makes the Moon and the Stars shine at night."1 Corinthians 15:41 says:"The Sun has one kind of beauty, the Moon has another kind, and the Stars have another. And each Star is different in its beauty."
The Hebrew wrod "l'Va.Nah," meaning "white," occurs 3 times in the Hebrew text describing the white brilliance of the Full Moon that is particularly evident only in the Scriptural lands, since the shadow formed during a total eclipse is marked down only in that part of the world. Song of Songs 6:10 says:"Who is that young woman? She shines out like the dawn. She is as pretty as the Moon. She is as bright as the Sun. She is as awesome as the stars in the sky." Isaiah 24:23 says:"The Lord will rule as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. His Glory will be shown to the city leaders with such brightness that the Moon will be embarrassed and the Sun will be ashamed." Isaiah 30: 26 says:"At that time the light from the Moon will be as bright as the Sun, and the light from the Sun will be 7 times brighter than it is now. One day of sunlight will be like a whole week's worth. This will happen when the Lord bandages His broken people and heals the hurts from their beatings."
The Hebrew word "Ke'Seh," meaning "fullness,"also appears twice and is translated "Full Moon."
Psalm 81 says:"Be happy and sing to God, our strength. Shout with joy to the God of Jacob. Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play the pleasant harps and lyres. Blow the ram's horn at the time of the New Moon and at the time of the Full Moon, when our Festival begins. This is the Law for the people of Israel. The God of Jacob gave the command. God made this agreement with Joseph's people, when He led them out of Egypt. In a language we did not understand, God said, 'I took the load from your shoulders. I let you drop the worker's basket. When you were in trouble, you called for help, and I set you free. I was hidden in the storm clouds, and I answered you. I tested you by the Water at Meribah.'"
Proverbs 7:6-10 says:"One day Wisdom was looking out by her window at some foolish teenagers and noticed one who had no sense at all. He was walking through the marketplace and came to the corner where a certain woman lived. He then turned up the road that goes by her house. The day was ending. The Sun had set, and it was almost dark (fullness of darkness). Suddenly, there she was in front of him, dressed like a prostitute. She had plans for him. She was a wild and rebellious woman who would not stay at home."
Among the Israelites each New Moon marked the occasion for the blowing of trumpets and the offering up of sacrifices according to the Law covenant. The Offerings prescribed were even greater than those normally offered on the regular sabbath days. While nothing is stated specifically as to the New Moon's marking a day of rest , the text at Amos 8:5- indicates a cessation of labor.
Numbers 10: 9-10 says:" If you are fighting an enemy in your own land, blow loudly on the trumpets before you go to fight them. The Lord your God will hear you, and He will save you from your enemies. Also blow these trumpets for your special meetings, New Moon' celebrations, and all your happy times together. Blow the trumpets when you give your Burnt Offerings and Fellowship Offerings. This will be a special way for the Lord your God to remember you. I command you to do this; I Am the Lord Your God." 2 Chronicles 2:1-5 says:"Solomon planned to build a Temple to give honor to the Lord's Name. He also planned to build a palace for himself. He got 70,000 laborers and 80,000 stonemasons to cut stones in the mountains. He chose 3,600 foremen to supervise the workers. Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre:'Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so that he could build a palace for himself to live in. I will build a Temple to honor the Name of the Lord my God. At the Temple we will burn incense in front of Him, and we will always put the Holy Bread on the special table. We will offer Burnt Offerings every morning and evening, on the Sabbath's days, during New Moon' celebration, and on the other special meeting days that the Lord our God has commanded us to celebrate. This is a rule for the people of Israel to obey forever." Isaiah 1:8-14 says:"The City of Jerusalem is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. It is like an old straw hut abandoned in a field of cucumbers or like a city surrounded by enemies. If the Lord All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened! You officers of Sodom, listen to the Lord's message. You people of Gomorrah, listen to God's teaching. The Lord says, 'Why do you continue giving Me all these sacrifices? I have had enough of your sacrifices of rams and the fat from well-fed animals. I do not want the blood of those bulls, sheep, and goats. When you people come to meet with Me, you trample everything in My yard. Who told you to do this? Do not keep bringing Me those worthless sacrifices. I hate the incense you give Me. I cannot stand your Festivals for the New Moon, the Sabbath, and other special meeting days. I hate the evil you do during those Holy times together. I hate your monthly meetings and councils. They have become like heavy weights to Me, and I Am tired of carrying them.'"
Amos 8:1-10 says: "This is what the Lord showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit. He said to me: 'Amos, what do you see?' I said: 'A basket of summer fruit.'Then the Lord said to me: 'The end has come to My people Israel. I will not ignore their sins anymore. Their Temple songs will become funeral songs. There will be dead bodies everywhere. In silence, people will take out the dead bodies and throw them onto the pile. Listen to Me, you who trample on helpless people. You are trying to destroy the poor of this country.' You merchants say, 'When will the New Moon be over so that we can sell grain? When will the Sabbath be over so that we can bring out more wheat to sell? We can raise the price and make the measure smaller. We can fix the scales and cheat the people. The poor cannot pay their loans, so we will buy them as slaves. We will buy those helpless people for the price of a pair of sandals. Oh and we can sell the wheat that was spilled on the floor.' The Lord made a promise. He used His Name, "Pride of Jacob,"and made this promise: 'I will never forget what those people did.There will be an earthquake
that will shake the whole land because of what they did. Everyone living there will cry for those who died. the land will be tossed around. The whole land will rise and fall like the Nile River in Egypt. At that time I will make the Sun set at noon and make the land dark on a clear day. I will change your Festivals into days of crying for the dead. All your songs will be songs of sadness for those who are dead. I will put mourning clothes on every body and baldness on every head. I will cause mourning everywhere, like that for an only son who has died. It will be a very bitter end.' "
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