Psalm 18:6-9 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.⁷ Then the earth quaked and rocked, the foundations also of the mountains trembled; they moved and were shaken because He was indignant and angry.⁸ There went up smoke from His nostrils; and lightning out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. ⁹ He bowed the heavens also and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.

In this passage, which coincides with Jonah and this month of Elul, God does something amazing: “He bowed the heavens…and came down…” Psalm. 18:9

Jewish rabbis believe that during the season of Elul the King is in the field, and God is considered most accessible, allowing for personal meetings. God is seen as making Himself available to His people in their everyday lives – like a King visiting His subjects in the fields. Unlike other times when God may seem distant or require formal protocols to approach, during Elul, He is considered accessible and approachable. The season of Elul precedes the most momentous of events for Israel – the Giving of the Law. God came down to Israel, and gave them a “ketubah,” or marriage covenant, inviting them under the “chuppah” (hoopah), or wedding canopy of the Cloud of His Glory – to be wedded to Israel, and Israel wedded to God.

In the love story of Boaz and Ruth, Boaz goes out in the field and sees Ruth gleaning at the edges of his field. It is here that she gains his favor and he becomes her Kinsman Redeemer. What’s a kinsman redeemer? The kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need. The Hebrew term (go el) for kinsman-redeemer designates one who delivers or rescues or redeems property or person. (Got Questions.org)

The season of Elul should be your wedding anniversary with Jesus. This should be a special time of intimacy, and remembering the One Who came down from His Throne to meet you where you were. This should be a special time of gleaning in His field of Intimacy in and through the “Barley”- Grain of His Word. Barley grain was the poor man’s grain that made the poor man’s bread. In Revelation 3:18 Jesus exhorts the wealthy Laodiceans to do something strange: ...and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. What does this mean? Vines Dictionary gives the following definition for the Greek word for eye salve: primarily a diminutive of (the Greek Word) kollura, and denoting “a coarse bread roll”. Coarse bread? Coarse bread is barley bread; the poor man’s bread.

Communication is the key to starting a friendship, nourishing companionship, and developing intimacy. In this season of seeking the Lord how would you rate your intimacy with the Lord? Stranger, Acquaintance, Friend, or Spouse (your wedded to Him). Are you poor in spirit, hungering for more intimacy with Him? Or have you been blind to His coming near? Are you strangers sharing the same house?