New Moon
The Sun and moon were created on the fourth day of the creation week. Their purpose would be to give light upon the earth and to serve as an instrument for man to calculate time of days, seasons and years.
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Genesis 1:14-19: [14] “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: [15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.[17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,[18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.[19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
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The word "moon" derives from the word "month". A new moon is simply the FIRST day of a new month. According to the scriptures, we are commanded to acknowledge each new month (moon).
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Numbers 10:10: “Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.”
Psalms 81:3-4: [3] “Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. [4] For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.”
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Knowing when a new month occurs is extremely important to understanding when to keep the other feasts of the Most High. For instance the Passover (also known as the Feast of Unleavened bread) is to be kept on the 15th day of the FIRST month (Exodus 12:2, Leviticus 23:6). Without understanding when the new month occurs, it will be impossible to keep this feast correctly according to the scriptures. If you examine the moon, you will see that its light goes through different phases throughout the month. A month or moon's complete phase consists of 30 days. On the new moon or first day of the month, the light on the moon's surface will appear dark. Every day thereafter, the light of the moon increases (waxes) until the moon becomes full of light which is called a FULL moon signifying the middle of the month. After the full moon, it's light will begin to decrease (wane) signifying that the month is ending. At the end of the 30 days a new moon/month occurs and this cycle repeats.
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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 43:6-8 (Apocrypha): [6] “He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world. [7] From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfection. [8] The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven.”
Except for the weekly sabbath and the feast of Pentecost, all of the commanded feast days of the Most High are determined by the new moon.
Psalms 104:19: “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”
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The image below shows the monthly cycle of the moon.
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