Train Them Up Part 4: Biblical Calendar
Train Them Up – Part 4
Teaching Our Children the Biblical Calendar (Genesis 1:14)
This series focuses on practical, biblical instruction for raising our children in truth. I’m thankful Yahweh has placed this on my heart—to share, reflect, and magnify His Word.
So far we’ve discussed the two paths Scripture describes—the wide path and the narrow path—and what it looks like to train up our children in righteousness. We talked about teaching them to pray and instructing them in Yahweh’s Word throughout the day, just as we are commanded in Deuteronomy 6.
As believers, we know that all of Yahweh’s Word is good and profitable for teaching (Romans 7:12; 2 Timothy 3:16). That includes Genesis—especially how He designed time itself.
In Part 4, we look at Genesis 1:14 and how Yahweh established time.
“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.’”
Genesis 1:14 tells us the sun, moon, and stars were created:
To divide day from night
For signs
For seasons
For days
For years
This forms the foundation of the biblical calendar.
While families may differ in how they calculate the biblical calendar, the important thing is helping our children understand that Yahweh established a system of time in creation.
For our family, that journey began during our second year of homeschooling, when we started learning the biblical calendar alongside the Gregorian calendar.
I explained it to my children this way:
We learn the Gregorian calendar to schedule appointments with people, but we learn the biblical calendar to understand and keep appointments with Yahweh.
The Gregorian calendar is man-made, but the system of time Yahweh established in creation is marked by the sun, moon, and stars. These lights are beautiful, but they also serve a divine purpose.
Genesis 1:16 says the greater light rules the day and the lesser light rules the night, and Genesis 1:14 tells us they serve as signs and seasons.
When Genesis says the lights are for “seasons,” the Hebrew word is moedim, meaning appointed times. These are Yahweh’s set-apart gatherings—His feasts. We will explore those more in a future post, but first we must understand the timekeeping system that helps us recognize them.
Yahweh uses the sun, moon, and stars as His timekeepers.
The sun marks the day. Genesis repeatedly says, “There was evening and there was morning…” A biblical day begins in the evening, at sunset. Each day includes evening (night) and morning (day).
The moon marks the month. The moon follows a 29–30 day cycle, forming the basis of the biblical month. The new moon marks the beginning of the month, and the full moon marks the middle of the month. Just as creation moved from darkness to light and each day begins in darkness, the month also begins in darkness with the new moon.
The stars help mark the year. The constellations follow a yearly cycle. If you look at a specific part of the sky at the same time each year, you will see the same constellations in that place again the following year. This consistent pattern marks the passing of years and reflects the order Yahweh placed in creation.
Scripture also gives us clear reasons for teaching our children about Yahweh’s calendar.
Because Scripture commands us to train up our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
Because Scripture calls us to teach Yahweh’s Word diligently to our children (Deuteronomy 6:7).
Because to understand His feasts, we must understand His calendar.
Because to keep His appointed times, we must know when they occur.
Teaching our children the biblical calendar is more than learning dates or observing the heavens—it is an act of obedience to Yahweh’s Word. Just as we train them to pray and know Scripture, as we discussed in Parts 2 and 3, teaching them His appointed times helps guide them on the narrow path. It shows them that life lived in alignment with His commands leads to righteousness.
In this way, learning His calendar becomes a practical part of training them up in truth, rooting their hearts in His Word and His ways. Let’s continue training them up—not just in words, but in faithful practice.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” — James 1:22
To help families begin teaching this in a practical way, I created a Side-by-Side Biblical & Gregorian Blank Calendar. It’s a simple tool parents can use with their children to learn, track, and compare Yahweh’s biblical calendar alongside the Gregorian calendar we use in everyday life.
It’s a great way to help children visually see the difference between the two systems of timekeeping while growing in their understanding of Yahweh’s appointed times.
