Congratulations on your 38th birthday or the 38th anniversary of your birth. This really means you have completed and ended the 38th year of your life. That year is behind you now. Many people do not understand this. They think a birthday is the beginning of the year or age they are celebrating. No, it’s the end. When you celebrate the first birthday of a child, it means the child has completed the first year and is stepping into the second year. So, your 38th birthday is actually the beginning of the 39th year of your life. The 39th year is the season you should be concerned about and looking into as you mark the 38th year.
FIVE BIBLICAL PATTERNS FOR THE 39TH YEAR
The Bible patterns for understanding the 39th year are 1) the fourth day of creation narrative; 2) the 39th book of the Bible; 3) the 39th chapters of the Bible; 4) the fourth section chapters (13-15) of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible and 5) the last 9 books of the Old Testament.
1. The 39th year is a fourth day of creation year. How? The 39th is the fourth in the sixth seven (36-42). On the fourth day of creation, God made the luminaries to give light, rule over the night and the day, divide the light from the darkness: and be for signs and for seasons. The luminaries are guiding lights but are also made to support on life on earth. Having guiding lights, heavenly light, is the key to success in the 39th season. The luminaries God made on the fourth day have three classes: the sun, the moon, and the stars. Applied spiritually, they represent the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and wise men and women (parents, elders, teachers, and mentors). These are the luminaries of God on earth. You need them in the 39th season. The spiritual luminaries are needed in this season to keep you away from mental darkness.
2. The 39th year is a book of Malachi season. Malachi is the 39th book of the Bible and the last book of the Old Testament. The book is about the Lord’s controversies with His people. He raised charges against His people, through His prophet, but they denied it. Six times in the book, the people countered God’s word (Malachi 1:2, 6, 7; 2:17; 3:7, 8). The people had become so blind that they could no longer see what the Lord was seeing and saying about them. Would it not have been better for the people to keep mute instead of arguing with the Lord? In the 39th season, it is better to keep mute and watch instead of opening your mouth to speak rubbish and sin with your tongue (Psalm 39:1). Pride and arrogance seek to get a hold of people in the 39th season.
3. The 39th year is a 39th-chapters-of-the-Bible season. The 39th chapters of the Bible reveal that the 39th season is a border-season. It is the season to cross over to the other side. It is both an end and a new beginning. Joseph’s time in Portiphar’s house began and ended in Genesis 39. He parted with his garment of slavery in this chapter. He never returned to that house. The work on the tabernacle, under Bezaleel, ended in Exodus 39 with the preparation of the garment of the priests. Job 39 marked the end of God’s first round of questions for Job. The four-chapter story of Hezekiah ended in Isaiah 39. In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians according to God’s word; and Jeremiah was freed and favored by the Babylonians. The forces of Gog and Magog were defeated and destroyed; and their carcasses given to the birds of the air in Ezekiel 39. In the same chapter, the Prophet saw Israel restored to her land.
4. The 39th year is a Joshua 13-15 season. The fourth division chapters of the sixth book of the Bible are applicable to the fourth year in the sixth seven years. The distribution of the land began in these chapters.. It is the bridge to the ‘New Testament’ side of Joshua’s assignment in the sixth book of the Bible. In Joshua 13, God told Joshua there are still more lands to be conquered. He mapped out the territories awaiting conquest and possession. In Joshua 14, Caleb received his inheritance which Moses promised him. He conquered his territory and possessed it. Joshua 15 is about the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob.
5. The 39th year is Obadiah – Malachi season in the sixth 7 years of life (36-42). Going through any seven-year season is like taking a prophetic journey through the Bible. Every seven-year season has an Old Testament side and a New Testament side. The first four years of the season belong to the Old Testament side and express the 39 books of the Old Testament. The remaining three years of the season constitute the New Testament side and express the 27 books of the New Testament. The fourth year is the year closing the Old Testament side of the seven-year season; and expresses the last nine books of the Old Testament. So, the 39th year is the bridge-year leading to the New Testament side of the sixth 7 years. The books of ‘the minor prophets’ are part of the last 9 books of the O.T. They are about judgment and promises of restoration. They are books of tests of obedience and alignment with God.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 39TH YEAR
Here are six things about the 39th season – from the 39th book and chapters of the Bible.
1. The 39th year is the end of a phase, and the beginning of a new story. Malachi, the 39th book of the Bible, is the end of the Old Testament. It is the book before the New Testament. Genesis 39 is the bridge chapter in the life of Joseph. From being Portiphar’s slave, he went to prison where He met his change. It was in the 39th year of Azariah king of Judah that the Northern Kingdom experienced a power-shift from Zechariah to Shallum to Menahem (2 Kings 15:8-17). After the 39th chapter of Isaiah, the Lord moved from confrontation to comfort. The 39th season is transition season.
The stories of men and nations confirm there is a shift that occurs in the 39th season. The War of 1812-1814 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ended with a Peace treaty in the 39th year of the United States. That war was the second and last war of America’s independence. The United States became completely free from British domination in the 39th year of the nation – following that war of 1812-1814. The Camp David Accord between Israel and Egypt happened in the season of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. It was the beginning of a new day for the two countries. Margaret Thatcher became UK Prime Minister in the 39th seven years of the United Kingdom; and she was the first woman to hold that office. Nigeria moved from military rule to democracy in 1999, the 39th year of her nationhood. That was when she began to move into the New Testament of her political destiny. Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960; the day following the end of the 39th week of the year. Nigeria ceased to be a British colony after the 39th week of 1960.
This 39th year marks the end of a phase, and the beginning of a new story in your life and in your family. Believe and declare it! Malachi, the 39th book of the Bible, is the last book of the Old Testament. The stripes of Jesus ended with the 39th. 1939 was when the Second World War began. It was a book of Malachi year in the 20th century. The Second World War changed the world. Whatever you experience in your 39th year, keep declaring that ‘the Old Testament’ side of your sixth seven years (36-42) is ending and the New Testament side is about to begin. In the name of Jesus, declare, this year, that your story is changing. The old story is ending. A new season is beginning for you.
2. In the 39th season men are called to reflect on the frailty of human life and call upon God for deliverance from death. In Psalm 39:4-6, the psalmist says, “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. [5] Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah [6] Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem fell as Jeremiah prophesied. In Ezekiel 39, Gog is deceived to march against Israel. The forces of Gog were defeated and destroyed; and their carcasses given to the birds of the air. 1939 was a year of great loss of lives. January 13 was Black Friday in Victoria where 71 people died in one of Australia’s bushfires. On January 24, earthquake killed 30, 000 people in Chile. On December 27, earthquake shook eastern Turkey and left over 32, 700 people dead. This is besides the lives consumed by the Second World War that began September 1. The war was an invite from the spirit of death. In the 39th week of 1992 (26 September) a Nigerian Air Force plane NAF911 crashed three minutes after take-off from Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 159 military officers including 8 foreign nationals (151 from Nigeria, 5 from Ghana, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Zimbabwe, 1 from Uganda) were confirmed dead. Whereas God wants it to be a season if moving to a new phase, the evil one wants it to be a season of ending lives.
3. In the 39th season, heaven permits men to be tempted and tested for their future and destiny. In Genesis 39, Joseph was tempted to commit immorality. He refused, and was victimized. His mind was on truth instead of fantasy. He passed the test of the season. In Exodus 39, God gave commandments to Moses about the priestly garment and the Ephod. The ephod was used to determine the will of God. The 39th season is a time to discern the will of God before taking action. It is not a time to do your own thing. If only Adolf Hitler knew that, he would not have commanded the invasion of Poland in 1939. At least, he would have saved his own life. He was deceived and deceived others to go with him on a journey that did not favor him and his large company. In the 39th chapter of Psalms, the psalmist speaks of using his mouth carefully. In Psalm 39:1-2, the psalmist says, I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” [2] I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up”. Words matter in the 39th season. The season is also when the worth of men are weighed in a balance. In Malachi, the 39th and last book of the Old Testament, the Lord entered into controversy with Israel but they were full of defenses. They contested every point God made n the book. How can men argue or contend with God?Beware of contending with God in the 39th year
The 39th season is a time of temptation and tough choices. The subject of the temptation is usually “Lie with me”. If the tempter does not get, peacefully, what he wants, he turns to victimization. Dissidents are victimized in the 39th season. Hezekiah faced that temptation in Isaiah 39 – whether or not to receive the royal guests from Babylon. Hezekiah did not know he was being tempted. Hezekiah ill-advisedly received Babylonian guests and showed them everything in his palace. Isaiah rebuked Him for that; but the king did not understand the weight of what he did. In the 14th book of the Bible where the incident s also reported, 2 Chronicles 32:31 says, “However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart”.Judah and Jerusalem faced that temptation in Jeremiah 39 – whether to surrender to Babylon or not. That was the temptation Poland faced in 1939 concerning Germany’s interest in the city of Danzig. In the 39th week of 2022, parts of Ukraine faced this temptation. Russia mastermind a “Lie with me” referendum in parts of Ukraine she occupies. Wisdom and divine guidance are grossly needed in this season.
4. The 39th season is for humbling the proud. Asa the king of Judah became proud and incorrigible. He imprisoned a messenger of God that brought correction to him. He became sick in the 39th year. The proud and arrogant get stuck in the 39th season. 2 Chronicles 16:12 says, “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians”. The destruction of Jerusalem is recorded in Jeremiah 39. Those who did not believe the words of the prophet were humiliated.
5. The 39th season is a time to trust God for restoration because the old is coming to an end. The 39th book of the Bible ended with a promise of restoration. Malachi 4:5-6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [6] And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
6. The 39th season is a time to prove and showcase the faithfulness of God. Since, it is a time of temptation and tough choices, God vindicates those who make choices that honour and glorify Him in this season. Joseph proved the faithfulness of God when his master put him in prison. In the 39th book of the Bible (Malachi), God challenged Israel to prove Him by sending in their tithes. Malachi 3:10-12 says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. [11] “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts”.
PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 39TH YEAR
1. Pray that the Lord will help you, as He helped Joseph in Genesis 39, to walk in the spirit and overcome every trial and temptation of this year.
Pray that the Lord will deliver you from blindly questioning Him in this 39th year as Israel questioned Him and argued with Him in the 39th book of the Bible.
Declare that the Old Testament side of this year is ending this 39th year. Pray that troubles and pains will end with this 39th year of your life and that good news of God’s love and mercy will greet you as you move towards your year.
Pray that the Lord will vindicate the faithful in the nations in this 39th year as He vindicated Jeremiah in the 39th chapter of the book of Jeremiah.
Pray against unnecessary provocations and unjust wars that seek to rise in the 39th season.
Happy 39th year!
