#188 Festival 2

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Exodus 23:16 NIV

The festival of Harvest, Sukkot (temporary dwelling) and commemorating Israels time in the wilderness, has also been described as the time of joy.  

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

37 (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day.38 These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and[e] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.)

39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord. Leviticus 23:33-44

Many writers feel that the word tabernacle is a poor translation of the original Hebrew, since the people reverted back to living in temporary, personal dwellings at this time. The dwellings I have read about are simple structures that are closed in on 3 sides. Some practice by living in them, including sleeping over night, while others take their meals inside this hut or tent. The structure is called a Sukkah and many are decorated with local produce.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1Corinthians 15:20-23

Just like the Passover reflects the time when Messiah would become the Passover, appeasement, Lamb of God, so the Sukkot also foreshadows the resurrection.  We heap upon the Lamb the old man, and rise up to the new man, conscious of our sin, trusting in what has been done on our behalf, and walking joyfully into the wilderness of our Sanctification. 

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James1:18

Again, there will be more of the festival in the next book.

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#187 Festival 1

14 “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

 Exodus 23: 14 & 15 

Three times a year: 

The festival of unleavened bread, also called the bread of affliction, commemorated Israel being set free from captivity in Egypt. In Jewish tradition they would clean their houses of all leaven and any bread made with leaven would be removed. It is not that leaven is evil but it is here a picture. Once it is added to the dough, there is an inevitable change. It causes the whole loaf to rise, and Christ will later use it's properties to describe both the negative influence of the teachings of the Pharisees and the positive relating to those teachings of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

2He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.a 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,b and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadescwill not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.” 20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16: 1-17

And

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” Matthew 13: 31-35

I think I will stop here, though there is much more, but each of the festivals will come up again very soon, and I am learning a lot from studying them. God Bless You and keep you from the leaven of the world, and I pray He sows in your heart the gospel of His Kingdom. 

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#186 Seven

10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.

13 “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;do not let them be heard on your lips. Exodus 23: 10-13 NIV

Like the manna collected on the sixth day was provision and enough store for the Sabbath, so the harvest of the sixth year was sufficient to let the land rest in the seventh. What came from the ground in this year was not wasted, but rather given to those in need. It is hard to imagine such bounty, but it speaks much to the pride of our hands, greed of our hearts and the arrogance of a mind that would guide us to a caste like system. It is in giving that we often recognize that we have been given to, and it is on the Seventh day and in that Seventh year that we recognize where all things originate from. I thank God for showing me what I do have, and I thank Him for the rest that I have in His Son. It is also most often the poor of this world who are most willing to give, and those of us blessed with much who never seem to think we have enough. 

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:10

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14: 13-21

It is from no other source that our increase comes. There are no other gods except those of our vain imagining, whether ourselves and we were made, superstition, and this created in the minds of those made, or matter which we have no sane call or logical pattern to see as anything else but created. Men will invoke a god of rain when it is dry. If the rain falls then they will build an altar, if it does not then they will invoke the sun god and ask that he refrain. Men will sacrifice their minds so much to these things that they become willing to sacrifice their fellow man. There is only One God, do not be deceived.

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#185 Justice for All

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

4 “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death,for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. Exodus 23: 1-9 NIV

It says that God is not a respecter of persons, and therefore the law should be a matter of the truth, fairness, and integrity. We live in an era where the judicial system does not seek truth, but rather than what is just in a matter, they seek solely to win. The stakes are high and tempting, like TV evangelist that manipulate the Word of God to their own gain, so these men handle the law. They study it not to know what's right to do in a matter, but to find those loop holes that will line their pockets. I drive past bill boards everyday and have seen many commercials that tempt the masses with the riches that can be won in a lawsuit. In my country, it is painted out, that pouring a cup of hot coffee on yourself is surer than any lottery ticket. It is the new American dream, born on the backs of all the other consumers who pick up the tab. We think a thing is just if someone supports us in it, and if those who study the law agree with us, then we must be doing the right thing? If it were so simple, but follow the money and you will see the root of their drive, their "love" of the law. 

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1Timothy 6:9&10

Many have been condemned by the mob, and we should never let popular opinion drive out decision, even if it makes us unpopular. If we settle unjustly, then it is not settled, and God will not acquit the guilty.

learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17

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#184 Talkers

16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.

19 “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death.

20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed.[e]

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.

25 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

28 “Do not blaspheme God[f] or curse the ruler of your people.

29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats.[g]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 30 Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.

31 “You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs. Exodus 22:16-31NIV

"Simon Peter, do you love me?" I can make the words with my mouth, so of course I do. Much of the law is written against our natural humanist inclination to be seduced by ourselves and our words. I remember my college Psychology professor, who also had a practice which included marital counseling. He was an esteemed member of the community, a church goer with a lovely family and if you asked, a good man. Yet, he was a marital counselor whose marriage was falling apart because he was sleeping with students and rumor had it, his patients. He was a James Bond type of hero to us young men. He seemed to be able to enjoy all the privileges of religion, family, academic esteem and no one would ever claim that he looked down upon women. He was, after all, so likable, but did he really love his wife, and did he really love all those other women? Well, he said he did. I remember myself, and I am a father of two young women now. How many times did I sit across the table from another man, his posturing and stern look, that was really just his pleading, asking me to see his daughter differently. "Please have respect for my daughter, she is special to me." These laws have much to do with love, and if we look back to the posts before, and we honestly compare our definition of love to that of 1 Corinthians 13, then we have much to confess. I was satisfied for a very long time, with my own definition of love, that was based on emotions and feelings. I was satisfied with a definition of myself that saw me as a good person inside. This definition does not and cannot take into account the reality of outward behavior, nor those sins of the heart. "Don't judge me for what I do, judge for who I am telling you that I am?" Anything that does not admit our utter depravity, our lost and fallen state, is not a Biblical gospel. If you are well then you do not need a physician. 

treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,…2 Timothy 3: 4-6

I know I did not cover all the points of this passage in detail, but I would ask that you look at your own definition of love, then the Bibles, and this:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.…1 John 4:7-9

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