This doesn’t seem like a proper title for a Christian blog. However, when you finish reading perhaps you too will come to understand why playing this is game was important to our Jewish friends.
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, had destroyed the holy temple in Jerusalem and thousands of Jews were taken back to Babylon as captives. Then the Persians came along and took control. Thousands of Jews now lived in a foreign nation. Many years had passed. Most kept the commandments given to Moses while still adapting to their new way of life. They became prosperous and were accepted in this new society, although they continued to live in their own separate communities. Now the book of Esther.
Persia was one of the most outstanding societies of the day. It was famous for its wealth, great buildings and libraries….think New York City.
The book of Esther is unique in that the writer never mentions God, although He is there working behind the scenes and always in control. Most of us know the story how Esther saves her people from annihilation. Hence, the festival of Purim, which celebrates Israel’s survival and God’s faithfulness.
Purim will be celebrated on March 11-12, in most Jewish communities. It is a joyous festival. Special meals will be served; there will be giving of gifts and costume parties for the kids and grownups. It’s a great story but perhaps a little background would help.
Many of the Jews had returned to Israel under the decree of Cyrus. There, with Nehemiah and Ezra, guiding the people, those that had returned were rebuilding the temple and walls surrounding Jerusalem. However, many of the Jewish people were satisfied staying in Persia where they were well treated and had made their lives. Perhaps they had become too complacent and satisfied and felt that life was better here in Persia than trying to rebuild what was left of their homeland. Enter Esther.
Her cousin, or adopted father, Mordecai, was one of those who did not return to “the land”. He apparently had a job within the court as a public servant. He and Hadassah (Esther) lived in their own community and were happy. However, now enters Haman, the really bad guy. He and his ancestors were also taken in captivity along with the Jews. He was an Amalekite. These people were always enemies of the Jews and now that his hated enemies were regaining old territorial sites in Jerusalem, he was determined to destroy the Jewish community that remained in Persia.
Apparently he was a confidant of the Xerxes (or Ahasuerus) and a trusted advisor. Turmoil surrounded the empire and at court. There were betrayals within the ruling families; outbreak of wars in the empire; new enemies on every front. The king was always on guard and apparently Haman had endeared himself within the court itself and exerted great influence. He now saw an opportunity to take revenge upon the Jews who had remained in Persia. Since the many of Haman’s people lived in Persia also, we can imagine there were skirmishes in the cities where both groups lived.
Mordecai must have foreseen problems brewing and urged his daughter to join the harem of the king’s court. Xerxes was out for a new wife and just perhaps this beautiful young Jewish girl might be chosen. Indeed she was chosen, but was told not to reveal her identity to anyone. Without the intervention of Esther, the Jewish community would have been destroyed. Haman had persuaded the king that these people might easily become enemies and needed to be eliminated.
So what about the dice? Haman had determined with the roll of the dice on what day the Persian army along his own people would destroy the Jews.
You know the rest of the story and what a wonderful story it is. I hope this blog will inspire you to read the book of Esther again and do a little research on your own.
As I reread this story I realized that there are still “Hamans” who want to destroy us and our faith. Have we become too complacent with our own lives or too contented with the status quo? Are we facing a day when our faith will become a matter of life or death? There are more Christian martyrs today than ever before. Would you be willing to give up your life or the life of your family to remain faithful?
There is more to this story. Call this the first installment.
When my children were small we had a menagerie of critters….horses, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, birds, cats, dogs, lizards and turtles. Have I left one out? We even fed a family of skunks who came to our backdoor for a handout. They never sprayed or even acted aggressively unless our dog escaped and chased them. I learned the use of tomato juice for the special purpose of neutralizing skunk odors!
Each one of these animals had a distinctive personality. Amazing to me. Each was slightly different in appearance also. Even each fish had a spot here or there that differed from the other ones. The fish always knew when it was feeding time. They must have seen us coming because they swam to the top of their tank with mouths open ready for the bounty that was quickly consumed.
One of the most interesting of all our creatures were the chameleons. Not only changing color at various times during the day, but each one of the three liked a different food. One preferred meal worms; another liked bananas fed by a toothpick; the other one really loved fresh flies. Yum!
Why should animals capture our imagination? Because they are truly alive and unlike the plant kingdom which have no self-awareness, animals each display a type of personality. I’m sure all you pet lovers out there can agree with me. Although qualitatively distinct from humans, who are made in God’s image, I do believe that animals too have a type of soul…..or nephesh in Hebrew. How do I know this?
Although different from the souls of humans, the animal’s soul is revealed by how he or she intelligently thinks, communicates, learns, and makes decisions….including problem-solving.
Of course some of this is learned behavior…..just like Pavlov’s dog. However, other types of behavior are inborn and are given by the great Creator himself. Many books have been written on the survival skills of birds, family pets, wildlife and laboratory animals. It has been shown that animals come up with clever solutions to the challenges of daily living in order to secure food, water, air, shelter, rest and reproductive success.
Crows have been shown using tools such as a stick to break open a shell. Dolphins, parrots, elephants, birds are all resourceful animals. Even a tiny fish called goby fish demonstrate amazing problem solving abilities. (Acts and Facts Creation magazine, 2016).
But the resourcefulness of animals should not surprise us.
Proverbs, 30:24-28, informs us that God wisely instilled wisdom into animals.. …even small creatures like ants, conies, locusts, and lizards.
Literally these created creatures are “wise from receiving (God’s) wisdom”
So animal lovers rejoice!! That family pet really does love you and he was created just for you to enjoy!
My personal world has become a bit smaller, although I must admit that I am able to view places and things which I could never imagine or ever hope to see. We now live in a computer world which brings the whole complex universe into my living room.
No longer can I make trips to faraway places, view castles and cathedrals and eat exotic foods, however, I have become more observant of my own little world and with this comes a greater appreciation of God’s creation. My smaller world allows me to focus on the details of God’s grand designs. My world is both simple and complex…simple because I am more observant of the little things that make up a complex and unique system that composes our universe.
“In the beginning, God created…….” And what a creation it is! This world is the work of a Creative Genius. Not only the obvious things, but the invisible world of atoms, protons, and electrons; like-charges, static electricity, liquids, solids, and gases, and their properties. He invented pressure, volume and mass, weight, boiling points, and absolute zero. God invented light and designed it to bend and diffract. Planet earth had no shape or size but God wanted everything to be perfect before He added the finishing touches. Nature became creativity defined.
But His artistry was just getting warmed up. He sprinkled the sky with millions of lights and placed our earth the exact distance from the sun so that His world would neither freeze nor roast. He wanted everything to be perfection before His final and greatest act of creation……man himself.
Man was created in the very image of God. He gave man a soul, a brain, the power of choice and a heart for loving. God thought of everything but He also knew that man would choose to sin, so He developed a contingency plan. At the appointed time, God himself would be the ultimate giver of His own life to save us. Just proves that God never gives up on us. He still has plans for us.
God is still creating. He creates every day and every day man is discovering more and more of His creative genius. This should give us hope and peace.
So now enjoy this special place called Earth. Its all for you.
In writing this blog I thought perhaps I should mention New Year’s resolutions or something uplifting…. perhaps our chance to start again with new intentions of being a better person than we were last year. But there are all sorts of devotionals and prayers on how to walk with God and reassurances of God’s love for us etc etc. But what about a theology in which we are losers!! Ever thought of that? What does this mean anyway?
What is success really? Most of us measure success in several ways. Perhaps wealth, prestige, or fame might be included. The list goes on. There is nothing innately wrong with success and it may well be a legitimate measure of achievement. But success is not necessarily better. Success is not necessarily an indication of divine approval, and acceptance by society is not necessarily a confirmation of a godly character.
For those who do not know God, success is measured by earthly components. Money in the bank, name on billboards, Emmy awards, winning the lottery! However, wealth and health do not necessarily reflect God’s blessing and poverty and sickness do not necessarily reflect His displeasure.
Concerning the things of this world Peter wrote. “……though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials to test the genuineness of your faith” (1Pet. 1: 6). Wow. Does that mean that I must suffer to be pleasing to God? No, I don’t think this is what Peter means. However, life isn’t easy and bad things do happen to good people……which makes being a Christian all the more important.
God is looking for faithful disciples. He’s not interested in our wealth but perhaps how we use it. He’s not interested in our success but in how we share our faith. He’s not interested in super stars but only super servants!
When God wrote the epitaph of Moses, He simply said, “Moses my servant is dead.” God didn’t say Moses the prophet is dead or Moses the lawgiver is dead, or Moses the miracle worker is dead. However, being a servant of God was the most important thing that could be said of Moses!
The church today needs to leave the idea of success as measured in the size of attendance, the notoriety of the minister, the amount of money in the offering plate or the number of spectacles on stage.
What the church needs today is a theology for losers, A theology for men and women who may not achieve success as the world counts success; a theology that does not worship at the shrine of notoriety or bigness; a theology that understands that God does not normally speak through the rich and famous but through the hearts and minds of His servants……..His disciples. That means you and me. He wants us there in the ordinary circumstances of life, to help bring faith and hope to others. We are indeed losers in name only. Our success is in our actions and our faith.
We are still in the Christmas season as I write this blog. I have my little home decorated with tiny lights on wreaths, glittery objects of various shapes and sizes and greens on the mantel. As the song goes “It’s beginning to look like Christmas”. I don’t have room for a tree but we always go to my daughter’s home where the family gathers for feast and fun!
We talked about the shepherds in my last blog but there is more to come. How about those Magi who saw the Star and came thousands of miles to worship a newborn king? They probably were expecting the baby to be born in the royal palace. That’s why they went to Herod’s place first. We know of course that our baby wasn’t there and these foreigners got Herod all excited about this new pretender to his throne. Herod didn’t have a clue about who this baby was or where to find him so he called in the scribes and priests to learn the new baby king was to be born in Bethlehem. (Matthew 1:4). These scribes who knew and studied the prophets told Herod that according to the prophet Micah (5:2), Bethlehem, the city of David was to be His birthplace.
But what about these “Wise Guys?” Why would they make a hazardous journey of thousands of miles to bring expensive gifts to this foreign baby that they would probably never see again? Who were they and why would they commit to the dangers of a barren desert with their retinue of camels and servants to come to a strange land to find a particular baby?
Let’s go back in history. The original meaning of mάgoi is wise men who interpreted special “signs” in the heavens by which they could foretell coming events. The Bible states that they were from “the East,” which would be in the direction of Babylon and ancient Persia. Of all the peoples of “the East,” the Babylonians had many opportunities to learn of the Jewish Scriptures, which contain multiple promises of the coming Messiah.
Daniel was an influential government official in Babylon about 600 years earlier, and he foretold the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:24-26). Tens of thousands of Jews lived in Babylon during the time of the Exile (605–536 BC), and they maintained a large presence there for the following centuries, so stories of the coming “King of the World” would be passed down from generation to generation, even to the pagan Babylonians. These Magi believed that this Messiah of Israel would someday rule as God/ King over the whole world and they wanted to pay homage to him while yet a baby. But when did these exalted astronomers arrive? Surely not on Christmas day. It was probably many days later.
According to Jewish law, every male child had to be circumcised on the eighth day. Being observant Jews, Mary and Joseph had their baby circumcised on that eighth day and named him Jeshua/Jesus. The law also prescribed that 33 days must take place for the mother’s purification ritual after the circumcision of their baby boy. The parents then were to go to the Temple and offer a burnt offering (Lev. 12:3-8). Undoubtedly Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem, planning to proceed to the Temple in Jerusalem to make their offering before returning to their home in Nazareth. (Luke 2:22-24). Perhaps it was during this waiting time when the Wise Men arrived.
According to Matthew (2:11), they found Mary and the baby in “the house” which meant that they were living with their relatives in the home and no longer in the stable. Can you imagine the surprise of this household to be told that some foreigners in regal dress attended by many slaves were at their front door….wanting to view their new baby? Perhaps in her heart, Mary now realized that what the angel told her was true. Her newborn son was really and truly the Messiah of Israel! She carried this with her forever…….but perhaps often questioning God when her son, this promised Messiah, was crucified on the Roman cross.
There, in this humble home, the young couple received these wealthy foreigners along with their expensive gifts. Each of these unique gifts was symbolic of the expectations associated with this baby king. Gold represented a symbol of deity or honor given to a king; frankincense symbolized deity; Myrrh was used as an anointing oil to bestow the favor of the gods.
Now these men……whose names we really don’t know, became symbolic themselves. They represent the powerful and influential; the shepherds represent the common people of the world; Herod represents earthly power over life and death. Yet, the Savior of all mankind was given dominion over the heavens and the earth. His reign is supreme and it is through Him that God entered the sphere of humanity to save those of us who have faith in Him and become His disciples.
May the spirit of this wonderful season be with you and your loved ones.
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29)
It is a joyous time of year. Christmas season is always bright and colorful. Makes me happy. But it is also a depressing time for many…those who have lost loved ones or face severe illness. We as disciples must be especially encouraging to many who are lonely or in sorrow. I have a few thoughts on Christmas that I would like to share with you.
Many of you choose not to celebrate this season……..after all, it seems that the early believers really didn’t celebrate our Lord’s birth as much as His resurrection. That is true. The world views this time of year as a more secular occurrence. Gifts are given and children joyously wake up to find out what Santa has left under the tree. Families come together and perhaps………just perhaps…..they might be inclined to go to some church building for the singing or a brief message. Makes them feel good that somehow or other a little bit of “religion” might rub off on them. Certainly there will be no religious displays on public buildings since the “Supreme” Court has ordered it so. Indeed we have become a secular society.
However, despite all the negatives about Christmas, we as believers still enjoy reading about the miracle that occurred 2000 years ago, when a young virgin, named Miryam (Mary), gave birth to our Savior. The shame and humiliation was that she was espoused to a man named Joseph. There was a waiting period of 12 months before the wedding actually occurred. This was the espousal period and was considered the same as being married. During that time, if the future bride was found to be unfaithful it would become known and the wedding would not take place or in the case of Mary, she could be put to death on charges of adultery, although in most cases she would be sent away from the community. Joseph, through divine intervention, did not choose to humiliate her and was told that she was to be the mother of the Savior of Israel.
During the course of years following the development of the Christian community….church leaders decided to celebrate this miracle on a pagan holiday. Actually the Lord’s birth was probably not in December but perhaps in the spring or summer. Weren’t the shepherds in the fields? They wouldn’t be out under the stars on a cold winter night. The sheep would have been gathered in a warm shelter, mostly for the sake of the shepherds. (Forget those Christmas cards!)
Then that trip to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph had to travel 85 miles from Nazareth, to register their names in the town of their ancestors because the Romans needed to take a census of the people. Mary was very pregnant but a young healthy woman. She could have made the trip without too much difficulty except when arriving she went into labor. Perhaps they tried to find room at one of the local inns…..however, there were undoubtedly distant relatives or family members living in Bethlehem. No woman in labor would ever be put into a place that was dangerous for her. Human life was sacred and especially one’s own kin. Mary and Joseph undoubtedly were given room in the home of a relative or friend……not in the main part of the house but in the family stable.
The animals shared a special space within the home….although separate. It was kept very clean because the family shared the living space. Undoubtedly that’s where our baby was born. Mary was attended by the women of the house and this tiny baby was given a lovely little place to lie. It was a feeding trough for the animals but filled with fresh straw or hay. The women bathed the baby, and wrapped him in the required new born clothes. Mary would have been well attended with much rejoicing in the community. A new life came into the world. Not just any baby……..a very special baby!!
Christmas now is celebrated on Dec. 25th. Enjoy the season with family and friends.
When Jesus teaches His disciples… “Blessed are those who mourn.” we really have to question what He means. Mourning is a sign of sorrow. We all have occasions to be sorrowful. Losing a loved one, a severe illness, perhaps a broken friendship, divorce. I’m sure you can think of many times in your life that you have experienced great sorrow. You mourned. It is a natural response to the tragedies that come upon us. Then how could the Lord say that we are blessed or perhaps even happy? Did He mean something else? In what way should a mourner feel “happy” and when will mourners find this promised consolation?
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) This comes from the Lord’s famous sermon given to His disciples and those who followed Him up the mountain. The English language provides no adequate word to translate the original Hebrew behind Jesus’ beatitudes. Various translations render it as: “fortunate,” “joyful,” “blessed,” or even “happy.” The Hebrew expression implies something closer to “deeply contented.” (from my Hebrew Dictionary)
So in what way are the “poor in spirit, the mourners, the down-trodden, and the persecuted” to be understood as glad and deeply contented? This seems to be a contradiction in terms of what the gospel means……..”Good News!” But reading further, the Lord says, “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” That is so say… their hope and ours is the coming of a New Kingdom. There will be a New Heaven and New Earth. Therefore the kingdom is not just the church…..although that is part of the promise……but something far greater. The restoration of the world that was lost when our first parents committed the sins for which we now “mourn”. Therefore we rely on God and His promises about the kingdom being our reward instead of the sorrow of this present world. That’s the secret to inner peace……Our reward will be great in heaven…or the world to come.
The Master says… “Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21). The Psalmist says “Our mouth was filled with laughter……..those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. (Ps, 128) The coming kingdom offers hope for the brokenhearted and bereaved.
But then Jesus goes on to say that the powerful and elite of society such as the Romans, the Herodians, and the Sadducees (we might include the atheists and agnostics here also) “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 8:25)
Jesus is bringing the good news of comfort for the afflicted…..those of us who mourn. The messianic mission is “to bring good news to the afflicted….to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captive and freedom to the prisoners….to comfort all who mourn……to bring the oil of gladness instead of mourning. (Isa 61:1-3).
In this way the beatitudes of Jesus bring hope and good news……the Gospel! Although this might seem strange and rather confusing to our minds…….the Lord is telling us that something far greater is coming. For this world will pass away……….but God has a wonderful new world that awaits those whose faith and trust is in Him!
We know the promised day will come when all will be made new and “God himself will be with his people;He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4-5)
Enjoy God’s blessings to you now for each new day is a gift. We share in the love of our families, our community of believers and our love of county. May God’s face shine upon us and may His blessings flow into our lives. Never fear for tomorrow. God is with us all the way!
I always enjoy reading the wonderful stories of God’s miraculous powers and the various men and women He used to bring about His plans for mankind.
Remember our favorite heroes? David and Goliath, Samson, Ezekiel, Moses. As children, these stories fascinated us as our Bible teacher showed pictures or put those characters on her flannel board.
But perhaps the most famous story of all is Noah and the Ark. Who doesn’t enjoy hearing how God brought all the animals into the Ark, two by two, and how God covered the whole world with water, leaving only Noah and his family to survive the catastrophe. I believe this to be an actual event….not simply an analogy or metaphor on how we should live our life.
The Lord gave Noah explicit instructions:”Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood: you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch” (Gen 6:14). The word for “ark” translates from the Hebrew word “tevah”. So why is this important?
The Torah (the first five books of the Bible) uses the same word for the basket in the story about baby Moses. “When she (Moses’mother) could no longer hide him she made him a “tevah” and covered it over with tar and pitch (Ex, 2:3).
So when Noah enter his tevah he would be entering a place of safety. Just as baby Moses was protected in his tevah.
Noah probably didn’t want to go into this ark. He had a life in his own community but at the same time the world was an evil place. God told him that He was going to destroy the world and Noah was to save himself and his family by building this boat….designed by God himself.
God commanded Noah to place a door on the side of the ark. Wasn’t that just to allow everyone to enter? The rabbis teach that the door to the ark symbolizes repentance. How is that? Jesus compared repentance to a door also. He taught His disciples to escape the coming judgment by repenting and passing through the narrow door to enter God’s salvation.
During the decades that Noah built the ark he also preached repentance, and anyone could have entered the ark or even to help. No, they just laughed and ridiculed. Even after the rains began to fall, the people still had time to enter through the door and find salvation from the flood. They did not heed Noah’s warnings. They did not seek to enter the ark because they were busy with the concerns of life, saying, “What will we eat” or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing?” (Matthew 6:31). “They were busy eating and drinking and marrying until the day that Noah enter the ark” (Matthew 24:38-39)
It was God who closed the door of the ark behind Noah and his family. So if I’m reading this correctly, then God appoints a deadline for repentance. He does not leave the door open indefinitely. A day comes when the time for repentance expires and it will no longer be possible to find entrance into the kingdom. Then the judgment begins.
Jesus said the same. “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able. ” ( Luke 13:24)
As we look at the world around us I believe there are very similar life styles. People aren’t concerned with the future of their lives. People are living as in the days of Noah!
In God’s own time…the door to the “ark of salvation” will be closed! Scary, right?
When the Lord, gave His Sermon on the Mount I assumed He presented His teaching to the large crowds that always seem to be gathered around him. However, with a closer reading of the story found in Mathew 5, this is what the text describes…
“When Jeshua (Jesus) saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” So why did He go up the mountain? As a teacher (rabbi) Jesus did not seek large numbers. He sought disciples. This is my point. His ministry drew large crowds almost from its outset. “Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” (Matthew 4:25) Multitudes of people sought him: The sick, the infirmed, the troubled, the curious, the seekers and the skeptical. Luke explains….”A large crowd of his disciples, and a great throng of people had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. “(Luke 6:17-18). But were they true disciples?
Jesus didn’t go up on the mountain so that people could better hear Him teaching. He went up on the mountain to get away from the crowds so He could better teach His own disciples…..those who had chosen Him as their spiritual leader and Messiah. That’s why it says when He saw the crowds He went up on the mountain…. so He could be alone with his devoted followers and believers……not the crowd below. He wanted to reveal to his true disciples the truth of Himself and how they were to teach others. How God had given Him not only the power to heal but how to put into practice the principles of discipleship.
In Luke’s version, Jesus stands on a level place, (Luke 6:17) giving rise to the title “Sermon on the Plain.” With a careful reading, Luke doesn’t say that he delivered the sermon in that level place. Instead Luke prefaces the sermon by distinguishing between the crowd and his disciples, just like Matthew does. Luke says, “Turning his gaze toward his disciples, (lifting up His eyes to his disciples) He began to say……..”(Luke 6: 20). In these words, Luke indicates that our Lord delivered His sermon to his disciples and true followers, not to the large crowds. Matthew says he actually withdrew from the crowds by ascending the hill.
So what do learn from these stories? Just as we find today. The Lord has two types of followers. Crowds of people who really come for their own self interest, perhaps wanting to seek a miracle or see one performed, or a ticket to heaven just by going to church.
Yes, we know the Lord is still in the healing business. He is with us in our pain and sorrows as well as bringing joy to our hearts. He can heal us… both physically and spiritually. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us.
However, He also seeks disciples….those of us who follow Him simply because we know who He is. We seek him not for personal gain but simply seeking Him as Lord. We want to learn His teachings so we in turn can help others. He teaches us to love others as we are being loved.
Are you and I part of that Great Commission? Are we simply followers or are we disciples?
(Matt. 28:18-20)And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
No, it’s not time for Thanksgiving or Christmas……although they are happy holidays. But there is another happy holiday not listed on our calendars! In today’s busy world we work by the clock on the wall and the calendars on our desk (or whatever device we have). But to the Ancients, time was denoted by the seasons, festivals, feasts, and Holy Days. These special days were linked to the agricultural life style, phases of the moon, stars or sun.
One of God’s earliest gifts to Israel was a Biblical calendar to celebrate His gifts and to remind Israel of the major moments of His redemption. Israel’s whole year was shaped by these redemptive events so that every major holiday was related to God’s providence over His people.
Jesus attended all the prescribed feasts given by God to Moses. He was an observant Jew…….He was also sinless. Therefore, He faithfully kept every commandment God gave to His people. God gave these Biblical Feasts to teach the people about His character and His provision for them. Since we as Gentiles have been grafted Into Israel (Romans 11:17) we too can share in that rich heritage and how these wonderful feasts apply to our Lord.
There are six Feasts listed in the 23th chapter of Leviticus. There are both the spring feasts and the fall feasts. Since this is October….we can focus on the last of the fall Feasts. This is called the Feast of the Tabernacles. It is the last festival of the High Holy Days on the Jewish calendar and the only really joyous, happy celebration of all the feasts. During this feast the people were commanded to make little “booths” or Sukkot of branches and live in them for seven days, as a reminder of how God saved the Israelites during their desert wanderings. Observant Jews, Messianic Jews and Gentiles do this in honor of this feast. It’s a happy time for adults and children and everyone in the family enjoys the fun of building these little shelters.
During the days of Jesus, there was a lighting celebration which was held in the evening of the first day of the Sukkot Feast. The Temple was gloriously illuminated by four gigantic menorahs (the seven branched candlesticks). Since the Temple sat on a hill, this glorious glow bathed the entire city of Jerusalem, reminding the people of how God’s glorious light once filled the Tabernacle in the desert. It was a time of much rejoicing. The priests and the people danced and sang and played their instruments around the Temple area. It was a reminder of the time that God himself was in their midst and how His presence was the “light” of their lives.
On the seventh day of the Sukkot, the people celebrated a water drawing ceremony. This ceremony was to commemorate the great gift of God’s provisions for His people. It too was a time of great merriment. The High Priest led the people to the Pool of Siloam to draw water into a golden pitcher and then all the people paraded back into the Temple. The worshippers watched as the priest approached the altar where two silver basins were set on a special altar. The priest had two pitchers….one held wine and other held water from the pool. The priest then thanked Adonai for His blessings. He then poured the wine into one basin and the water into the other. There was much rejoicing, dancing and singing and worshipping the Lord for His gift of life giving water and grapes for the harvest. The wells were full and there would be water for all, even in this dry desert.
The Gospels record that Jesus not only celebrated these festivities but also took the traditional elements of the celebration and applied them to His own life and mission. In the Gospel of John (7 and 8), He took the traditional symbols of the light and water, to explain who He is and what He offers.
Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me, and drink. As the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water “(John 7:37-38). What He offered to all people was the life giving water of His spirit. It is that spiritual water that sustains us.
Light was the other symbol that Jesus used to point to himself as the fulfillment of Scripture. Through Isaiah, God had promised that a great light would shine. “cThe people walking in darkness have seen a great light: of those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isa. 9:1-2)
Jesus used the lighting celebration to announce that in Him, God’s glory was once again present. He declared:”I am the light of the world: whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)
We pray that the “living water” of our Lord and Messiah Jesus will quench the real thirst of the world and fill all people with the very Spirit that God offers through His Son. …..and that His Light will brighten the darkest hours of the heart and so that all may know His great love and compassion.
AbideLines 