Moses has reminded the people moving into the Land of Promise that God wishes for them to appear before Him three times a year. The first annual time was Passover. A second appearance was to be made on Pentecost.
THREE TIMES A YEAR
Still studying in Chapter 16 of Deuteronomy, Moses now gives the third reminder for all men to appear before The LORD. This time it is to keep The Feast of Tabernacles.
Here is the word-for-word version of this conversation from the scriptures:
Deuteronomy 16:13-15; Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
Be joyful at your Feast – you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.
For seven days celebrate the Feast of the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
YOUR JOY WILL BE COMPLETE
This blog has spoken many times about The Feast of Tabernacles. Later I will post some of those very detailed links for you to review if you wish to study in detail.
Today; I want you to notice that the people Moses was speaking his last words to were people moving into a new place.
The people of Israel were moving out of an old life of slavery and bondage followed by wilderness living, into a fruitful land and livelihood full and flowing with milk and honey.
A NEW BEGINNING IN A NEW PLACE
They had come anew to a land of blessings; unlike any place they had ever known before. It was the place where God had put His name; as a home for a new nation that God was beginning to form out of Israel.
These very facts alone should confirm that The Feast of Tabernacles was not just an Old Testament custom made only for ancient people who did not matter in regards to today’s times.
Today God is still building a nation out of His people; a remnant of those ancient desert dwelling Israelites. Some are native people and some are adopted and grafted into the family; but God is forming a Kingdom that will exist on this earth and be ruled by the returning Messiah.
When Christ returns again, He will bring his Bride (the Church – those who have God’s Holy Spirit living within them) into a new place.
A FEAST FOREVER
The scriptures clearly say that we will come up every year to observe The Feast of Tabernacles; just as it was observed in the Land of Promise after Moses commanded them to remember.
(Zachariah 14:16) Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
The People were to observe The Feast of Tabernacles in their NEW place.
If you have been born again, and if you have given your life over to Christ’s leading in The Kingdom of God; you are now constantly moving toward this NEW place.
God has mapped out a life and purpose that exactly fits your talents and your personality. He has placed his name on YOU by circumcising your heart. His covering (the blood of Jesus) is over you; and you should desire nothing else but to keep His ways inside the new places of your new life.
JESUS MAKING ALL THINGS NEW
This is all part of the born-again experience. God is in the process of making us NEW.
Jesus once said “I make all things new!”
Going to The Feast of Tabernacles annually with an offering to God is part of that new life. It is part of who He has made you to be; just as it was a part of who He made ancient Israel to be.
I can attest to the last part of that first scripture we read; that sentence that says the LORD will bless you. There has never been a Feast of Tabernacles that God did not show up and bless His people. I believe with all my heart that there never will be. God’s blessings are faithful and new every year.
The biggest blessing of all is that He will supply your spirit with enough joy to last a whole year; right through until it is time for the next feast.
Isn’t that good news?
NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER
Covid 19, nor any other disease, cannot destroy this joy.
Presidential election results cannot change this joy.
No one can ever take this type of joy away from you. It is your gift from your heavenly Father every year; like clockwork. All you have to do is show up with your offering (first-fruits – the first and the best of what you have.) He will do the rest, and it will be so good that it will last you through any year of trouble, distress, worry, financial difficulty, relationship problems, disappointments, or worse.
This amazing time of God filling us up with His Holy Spirit is a quiet and abiding joy that lasts for a whole year.
I can’t tell you how thinking about this and KNOWING about this has been the key to getting me through life’s trials and temptations, year-after-year, after year and again.
GOD IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE
I’m sure the feeling that believers receive at The Feast of Tabernacles today is very similar to the feeling that those ancient Israelites got when they first stepped into The Land of Promise. It would be like when they realized how faithful and true God had been to them. Surely they recognized with joy how much He had kept His promises to bless them abundantly.
How could they NOT keep the feast?
MORE INFORMATION
If you have never had this experience and want to find out more; these are the previous posts which talk about this subject.: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/feast-of-tabernacles-christian-sukkot/ https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/finding-purpose-in-the-holy-day-offerings/
You might also enjoy reading any of the September and October Newsletters that the blog has published year-after-year where we have freely shared our family’s annual times of joy at The Feast of Tabernacles. The Newsletters are all posted under the “About” tab of the blog. Click on the “topic” button and look under “Newsletters.”
God is good!
All the time!
Therefore; let us all REMEMBER to keep God’s annual feast days!