Jewish Feasts
Exodus 23:14-19
Friday, January 22, 2016
The Old Testament speaks of God’s will in shadows. The beauty of the Old Testament is the depths of revelations portrayed in simplicity/ or parables. Scriptures speaks of three dimensions, the God who was, the God who is, and the God who is to come.
But we understand that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, what that means is that his will, and priority never changes, but the patterns and devices through which he attains them differs. The secret of Moses was that he saw the back (a revelation of the past) of God.
When you see God’s past and contrast it with His present there is an explosion and indepth understanding of God’s purpose through dispensations and his marvelous character. In our text God commanded the Jews to have three annual feasts, note the word ‘feast’.
The first feast is the Feast of the Passover. This was a celebration of their exit out of Egypt and their deliverance from the spirit of death that attacks the firstborns. Note the word “firstborn” for it is a mystery. In the New Testament we see the translation of that feast into the Lord’s supper.
The Second feast is the Feast of First Fruits, where Israel get to celebrate their first harvest in the year. In the New Testament the word “firstfruits” is used to describe believers who have accepted Jesus Christ. See James 1:18, Revelation 14:4, It’s a celebration of man’s personal salvation
The third feast is the Feast of Ingathering. The Israelites were ordained by God to celebrate the final harvest. In the New Testament this translates to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.(Rev 19:9) Where the saints taken from the earth will celebrate with Christ immediately after the rapture.
Now God made these feasts compulsory in other to keep the memories of his greatness perpetually in the minds of the Israelites. Nehemiah got it exactly, when he said, the joy (feast) of the lord, is my strength (8:10). Joy is a mystery, how does joy give strength? What is the joy of the Lord?
Now God says if we focus on three events in eternity, the death of Jesus for the world, our salvation as firstfruits with Christ and the hope of being with him forever, we have the joy of the Lord, and this is the secret of strength.
We must constantly renew our minds with these historic events (finished works of Christ, the salvation and hope it brings) Rom 12:2. We find strength in the remembrance of the finished works.
SELAH: Every time you feel weak REMEMBER
Shalom!
