The Feast of Tabernacles - Why Here,
Why Now?
Welcome
to the 2006 Feast of Tabernacles in beautiful
Vancouver, Washington. Look all around you. The
hills and the valleys are a vibrant shade of
green. It’s been a little wet but the
temperature is still moderately warm and
enjoyable. We have a beautiful facility in which
to meet. Everything is great! In this small
enclave, God has provided a sheltered venue of
peace and safety for us all. We are still in the
world but not besieged by the ugliness of the
world.
We
need to ask ourselves the questions, "Why here,
why now? Year after year, we celebrate the Feast
of Tabernacles but I wonder if we don’t just go
through the motions as a matter of course out of
habit. How much do we think about the concrete
reasons we keep God’s festivals? We still live
in countries free enough to allow us to make our
own decisions. We still have a considerable
amount of freedom of choice. Do we keep God’s
festivals just because our friends do?
What
is our motivation and what is our commitment?
It’s simple enough to say we keep the days
because God commands it in scripture but we need
to go beyond the mere letter of the law and
focus on the spiritual intent. If we just went
by the letter of the law and hadn’t investigated
the topic more thoroughly, we might very well be
keeping the Feasts on the same days as the
Jewish calendar. Do we choose to assemble where
God has placed his name and when he has placed
his name there? Are we going to be obediently
submissive to God’s command or are we going to
perform in a manner more of our own choosing?
The
Commandment
The
commandment is plain for all to see. As we all
know, Leviticus 23 outlines all the Holy Days of
God throughout the year. Verse four holds the
key to the rest of the chapter. Let’s begin with
the King James Version.
(Lev
23:4 KJV) These are the feasts of the LORD,
even holy convocations, which ye shall
proclaim in their seasons.
The
King James translators chose the English words
"feasts" and "seasons" but is that what the
original Hebrew means? No, it doesn’t because
the underlying Hebrew uses the same word for
both. The word is Strong’s number 4150, Mo’ed,
and it means "an appointment or a fixed time."
Now, let’s look at the New American Standard
Version.
(Lev
23:4 NASB) 'These are the appointed times of
the LORD, holy convocations which you shall
proclaim at the times appointed for
them.
Well,
that version appears to be more truthful to the
original texts. Notice, Moses didn’t say that
God’s instructions were for his people to keep
seven holy days throughout the year just
whenever they wanted to keep them. He didn’t say
that God was just "OK" about keeping those days
whenever it best suited us. He said they were:
- appointed
times, that is, times of appointments with
God and
- they were to be
kept "at the times appointed for
them."
You
wouldn’t go to a doctor or dentist just whenever
you wanted, expecting him to meet with you. You
wouldn’t go to the governor’s mansion or the
presidential palace without an appointment. That
would be foolish because you don’t know his
schedule. His schedule might be full of other
business meetings or he might be on vacation, or
he might be in conference. You wouldn’t go
without an appointment and you wouldn’t go at
the wrong time for that appointment.
The
Jewish calendar seems to disregard that fact.
Through their tradition of postponements, the
Jews move days on the calendar around for the
convenience of man, regardless of what God has
directed. It seems the whole intent of the
Jewish calendar is to avoid double-Sabbaths,
particularly a weekly Sabbath day being
back-to-back with the Day of Atonement.
This
fall, as we have been obediently following the
instructions of God given to us through the
scriptures and according to the signs in the
heavens, we have experienced several
double-Sabbaths. The Feast of Trumpets was on a
Friday, immediately followed by the weekly
Sabbath. The Day of Atonement was on a Sunday,
immediately following the weekly Sabbath. The
first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, today, is
on a Friday, immediately followed by the weekly
Sabbath. So, too, will be the Last Great Day
next Friday.
So,
what’s the difference? Double-Sabbaths, no
matter when they occur, mean we have to be more
diligent in preparation. Instead of preparing
for one day without work, we have to prepare for
two consecutive days without work. Is that an
undue burden? I don’t think so. It just means
more thinking, more planning, and more
preparation.
So it
is with God. He is the master of planning and
preparation. He is the King of the Universe. His
job is to mind the functioning of that Universe.
It’s no small job. He invented and he maintains
the laws of the Universe. Out of his busy
schedule though, he has set aside time to
commune with his people at definite, set,
appointed times. At other times, he might be off
attending to a wandering comet, or minding the
planets Saturn or Jupiter or even something far
off in the Andromeda Galaxy. Keep that in mind:
who are we to tell the King of the Universe
what time is most convenient for us to come
before him. What gall, what chutzpah!
What would you think of the insubordination
displayed if the King was present for an
appointment but his subjects weren’t? Would you
want to show up with your offering a day late
for your appointment with the head of state? Our
creator and our sustainer, the one who gives us
our very lives and the breath that sustains us,
has plainly told us the precise times he has
chosen out of his busy schedule when he will
meet with us.
One of
those seven annual holy days is today: the first
day of the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s not
tomorrow or next week or even next month. Today
is the fifteenth day of the seventh month. It’s
easy enough for us to determine that this is the
fifteenth day since the new moon. The new moon
is the precise time between the waning or
decreasing of the old month and the waxing or
increasing of the new month. It is the instant
of time in God’s capitol of the world,
Jerusalem, when the moon is in direct line with
the sun, when there is no visible moon. The
seventh month, and every other month, is
determined by counting from the first month,
Abib, near the time of the spring equinox. As
per God’s instructions in Exodus 34:22, the
Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month is at
the "turn" of the year, or "tequphah." That is
the fall equinox of almost two weeks ago, on
September 23. For more information on the
details of Gods’ calendar, please see our
booklet, The
Original Calendar for Our Day.
The
specific command for the Feast of Tabernacles is
found in Leviticus 23:34.
(Lev
23:34-36 NASB) "Speak to the sons of Israel,
saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh
month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to
the LORD. {35} 'On the first day is a holy
convocation; you shall do no laborious work of
any kind. {36} 'For seven days you shall
present an offering by fire to the LORD. On
the eighth day you shall have a holy
convocation and present an offering by fire to
the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no
laborious work.
Continue
in verse 39.
(Lev
23:39-44 NASB) 'On exactly the fifteenth day
of the seventh month, when you have gathered
in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate
the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a
rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth
day. {40} 'Now on the first day you shall take
for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees,
palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and
willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice
before the LORD your God for seven days. {41}
'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the
LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a
perpetual statute throughout your generations;
you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
{42} 'You shall live in booths for seven days;
all the native-born in Israel shall live in
booths, {43} so that your generations may know
that I had the sons of Israel live in booths
when I brought them out from the land of
Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" {44} So Moses
declared to the sons of Israel the appointed
times of the LORD.
Focus
on that last verse, "So Moses declared to the
sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD."
Yes, Moses declared the specific, appointed
times for the children of Israel to meet with
the King of the Universe. Did they listen? Well,
maybe a few did for a little while but despite
the Israelites’ pledge of agreement to keep
God’s covenant in Exodus, we know Israel failed.
In Israel’s history, there were high spots and
low spots but mostly low spots. There were good
times and bad times, but mostly bad times. The
examples of faith and stalwart obedience were
few and far between. To the degree that Israel
kept God’s holy days, so went Israel’s lot in
the world. Sure there was the overriding plan of
God that rescued his people in their greatest
times of distress but it was not due to their
own righteousness. It was for God’s great
purpose that he rescued his people time and
again from the edge of the cliff.
When
Israel truly sought God and truly returned to
obey his laws and statutes, including his holy
days, God heard and came to the rescue of his
people. Look at a prime example in the book of
governmental and societal restoration under the
authority of the great governor, Nehemiah. Look
at chapter 7 and verse 73.
(Neh
7:73 NASB) Now the priests, the Levites, the
gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people,
the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in
their cities. And when the seventh month came,
the sons of Israel were in their cities.
Let’s
continue in chapter eight and verse one.
(Neh
8:1 NASB) And all the people gathered as one
man at the square which was in front of the
Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of the law of Moses which the
LORD had given to Israel. {2} Then Ezra the
priest brought the law before the assembly of
men, women, and all who could listen with
understanding, on the first day of the seventh
month. {3} And he read from it before the
square which was in front of the Water Gate
from early morning until midday, in the
presence of men and women, those who could
understand; and all the people were attentive
to the book of the law. {4} And Ezra the
scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had
made for the purpose. And beside him stood
Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and
Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah,
Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah,
Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. {5}
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all
the people for he was standing above all the
people; and when he opened it, all the people
stood up. {6} Then Ezra blessed the LORD the
great God. And all the people answered, "Amen,
Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they
bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their
faces to the ground. {7} Also Jeshua, Bani,
Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah,
Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan,
Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the law to
the people while the people remained in their
place. {8} And they read from the book, from
the law of God, translating to give the sense
so that they understood the reading. {9} Then
Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the
priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught
the people said to all the people, "This day
is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or
weep." For all the people were weeping when
they heard the words of the law. {10} Then he
said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of
the sweet, and send portions to him who has
nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our
Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the
LORD is your strength." {11} So the Levites
calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for
the day is holy; do not be grieved." {12} And
all the people went away to eat, to drink, to
send portions and to celebrate a great
festival, because they understood the words
which had been made known to them. {13} Then
on the second day the heads of fathers'
households of all the people, the priests, and
the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe
that they might gain insight into the words of
the law. {14} And they found written in the
law how the LORD had commanded through Moses
that the sons of Israel should live in booths
during the feast of the seventh month. {15} So
they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation
in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying,
"Go out to the hills, and bring olive
branches, and wild olive branches, myrtle
branches, palm branches, and branches of other
leafy trees, to make booths, as it is
written." {16} So the people went out and
brought them and made booths for themselves,
each on his roof, and in their courts, and in
the courts of the house of God, and in the
square at the Water Gate, and in the square at
the Gate of Ephraim. {17} And the entire
assembly of those who had returned from the
captivity made booths and lived in them. The
sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the
days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And
there was great rejoicing. {18} And he read
from the book of the law of God daily, from
the first day to the last day. And they
celebrated the feast seven days, and on the
eighth day there was a solemn assembly
according to the ordinance.
Look
at verse 17 again: "The sons of Israel had
indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the
son of Nun to that day." Well, you remember the
reforms made under one of the last kings of
Judah, Josiah, when his priests rediscovered the
Torah scrolls and God’s instructions about the
Passover. God made a summary statement about the
type of feast they kept to him in 2 Chronicles
35:17.
(2
Chr 35:17-18 NASB) Thus the sons of Israel who
were present celebrated the Passover at that
time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven
days. {18} And there had not been celebrated a
Passover like it in Israel since the days of
Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings
of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah
with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and
Israel who were present, and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem.
Truly
it was a monumental celebration in obedience to
God’s instructions but it only showed they had
not kept the Passover in such a diligent
manner since the time of Samuel. Josiah’s
kingdom was about a hundred years before the
time of Nehemiah, so let’s go back again to
God’s statement of the quality of Israel’s
celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles at the
time of Nehemiah. God said, "the sons of Israel
had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua
the son of Nun to that day." We just read how
Josiah kept the Passover better than any
king since Samuel [that means better than any
king of Israel, because Samuel was the last
Judge of Israel before the first king]; but
there was no comment about how Josiah kept the
Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah’s Feast of
Tabernacles was compared all the way back to the
time of Joshua, before even the first Judge of
Israel. Remember, Joshua lived hundreds and
hundreds of years before Israel’s last judge,
Samuel. Think of the significance of that
statement. The sons of Israel had not kept the
Feast of Tabernacles so obediently in the time
of Hezekiah or the time of Josiah. Both of those
kings were the only ones of whom God made the
praiseworthy statement that there was "no king
like him" either before or after who trusted in
the Lord with all his might or who turned to the
Lord according to all the law of Moses.
Certainly, the sons of Israel had not kept the
Feast of Tabernacles so obediently in the time
of Solomon or even in the time of David, the man
after God’s own heart. They hadn’t kept it so
obediently in the time of any of the judges. It
wasn’t since the time of Joshua that the sons of
Israel had kept the Feast of Tabernacles as
obediently as they did during the governorship
of Nehemiah. That’s more than 1,000 years. Just
roll that concept around in your mind for a
while.
The
Willfulness of Israel
Why do
you think it was so? Was it due to forgetfulness
or inattention or ignorance? In times of war, it
may have been due to circumstances beyond their
control. In times of peace, however, the type
and duration of such celebrations were certainly
within their control. Since David was termed by
God as "a man after my own heart," it’s
reasonable to expect that Israel did keep all of
God’s holy days, including the Feast of
Tabernacles, during David’s reign but probably
not to the degree of Nehemiah’s time. The
intensity to which the celebration occurred in
the time of Nehemiah may actually have been so
full due to the circumstances of their recent
return from captivity. Nonetheless, it is
clearly stated that their celebration had not
been so jubilant for more than 1,000 years.
Except
for the unusual and periodic reigns of
righteousness, Israel’s wanderings from God were
frequent. There’s probably no better example of
Israel’s see-saw obedience than that related in
the book of Judges, the second chapter and verse
seven.
(Judg
2:7-22 NASB) And the people served the LORD
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen
all the great work of the LORD which He had
done for Israel. {8} Then Joshua the son of
Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age
of one hundred and ten. {9} And they buried
him in the territory of his inheritance in
Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim,
north of Mount Gaash. {10} And all that
generation also were gathered to their
fathers; and there arose another generation
after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet
the work which He had done for Israel. {11}
Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight
of the LORD, and served the Baals, {12} and
they forsook the LORD, the God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of the land
of Egypt, and followed other gods from among
the gods of the peoples who were around them,
and bowed themselves down to them; thus they
provoked the LORD to anger. {13} So they
forsook the LORD and served Baal and the
Ashtaroth. {14} And the anger of the LORD
burned against Israel, and He gave them into
the hands of plunderers who plundered them;
and He sold them into the hands of their
enemies around them, so that they could no
longer stand before their enemies. {15}
Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was
against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken
and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that
they were severely distressed. {16} Then the
LORD raised up judges who delivered them from
the hands of those who plundered them. {17}
And yet they did not listen to their judges,
for they played the harlot after other gods
and bowed themselves down to them. They turned
aside quickly from the way in which their
fathers had walked in obeying the commandments
of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers.
{18} And when the LORD raised up judges for
them, the LORD was with the judge and
delivered them from the hand of their enemies
all the days of the judge; for the LORD was
moved to pity by their groaning because of
those who oppressed and afflicted them. {19}
But it came about when the judge died, that
they would turn back and act more corruptly
than their fathers, in following other gods to
serve them and bow down to them; they did not
abandon their practices or their stubborn
ways. {20} So the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He said, "Because this
nation has transgressed My covenant which I
commanded their fathers, and has not listened
to My voice, {21} I also will no longer drive
out before them any of the nations which
Joshua left when he died, {22} in order to
test Israel by them, whether they will keep
the way of the LORD to walk in it as their
fathers did, or not."
The
ups and downs of Israel under the Judges is best
summarized in the last verse of Judges 21:25.
(Judg
21:25 NASB) In those days there was no king in
Israel; everyone did what was right in his
own eyes.
In
Ezekiel 20:3, God recounts the many instances in
which the good he extended to Israel was repaid
with betrayal.
(Ezek
20:3-24 NASB) "Son of man, speak to the elders
of Israel, and say to them, 'Thus says the
Lord GOD, "Do you come to inquire of Me? As I
live," declares the Lord GOD, "I will not be
inquired of by you."' {4} "Will you judge
them, will you judge them, son of man? Make
them know the abominations of their fathers;
{5} and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,
"On the day when I chose Israel and swore to
the descendants of the house of Jacob and made
Myself known to them in the land of Egypt,
when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD
your God, {6} on that day I swore to them, to
bring them out from the land of Egypt into a
land that I had selected for them, flowing
with milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands. {7} "And I said to them, 'Cast away,
each of you, the detestable things of his
eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the
idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.' {8}
"But they rebelled against Me and were not
willing to listen to Me; they did not cast
away the detestable things of their eyes, nor
did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I
resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to
accomplish My anger against them in the midst
of the land of Egypt. {9} "But I acted for the
sake of My name, that it should not be
profaned in the sight of the nations among
whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself
known to them by bringing them out of the land
of Egypt. {10} "So I took them out of the land
of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
{11} "And I gave them My statutes and informed
them of My ordinances, by which, if a man
observes them, he will live. {12} "And also I
gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me
and them, that they might know that I am the
LORD who sanctifies them. {13} "But the house
of Israel rebelled against Me in the
wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes,
and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if
a man observes them, he will live; and My
sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I
resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the
wilderness, to annihilate them. {14} "But I
acted for the sake of My name, that it should
not be profaned in the sight of the nations,
before whose sight I had brought them out.
{15} "And also I swore to them in the
wilderness that I would not bring them into
the land which I had given them, flowing with
milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands, {16} because they rejected My
ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did
not walk in them; they even profaned My
sabbaths, for their heart continually went
after their idols. {17} "Yet My eye spared
them rather than destroying them, and I did
not cause their annihilation in the
wilderness. {18} "And I said to their children
in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the
statutes of your fathers, or keep their
ordinances, or defile yourselves with their
idols. {19} 'I am the LORD your God; walk in
My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and
observe them. {20} 'And sanctify My sabbaths;
and they shall be a sign between Me and you,
that you may know that I am the LORD your
God.' {21} "But the children rebelled against
Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were
they careful to observe My ordinances, by
which, if a man observes them, he will live;
they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to
pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My
anger against them in the wilderness. {22}
"But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake
of My name, that it should not be profaned in
the sight of the nations in whose sight I had
brought them out. {23} "Also I swore to them
in the wilderness that I would scatter them
among the nations and disperse them among the
lands, {24} because they had not observed My
ordinances, but had rejected My statutes, and
had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were
on the idols of their fathers.
The
Rebellion of Israel
God
has much to say about mankind choosing to go his
own way. Thousands of years ago, Samuel told
Saul how God feels about a man going his own
way, disregarding the directives of God. In 1
Samuel 15:22, Samuel caught Saul directly
disobeying the clear instructions of God to kill
all the Amalekites and their possessions.
(1
Sam 15:22-23 NASB) And Samuel said, "Has the
LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the
LORD? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
{23} "For rebellion is as the sin of
divination, And insubordination is as iniquity
and idolatry. Because you have rejected the
word of the LORD, He has also rejected you
from being king."
So,
Saul lost it all because of his rebellion. Now,
he probably didn’t see his actions as rebellion
but that’s the way God saw it. Saul had been
placed by God in a position of responsibility
and had authority over all the people of the
land, yet he feared and gave in to the demands
of the people rather than obey the demands of
God. In verse 23, God flatly called his actions
"rebellion" and that rebellion God
deemed as being sin. Furthermore, God saw Saul’s
actions as "insubordination." Webster’s
Dictionary tells us that insubordination is "not
submitting to authority; disobedient." God went
on to say that Saul’s insubordination was
"iniquity and idolatry."
That’s
pretty plain. Rebellion and insubordination are
sin in God’s eyes. Well, if that’s the end
result, what is the beginning? What is the start
or origin of rebellion and insubordination?
Mankind, as a whole, has insisted on going his
own way and making his own choices, independent
of the directives of God. The germ of that
rebellious reasoning starts in the mind with
willfulness, the insistence of pursuing the
wishes of the self. Willfulness is rooted in
selfishness.
Selfishness
can be displayed in many ways, either overtly
through our actions or covertly through our
thoughts. Everyday we are surrounded with
people’s rebellion against God. We see it so
much that we may become numb to it. We may no
longer see the actions of others in the same way
God sees them. Take, for example, a staple in
the commonplace American diet. Look at it from
God’s viewpoint in Isaiah 65:2.
(Isa
65:2-4 NASB) "I have spread out My hands all
day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in
the way which is not good, following their
own thoughts, {3} A people who
continually provoke Me to My face, Offering
sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on
bricks; {4} Who sit among graves, and spend
the night in secret places; Who eat
swine's flesh, And the broth of unclean meat
is in their pots.
We can
plainly see that God equates the eating of
swine’s flesh and unclean meat with rebellion.
Furthermore, God says it is a sign of people
following their own thoughts, which he says, "is
not good." God isn’t the only one who says the
eating of swine’s flesh is not good. So do many
modern scientists and health experts. In his
book, Lifeforce, Dr. Jeff McCombs
advocates the elimination of pork from the
American diet.
"One
of the greatest risks in eating pork is an
unknown one. It is a retrovirus called porcine
endogenous. This retrovirus lives in all pork
cells. Scientists have no idea how this
retrovirus affects humans. What is known is
that these viruses survive heating and
cooking, even at extremely high temperatures
over long periods of time. If you are not
familiar with what retroviruses can do, think
of AIDS. The symptoms that come from AIDS are
associated most often with retroviruses.
Retroviruses use the body’s own cells to
replicate themselves. This means that
retroviruses go undetected for many, many
years as they spread throughout the body…
These retroviruses dramatically reduce the
body’s ability to fight off disease, suppress
the person’s immune system, and make the
consumer of pork more susceptible to disease…
Eating pork causes many problems, including
hormonal imbalances, joint and back pains,
inflammation, excessive histamine production,
headaches, increased susceptibility to colds
and flues, as well as potentially being
partially responsible for degenerative disease
such as arthritis, heart disease and cancer…
Pigs also harbor many other toxins, are latent
with diseases, and contain worms. Most flu
viruses that we encounter in the United States
come from the lungs of pigs that create an
incubator for the combination of bird, human,
and porcine diseases. The Center for Disease
Control has stated that as many as 200 of
these combined viruses make their way from
Southern China to the United States each year
through pigs. Pigs scavenge and eat anything
in their path including dead insects, worms,
rotting carcasses, rats, their own feces,
garbage, and other pigs. Whatever a pig eats
turns to meat on its bones within a few hours.
Pork is virtually undigested garbage. Pork
causes stress in the body, both physically and
emotionally, and gives rise to physical
poisoning. This is a fact well known in the
scientific community. It is obvious to
everyone that when pork products are not
prepared properly, sickness can result [from]
their consumption. However, this also applies
to all pork products, including cured meats
such as ham and bacon, smoked meats, sausages,
etc… A professor at the London Institute for
Virus Research states that flu viruses
remained alive and active and were found in
sausages, hot dogs, ham, bacon, pork chops,
virtually all pork products. This means that
the flu viruses and other viruses that live in
the lungs of pigs and in the tissues of pigs
survive the cooking and preparation process.
When you eat any pork product, you are eating
living, dangerous viruses. Additionally, pork
is the primary source of taenia solium
tapeworm. This type of parasite spreads
throughout the body. One in six Americans has
triginosis and gets it from eating pork. Like
most parasites, these go undetected for years,
and years, and years. These parasites steal
nutrients from our cells and promote
inflammation and degeneration within all
tissues. They help create an environment that
is conducive for cancer, diabetes, heart
disease, arthritis, as well as indigestion,
gas, bloating, acid reflux, fatigue, and
depression."
Just
think about it for a moment. God knows all this.
While it may be news to some of us, it is not
news to God. He created pigs for a purpose: to
be scavengers and to be the "clean up crew" in
fulfilling the cycle of nature to dispose of
other dead and dying creatures. He created pigs
to do a job, not for them to be food for humans.
Remember what we read in Isaiah 65:4; "a
rebellious people follow their own thoughts and
walk in a way which is not good."
We may
take this as ho-hum old news. If we have been in
the church for years, we learned God’s warning
many years ago. That isn’t the point. Most
Americans either know or have suspicions about
such common abominations to God. Most people
have heard that practicing Jews are commanded
not to eat pork. Even though they may be deluded
by modern perversions of New Testament
teachings, they know the consumption of pork is
not pleasing to God. Why do they do it? Granted,
some few may do it out of ignorance but the
majority, whether they admit it or not, do it
out of rebellion and selfishness. In Hosea 4:1,
we can see that clearly stated.
(Hosea
4:1-6 NASB) Listen to the word of the LORD, O
sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case
against the inhabitants of the land, Because
there is no faithfulness or kindness Or
knowledge of God in the land. {2} There is
swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and
adultery. They employ violence, so that
bloodshed follows bloodshed. {3} Therefore the
land mourns, And everyone who lives in it
languishes Along with the beasts of the field
and the birds of the sky; And also the fish of
the sea disappear. {4} Yet let no one find
fault, and let none offer reproof; For your
people are like those who contend with the
priest. {5} So you will stumble by day, And
the prophet also will stumble with you by
night; And I will destroy your mother. {6} My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I
also will reject you from being My priest. Since
you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
Most
Americans and, most of the rest of the European
Israelitish nations have, indeed, forgotten or
ignored the law of God. Are you among them?
We
stated earlier that we are here because God
commands us to assemble before him on the
fifteenth day of the seventh month. We know that
and we are dutifully obeying that command, but
is there more to it?
God
looks at the Heart
Well,
yes, there is more to it than just obedience.
Earlier we read where Samuel said to Saul, "to
obey is better than sacrifice." In other words,
to live correctly according to God’s
prescriptions is better than living
disobediently and continually seeking
forgiveness. In the Psalms, however, David went
beyond the admonition of Samuel, however, and
got right to the intent of what God yearns for
in those who seek him. Let’s look at Psalms 78.
(Psa
78:1-8 NASB) Listen, O my people, to my
instruction; Incline your ears to the words of
my mouth. {2} I will open my mouth in a
parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, {3}
Which we have heard and known, And our fathers
have told us. {4} We will not conceal them
from their children, But tell to the
generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wondrous works that
He has done. {5} For He established a
testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in
Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That
they should teach them to their children, {6}
That the generation to come might know, even
the children yet to be born, That they may
arise and tell them to their children, {7}
That they should put their confidence in God,
And not forget the works of God, But keep His
commandments, {8} And not be like their
fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
David
learned from history. He saw how his forefathers
had treated God. He focused on the core of the
issue, however, in verse eight by pinpointing
the heart. His forefathers, and our forefathers
as well, were "a generation that did not prepare
its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to
God." On the other hand, look at Psalms 51 to
see an example, in a different setting, of the
contrite attitude of one who did correctly
prepare his heart.
(Psa
51:16-17 NASB) For Thou dost not delight in
sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art
not pleased with burnt offering. {17} The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A
broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt
not despise.
In the
New Testament in Titus 2:1, Paul wrote to Titus
about the qualities God desires his people to
have. These are all qualities that are motivated
by what is in the heart.
(Titus
2:1-14 NASB) But as for you, speak the things
which are fitting for sound doctrine. {2}
Older men are to be temperate, dignified,
sensible, sound in faith, in love, in
perseverance. {3} Older women likewise are to
be reverent in their behavior, not malicious
gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching
what is good, {4} that they may encourage the
young women to love their husbands, to love
their children, {5} to be sensible, pure,
workers at home, kind, being subject to their
own husbands, that the word of God may not be
dishonored. {6} Likewise urge the young men to
be sensible; {7} in all things show yourself
to be an example of good deeds, with purity in
doctrine, dignified, {8} sound in speech which
is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent
may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say
about us. {9} Urge bondslaves to be subject to
their own masters in everything, to be
well-pleasing, not argumentative, {10} not
pilfering, but showing all good faith that
they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior
in every respect. {11} For the grace of God
has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
{12} instructing us to deny ungodliness
and worldly desires and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly in the present age,
{13} looking for the blessed hope and the
appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior, Christ Jesus; {14} who gave Himself
for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself a people
for His own possession, zealous for good
deeds.
Furthermore,
Paul spoke to the Romans about the subject of
circumcision. It’s evident that Paul was
fighting a popular Jewish notion that
circumcision was essential to salvation. We know
that circumcision is merely the outward physical
manifestation or sign of submission and
obedience to God’s covenant. In Romans 2:25,
Paul shows the real circumcision God desires is
that of the heart.
(Rom
2:25-29 NASB) For indeed circumcision is of
value, if you practice the Law; but if you are
a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision
has become uncircumcision. {26} If therefore
the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements
of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be
regarded as circumcision? {27} And will not he
who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps
the Law, will he not judge you who though
having the letter of the Law and circumcision
are a transgressor of the Law? {28} For he is
not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is
circumcision that which is outward in the
flesh. {29} But he is a Jew who is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that which is
of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
letter; and his praise is not from men, but
from God.
Look
at that more closely. Most people merely get the
main point in the last verse and gloss right
over the previous four verses. They read it as
if Paul wrote verse 29 to read: "But since
he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and since
circumcision is that which is of the heart, by
the Spirit, not by the letter; and since
his praise is not from men, but from God… he
doesn’t have to keep the law at all."
Well,
if that’s what your Bible says, I think you’d
better go get another Bible. That’s not what
Paul said and that’s not what he meant. All you
have to do to verify that is to read the
previous four verses.
Look
at verse 26: Paul is talking about the
uncircumcised man who keeps the requirements
of the law.
Look
at verse 27: again, Paul is speaking about the
uncircumcised man "who keeps the law will
judge you [and the Greek word is Strong’s number
2919, krino which means to
distinguish or decide; by implication to try,
condemn, punish]. So, again, Paul says
that even the uncircumcised man who keeps the
law will condemn you who are transgressing the
law of God.
What
can you conclude from Paul’s verses? If you’re
reading without a Protestant spin, it’s easy to
see that Paul is not doing away with the law of
God. Instead, he is focusing on the heart of the
law keeper. He isn’t saying it’s only
the heart of the person that counts, regardless
of his actions. Paul takes as a "given" that
Christians are obeying the law of God. He merely
says that through a circumcised heart and
spirit, even one who is not outwardly
circumcised can keep the law of God.
We are
gathered here, from being scattered by hundreds
or thousands of miles, to obey God and keep his
commanded Feast of Tabernacles. There’s a
difference, though. Even though we do it
obediently, we do it through a willing heart. We
willingly seek to keep the Feast in a manner
pleasing to our Creator. To that end, we have
abandoned obedience to mere Jewish tradition by
diligently seeking the original intent of what
God directed us in his scriptures. We follow the
instructions, both those written and displayed
for us in the heavens, to know beyond a shadow
of doubt the first, the tenth, and the fifteenth
day of the seventh month. We’re not a day late
or a month late. We are here on the exact day he
commanded. The day when he says his people are
to have an appointment with him.
In the
next eight days, you’re going to hear a lot
about the law of God and the Kingdom of God. You
will hear about the past, the present, and, most
of all, about the future that awaits us. I urge
you to listen with open ears. Study the lessons
we are given. Meditate on them. Put them into
action in your lives. Keep in mind, however, to
look beyond the mere "letter" of the law to see
God’s spiritual intent. Write that in
your hearts and minds. Remember, David said it
is the broken spirit, the broken and contrite
heart that God really desires. That is the real
reason we are here at all. We’re not here just
to obey God’s commandment to assemble. We are
here to learn to put God’s laws to work in our
lives and to learn to have a spirit that is
pleasing to our Creator.
Sermon given by Philip Edwards
Feast of Tabernacles
October 6, 2006
Copyright 2006,
Philip Edwards