8 February | EVERYONE
«Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.’» Leviticus 23: 34
Israel’s solemn feasts were spiritual celebrations that made the day shine, even if there was no sun. The people adorned their spirits, offered sacrifices, made offerings, read some psalms, and worshipped God. It was a divine initiative; it did not come from them. The Israelites simply acknowledged God’s sovereignty and did so with joy. It was the ripe fruit of their gratitude for God’s care and blessings.
These feasts included the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Trumpets, Jubilee, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. They were all, in one way or another, related to the theme of salvation. God tried to teach, in many ways and using various illustrations, that humans can only be saved by the wonderful grace of the Lamb of God who would one day come to die for humanity.
In the year of jubilee, for example, slaves were freed, and land returned to those who, in debt, had pawned their property and could not redeem it. Could there be a better illustration to show the human inability to pay their sin debt? Christ would come one day and rescue us from the misery of evil.
The Passover was another feast. It took place on the 14th day of Nisan. That month marked the beginning of the religious calendar in Israel. This feast commemorated the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt. It illustrated the deliverance from the enslaving power of God’s enemy that would be consummated once and for all through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus.
Later came Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover. It was also called the “harvest festival”, a festival of thanksgiving for the fruits gathered. On this day, the grain of a new harvest was offered to the Lord and a holy congregation was held. Thus was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early church symbolically announced.
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Make today a day of spiritual feast in your heart, a day of gratitude to God for His material blessings and above all for the supreme gift of Jesus.