“Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field:
and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” - Exodus 23:14-17
“And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make -great mirth-, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. “ - Nehemiah 8:9-12
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - Fun ( Party time ! )
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We are approaching the time of Passover.
This year, due to the introduction of a leap month ( every three years ) into the Jewish calendar, Good Friday and Passover fall on the same day. Otherwise Passover happens a month before Good Friday most years - you can thank Julius, Augustus Caesar and Pope Gregory ( in a small measure ) for that - google Julian and Gregorian calendar if you want to know more ( Sun based as opposed to moon based calendars ). Christ of course, being a Torah observing Jew , would have followed the Hebrew Calendar. It’s why He was in Jerusalem every Passover year of His 3 year ministry - he was keeping the Law ( Text 1 ) and fulfilling prophecy.
Usually people honor their deities with feast days that are of -mans- choosing, set apart for that purpose. The Bible is unique in that God Himself legislates (!) the days and times that His people should party with Him, and as we will see, He has layered these festivities with even more significance. But first and foremost , these are times of celebration - so let’s take a look at what He had in mind for fun!
The giving of the Law gave man his very very first taste of feasting with the divine...this had never happened in all of human history ( at this scale ) up to this point..
“And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: — also they saw God, and did eat and drink. —- “ - Exo 24:8-11
The Law was celebrated with a party! We have several feasts that were also given at that time.
Passover - a celebration of Gods sovereign grace and victory in rescuing His people from bondage.
“And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.This day came ye out in the month Abib.” - Exo 13:3,4
We are in the month of Abib now ( this year ) , it began with the new moon, and Passover ( also called the Feast of unleavened bread ) will be observed with the full moon from the 14th to the 17th. Christ died on the exact afternoon the Passover Lamb was to be slaughtered prior to the feast beginning- the afternoon of the 13th day ( Day 14 began at sunset ) - and rose again on the day a sheaf representing the very first of the harvest ( the Omer ) was to be waved in the Temple.Passover was supposed to be a time of rejoicing, celebration, and remembrance- forging a strong national unity - even the Romans released prisoners to join in the national celebration - Barabbas being the most famous ( released in lieu of Jesus ).
Feast 2, commemorated the beginning of the harvest season, and the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai. This is called Shavuot or the feast of weeks, since 7 weeks were counted from the time the first sheaf was waved in the Temple. This happens on the 6th day of the month of Sivan, the 3rd month on the calendar. For Christians the day commemorates the giving of the Spirit to the church, and the beginning of the Grand Harvest of the Gospel.Interesting when you think about the 3 persons of the Trinity and Christ’s instructions to His disciples to WAIT 7 weeks for Him to inaugurate the Church!
Feast 3, happens in the 7th month. Beginning at the 6th month, 1st day, Israel as a nation is called to reflect on their sins for 40 days ( another interesting # ) till on the 10th of the month, the great Day of Atonement is ushered in by the blowing of the trumpet! 5 days later, with a new moon, we kick off the feast of Tabernacles - rich with imagery - representing our temporary existence in this life, as well as reminding us, that our God chooses to tabernacle with His people - in a tent, as a human being in a human body, and as a Spirit dwelling within us. This was a feast to be held after all the Labor of the Harvest was done and it was “gathered in”- we as Christians, are still looking forward to that day!
Now all this is good information, but what does it have to do with fun? Answer- Rejoicing was totally a part of all of the feasts we mentioned.
Passover : We saw it in “And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD. And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.” - 2 Chron 30:21-22
Pentecost : And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: And thou -shalt rejoice- before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
Tabernacles : “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. “ - Le 23:40
Rejoicing was an integral part of ALL the feasts, not just for the Feast of Tabernacles referenced by the text. Well it’s plain enough to see why...
A. 3 , week long National Holidays. No work by LAW on the first and last days of the week!!!
B. Every one was commanded to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem! It must have been a key milestone on the calendar with families from different parts of the land coming together to meet, hang out, WORSHIP AND EAT & DRINK!
C. Security was provided by the Lord. “ For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. “ - Exodus 34:24
Worship and fun are NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE!!!!
Imagine Super Bowl coming 3 times a year when all fans travel down , tailgate for a week and watch the game! We don’t mean to be irreverent- all we are trying to do is paint a picture of the Heart of God for you!
Well, what’s a Christian to do? There is no temple to congregate at, and these ordinances don’t apply to us. There are some principles to take away -
First of all, our Lord instituted His Supper. Due to His constant abiding Presence, we no longer need to look at the heavens or count days in the calendar. We may observe it whenever we wish, with Joy and Thanksgiving, remembering His victory, our Deliverance and showing forth His Death and Resurrection till He comes. Some denominations have linked this supper to forgiveness or absolution ( Mass and the Eucharist ) - but the Word implies no such linkage or solemn observance. Our God invites us to eat and drink OF Him.
In the early church, we see the Lords Supper actually observed as a party (!), prompting the Apostle Paul to warn the early church not to disrespect the Manna we have been given by treating it as any other food ( 1 Cor 11:20-34 ). These were the “love-feasts” spoken of by Jude, and Peter that were attended by non-believers, as well as those looking to take down the church.
“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: “ Jude 1:12
“But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.
Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;” 2 Peter 2:10-13
We are warned against “rioting in the daytime”, or drinking and eating the Lords body “unworthily”. These are red flags to help us distinguish those who share our joy from those who just want to party at our expense ( in more ways than one... ) Beyond that - God does not discourage us from partying or enjoying whatever He has so graciously given us, in fact, in the OT He COMMANDED it! So enjoy what you have guilt-free, it is a gift - just be careful not to forget the One from whose Hands it flows down ...
“Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Hallelujah!