Tabernacles

God's Suffering People

Lev. 23:39-43

The Feast of Tabernacles is the equivalent of the American or the Canadian "Thanksgiving Day" when the harvest is brought in and the people rejoice at the goodness of the Lord. For seven days the Jewish people lived in booths, reminding them of their pilgrim journey when they were delivered from Egypt.

I. God Wants His People to Have Joy

There are some very practical lessons from this particular feast, and the first of them is rather obvious: God wants His people to have joy. Some people don't believe that. They think that God is somewhat of a "celestial spoilsport," that He sits in heaven trying to figure out ways to make people miserable. Of course, that simply isn't true. God wants His people to have joy. To begin with, He wants us to be able to look back and have joy. God wanted to remind the people that He had led them out of Egypt and had led them through the wilderness. He had been good to them.

It is a good thing to sit down, look back and remember the goodness of the Lord. Over and over again in the Book of Deuteronomy the people were told to remember. Moses said, "Now you remember, you were servants, slaves, in bondage in the land of Egypt, and God delivered you with a mighty hand and with great power." Over and over again Moses said, "Now, when you move into the land of Canaan, when you live in houses you didn't build, when you drink from wells you didn't dig, when you eat from fields and trees that you didn't plant or cultivate, remember this: It's God who has given this to you" (see Deut. 5:15; 6:10-12; 15:15; 16:12; 24:18,22).

As a pastor I have married many young couples. It is interesting to watch them. When they get started in housekeeping, they are grateful for anything they get. But then as they start getting along, they make a little more money and get a promotion, then something happens—they forget. They forget their original beginning. They forget that they had to get started the hard way. Now, I realize some couples get started in pretty good shape. But by and large, most of us got our start the hard way—we had to crawl before we could walk, we had to walk before we could run. It is easy to forget God's past mercies.

The Feast of Tabernacles was a reminder to the Jewish people that everything they had came from God. We need to remember this as a nation. We need to remember this as churches. Sometimes the younger generation in a church takes everything for granted the church building, the ministry. But you should remember that people sacrificed, worked and gave that the building and ministry might be there. Don't take the ministry of your church for granted. Somebody paid a price. Look back and be grateful for God's past mercies.

But God also wants us to be grateful for the present blessings. Tabernacles was a harvest festival (v. 39). "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice" (Deut 16:13-15).

Jewish tradition added two practices to the Feast of Tabernacles not recorded in Leviticus. For one thing, they used to go down to the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, draw out some water and pour it out as a reminder that God gave them water in the wilderness. Jesus made use of this practice when He said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).

Also, they had four huge candlesticks in the temple court, and every night during that week, these were lighted. It was a reminder of the pillar of fire that guided Israel in the wilderness. Jesus also made use of this when He said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world."

So the Jewish people could look back and be thankful for God's provision, protection and direction. They once lived in booths          now they were living in houses. They once had to wander now they were settled down. They once had to ask Him for water         now they had plenty of water. They could rejoice over past and present mercies from the generous hand of God. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they . . . trust [not] in uncer­tain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (I Tim. 6:17). Enjoy what God has given to you, and employ it for His glory and for the good of others.

II. Joy Always Follows Cleansing

There is a second lesson: Joy always follows cleansing. First the Day of Atonement, then the Feast of Tabernacles.

Nothing will rob you of joy like sin. David said, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Ps. 51:12). Sin robs us of joy, but joy always follows cleansing. This was true of the Prodigal Son. When he was out in the world, living with the pigs, rebelling against his father, he was miserable. Then he said, "I'm going home!" He went home, and the father received him and forgave him, and there was great joy. First the cleansing and then the joy. First sin has to be taken care of, and then there can be happi­ness. God wants His people to have joy, and joy follows cleansing.

III. Joy Leads to Sacrifice

There's a third lesson we should learn: Joy leads to sacrifice. During the Feast of Tabernacles, 199 different animals were sacrificed. Numbers 29 gives you the details on this: Seventy bullocks would be sacrificed and 14 rams and 98 lambs and seven goats. And then on the eighth day there would be one bullock and one ram and one goat and seven lambs. This is a total of 199 animals.

When you are joyfully thankful to God, sacrifice is no problem. God says to us, "I have been good to you. Now you must share. Share with Me. Share with the fatherless and with the widows." Some of you are probably in churches that are having building programs or special missionary programs, and there is a need for money. The economy being what it is, sometimes money is rather hard to come by. Remember that joy always leads to sacrifice. When we are happy in the Lord, rejoicing in His goodness, it is no problem at all to share what God gives us. Jesus Christ became poor that we might be rich (see II Cor. 8:9).

I used to ask myself the question, "Why did God stop with 199 animals? Why not an even 200 sacri­fices?" And then it came to me—lam supposed to be sacrifice number 200. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). When our all is given to Him, it is no problem to sacrifice for others.

IV. The Greatest Joy Is Yet to Come

There is a fourth lesson—the greatest joy is yet to come. I have pointed out that the seven feasts of the Lord present God's prophetic program. God's calendar begins with Passover the death of Christ. Then the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the cleansing of our lives. The Feast of Firstfruits pictures the resurrection of the Lord. Pentecost speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now, what lies in the future? The Feast of Trumpets—the gathering together of God's people (God's earthly people, Israel, and God's heavenly people, the Church). Then the Day of Atonement when Israel shall be cleansed of her sin and look upon Him whom she pierced. Then shall come that glorious Feast of Tabernacles when Israel shall enter into her kingdom.

We believe that there is a future for Israel. We believe the Bible teaches that one day Jesus Christ shall reign and there shall be a kingdom here on earth. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. . . . And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. . . . And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zech. 14:4,9,16). The Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of that future kingdom when:

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun

Does his successive journeys run."

The Feast of Tabernacles will be a time of great rejoicing. God will deliver all nature from the bondage of sin.

The greatest joy is yet to come. There shall be a time when nature will be delivered from the bondage of sin, when you and I will enter into the glory of the Lord, when His Kingdom is established.

Don't fix your heart on the joys of this world because they will not last. And don't get discour­aged because you are going through some difficulty it will not last either. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps. 30:5). The best is yet to come! Our Lord Jesus is going to come. One day He shall establish His Kingdom, and we shall reign with Him.

God wants His people to have joy. Joy always follows cleansing. Joy leads to sacrifice. And the greatest joy is yet to come. Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour? Have you entered into the joy of the Lord?

Be God's guest! The best is yet to come!

Perhaps you cannot accept God's invitation to be His guest because you have never trusted His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Saviour. God has provided salvation as a free gift; you need only receive it. To do so, you must believe that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again (II Cor. 15:3,4). Place your faith and trust in Him as your personal Saviour. God's Word promises that He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Then thank Him for making you His child (John 1:12).

If you have trusted Christ as a result of reading this book, please write and tell us about your deci­sion. We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, and we'll send you some helpful literature.