Moveable Feast
For in the day of evil He hides me in His booth; in the covering of His tent He hides me; Psalm 27:5
Booth – The Hebrew word, sok, is the basic word behind the Feast of Sukkoth. This is the feast of the harvest, celebrated in the Fall, the fifteenth day of the seventh month according to Exodus 34:22 and Leviticus 23:34-36. For seven days the people move from their homes to temporary shelters called “Sukkah.” The action recalls the wandering in the wilderness. The central imagery surrounds the booth made from palm branches and poles. This shelter becomes the “tent” for the people and a celebration of the tent of meeting that God provided during the forty years. All of this imagery is tied to the Tabernacle, the visible presence of God among His people.
When David needs to run and hide, he knows where to go. He goes to God’s tent, the shelter God provided for His people in the wilderness. The pictograph adds to the imagery. The consonants samech-kof are the picture of support by an open hand. Furthermore, this imagery contains the picture of turning toward what is open or allowed or covered. In other words, sok is about coming into the presence of God’s shelter where I find His covering and care. If I really need to run and hide, there’s no better place than God’s tent. That’s the same imagery of the festival during Sukkoth. Every year, God’s people are required to remember His provision and protection, not only as a reminder of His intervention with the children of Israel following the exodus, but also as a reminder of His continuing grace each year of our lives. The festival connects us to the God who acted on our behalf with our ancestors and who is acting on our behalf right now. It is history repeated.
Perhaps one of the great tragedies of contemporary Christianity is the loss of historical reality. Yes, we have the stories of the Old Testament, but we no longer have the presence of the Tanakh. We left that behind when the church shifted its foundation from Israel to Athens. What a shame! To see the faithfulness of God in the present is to experience a celebration that connects us with the same God who cared for all those freed slaves. I think God knows how desperately we need tangible reminders. He knows that the pressures of this world and the pace of this life too often cloud our vision of His grace and goodness. So, He established a series of feasts to be repeated every year as a way of continually connecting us with His eternal care. Recovering that connection is vital to the growth of the Body. Five thousand years of reminders of God’s provision and protection certainly give us ample evidence of His reliability when we need it most. Spending a week in booths teaches everyone a great lesson. Apparently it is a lesson worth repeating.
So, next time you need to go fishing, remind yourself of camping for a week in God’s tent. Then you will be filled with the reality of His unfailing care. “I am the Lord who brought you out of the house of bondage.”
Topical Index: sok, Sukkoth, Psalm 27:5, Exodus 34:22, Leviticus 23:34-36
I live a “sheltered” life. No doubt, G-d has been good to me. I sit here this morning in “the quiet place”.. and review the past 46 years of traveling with and under the guidance of G-d and am overcome with the “goodness and mercy” that have pursued me and as I have (finally) slowed down enough, have caught up with and inundated me with the tsunami of His love. Today, I will celebrate the Savior. I will seek out an assembly of Christ followers and enjoy the praise of YHWH and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit our LORD gives to us with my “extended” family. I live in a “kosher” neighborhood. I am blessed to have a synagogue within walking distance of my house. I am thankful to my Jewish neighbors for the reminder of the festival of booths- life is temporary and fragile. And with the presence of our Father it becomes fruitful and fragrant. If we are to remember our Exodus, let us also remember the desert, our years of wandering and going in circles, and then let us (all) also remember we are to enter into a “land” or “dwelling place” by the name of Canaan. To get there we have to cross a river by the name of Jordan. Not only have we left Eygpt (our exodus), but also we are to enter into Canaan and claim our possessions in Christ, (our eisodus). From darkness to light. From confusion to clarity. We have not only been delivered from the domain of darkness, but are being led (by the Good Shepherd Himself) into a land that flows with milk and honey. I love the Scriptures that asks the question- “can G-d furnish a table in the wilderness?”- I’ll ask it again today of all the readers of TW. Can He? Does He? (lol!) Amen!–
Without question.
Not being Jewish (faith group that is) I guess I have trouble getting wrapped up in the booth as a religious experience. Even so, the idea of God providing me shelter I can connect with. While I do not go fishing, I do enjoy going out camping so maybe I can connect in this way.
Skip stated: “He established a series of feasts to be repeated every year as a way of continually connecting us with His eternal care. Recovering that connection is vital to the growth of the Body.”
As a simple reminder … the feasts are commanded! Oh yes I know that this makes many uncomfortable. And clearly attempts have been made to change declared truths and facts to suit a relative religious perspective.
However ….. anyone can look at the Mo’adim within The Word and realize that they are all about Yeshua! There is no need for “replacement yamim kedoshim” …. these Mo’adim are perfect in every way, shape and form. They are designed to be an integral component of Israel’s respective annual and life long cycles. They are designed to reveal the glory of ELOHIM. They are designed to keep us close to ELOHIM. They are designed to reveal to us HIS plan at a high level!
As far as recovering the connection …. c’mon Skip …. once again implication upon implication! (I know brother you prefer to be subtle ….)
Let us try this …. “we can stop being rebellious and disobedient”. “We can stop listening to the theological nonsense which teaches that believers in Jesus are to contemn the Mitzvot and Mo’adim of Adonai”. We can reject the false (pagan tainted) Mo’adim instituted by the institution because they serve as witnesses to the doctrines of “replacement theology” and “self determinism” …. how brazen! People need to combat the lies that keep us away from HIM …. or at least minimally run away from such practices!
For people to sit back and decide if “this” or “that” as declared in The Word is something that is or is not for them …. I believe this is a dangerous scenario and hiding behind 1,800 years of mistaken doctrine and practices counts for squat if we are blessed to have the opportunities to openly discuss such matters and choose to obey or not to obey!
Always appreciate your straightforward comments, but for those who are following along behind, translation might be useful. The objective is to all get to the finish line at the same time, so, stronger brother, please allow others to be clued in as you go. Most of the readers will not know what to do with Mo’adim (festivals) and Mitzvot (commandments).
“We can stop listening to the theological nonsense which teaches that believers in Jesus are to contemn the Mitzvot and Mo’adim of Adonai”. We can reject the false (pagan tainted) Mo’adim…”
Drew, I have no idea what you mean by this, sorry! Could you elaborate please?
Thank you,
John
Hello John,
In a nutshell! The Biblical Feasts ordained within The Word are for the entire World … but most assuredly for believers that are grafted into Israel. These Mo’adim (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Festival of Weeks (Shavuot), Yom T’ruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot) are an integral component of a believer’s relationship with The Lord. These Festivals are absolutely perfect and Yeshua can not be separated from them …. the mere thought of such a separation is quite frankly ridiculous.
The Christian Holy/Holi days are mere traditional replacements of the Biblical Feasts. Replacements that have “Roman”/”Pagan” origins … and don’t take my word for it …. do the research”!
The replacements were instituted in the wake of anti-Semitism, a false notion that the church had replaced Israel as ELOHIM’s chosen people and the need to bolster up their annual life cycle to mimic what was Biblically ordained!
To a broader extent the church made “meaningless” the mitzvot or Torah which was handed down from The Lord to Israel.
So my brother …. when we see that the church preaches against the Biblically appointed times of G_D and preaches that Torah is not to be prevalent in our lives …. we are left with having to answer the basic question: “whose spirit is driving such mistaken doctrine and beliefs?”
Most assuredly it is not the Spirit of Yeshua …. it is not Ruach HaKodesh …. sadly we know it is the spirit of anti-Mashiach!
Years ago when I was delivered from such pollution by The Lord I was at first devastated. Over time my devastation moved to anger and now the anger has been replaced by resignation to the fact that “the Gentile church” will not be re-born …. corrected …. repentant …. etc.
Now my concern is simply to spread the news of the real Gospel of Yeshua … so that people can realize the truth and seek t’shuvah!
As for taking back the discarded heritage …. I would suggest that no one does this on their own. There are hundreds of Messianic communities popping up all over the globe and certainly here in the USA; perhaps folks should look into paying one of these communities a visit. It is really designed to be a community thing …. it is very tough to go this alone!
Thank you Drew, that clarifies it a lot!
I hope so brother …. I know its a tough message …. but I can’t adequately express to you or anyone else the blessings that have come about from coming to terms with Yeshua on His terms.
Shalom
Everyone has a Theology… it’s either a good one or a bad one.
How is this instruction written on our hearts as prophesied and revealed in Christ? I see a big part of the way to look at the tabernacle when reading the NT book of Hebrews. Contemporary Christianity is in trouble for lack of bible history – all scripture.. not just the OT. Someone throw me a bone here. I attend a “church” and it often seems too broad brush to speak against what Paul calls the BODY of the Lord. Am I overly Pauline in my understanding? Maybe, but this doesn’t negate the fact that he, being inspired by the Lord Himself, said these things. Brother Drew and others following, speaking of Israel, isn’t it the remnant that will be saved (those of the Faith of Abraham)? The “root” Paul speaks of in Romans, isn’t it Christ (Rom. 15:12)? I’m sorry someone you believe is part of “contemporary Christianity” told you we see God’s instruction “meaningless”. WOW, yes, that is a spirit against the Lord. That history is far from “meaningless”. Look at the text of 1 Cor. 10:11. Notice the word νουθεσία… why does the NASB translate this “instruction” instead of “admonishment”? Well, it surely teaches that there is a lesson to learn from Israel’s history! I thank the Lord some have changed and that He grafts me into that “remnant” grafted into Christ’s foundation (ie. Root). Everyone who doesn’t “do” the feast or festivals are against Jewish history or traditions. I’ve honestly had a chance to partake of a Sadar meal at my church in Webster TX (we do yearly). It was a great experience. At first glance you’d think we’re “contemporary Christianity”. Is there still a stumbling stone in Zion? I want to point out Luke 10:20-28 to see Yeshua’s perspective in “this way” introduced by Christ. I think it’s also feasible to add John 17:20-21. Our Lord makes it clear that we should be ONE through their (His disciples) message. What are you and others around you doing to steer people away from their message to make us all One with the Lord?
Shawn,
“What are you and others around you doing to steer people away from their message to make us all One with the Lord?”
First … Are you implying that the church is teaching the message that was provided by Yeshua’s disciples? This is indeed the crux of the issue …. the very root of this matter. Yeshua …. His talmidim, Paul included, would never have …. and did not preach that the eternal nature of the festivals, commands and in general Torah were “old” – “replaced” and unnecessary any more. For a moment let us focus not on theology but on halakah or behavior and practices! Let’s make things quite tactical for a while!
So when we speak of unity let us not get trapped into the false notion that the Gospel message implies that unity entails tolerance of false doctrines. Let us not for a moment think that unity in Him has anything to do with denominational accord. Let us not for a moment think that unity entails accepting what The Lord deems unacceptable! Let us not for a moment think that unity equals all kinds of people doing their own thing!
OK … so the church does not want Torah to be integral to the lives of believers. The church does not want to submit and embrace the Biblical festivals …. for me and others this is not acceptable!
So what do we do about it? We walk in obedience as best we can. We embrace Torah … not because we can earn anything but because our Spirits lead us to submission and a desire to satisfy the purpose of The Lord. We embrace the Hebraic roots of our faith …. because it is what The Lord desires for us. We accept the reality that we are grafted into the root (Yeshua) and adopted into the greater body of Israel!
What does this mean? We fashion our lives to His will and not to our own desires. We preach the Gospel message and hold ourselves and community members accountable because we have to walk the path …. not just talk about it! So the end game is example …. the end game is obedience …. the end game is having others see that my life has changed and that I am no longer that self centered, ego centric, rebellious person. Will I ever get it all right …. no way 🙁 but …. the end game is to show His power through personal change …. because I simply could not do it …. no way …. no how! Praise HIM! The end game is to look like a natural branch and not a wild branch …. a alien branch!
Has this resulted in unity with my Christian friends …. absolutely not sad to say! In fact I frankly have had to walk away from most because their lives are not different than what had been my own life style and that of non-believers. Same stuff …. etc.
Do I and will I try to reach them …. of course …. ultimately however we both know what needs to take place and I pray for them!
I personally believe The Word is quite clear on what it means to be or not to be in accord with The Lord. If the church wants to convince itself that being in union with Yeshua can mean being disobedient in such simple but important matters like The Sabbath or observing the Festivals …. then I surely don’t have to be in unity with such religion!
So Shawn … yes we do need to be in unity … the unity however must be on His terms and His terms alone!
Drew, thank you for your reply.
In your view, how is someone “justified” in Christ? (ie. saved). What are His terms? Can you point to a few verses that indicate those under this grace need to observe these feast, etc..?
How do you read Luke 10:21-28? “how do you read it?”… do you see Drew… the wise and intelligent couldn’t see “this way” Yeshua introduced. Who said we just “talk about it”? Deception comes in different forms. Individually, not always corporately as suggested. Yes, there is error in only talking instead of walking the talk. I’m sure there’s others like this in “messianic” realms. The moral of the story is… you’re held to your own view of how you read it. I don’t see anything wrong with doing the feasts – it’s claiming others “have to” that doesn’t seem to be expressed as important as abstaining from sin expressed by the polluted world in which we live.
I hope we can all be become less arrogant in our approach to expressing our individual views.
Yes, God is Holy before He is Love. What is holiness to you? Can you be holy by your own power?
So, we all must rely on Christ to bring us all together and sanctify us. Notice His words to the Father for the disciples in John 17. Notice, “I have given them you Word” , ” I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” I must ask again, are you following their message, their word? Are you being sanctified by something other than this promise Christ gave to them? If He is our High Priest before the Father (Hebrews 7:25-27) – I don’t see a need to be justified by anything else but through faith in “this way” Christ told the Father was pleasing in His sight (Luke 10:21). It still comes down to how we express holiness in the “end game” you speak of (the fruits of the Spirit). Drew you’re doctrine is weary to the soul – I want you to invite me to a feast, not sit around and talk to me about them. I’d be excited to join. I’m sorry some out there wouldn’t who represent “the church” in your eyes. Brother, the war you wage needs to be more focused on the real issues – sanctification of the believer, not dividing fellowship over things we think are “unacceptable”.
Well, I guess I get to enter in between Drew and Shawn. First, contemporary Christian vocabulary and theology provides a fertile ground for confusing OBLIGATION (God’s expressed commandments) and INVITATION (God’s offer of restoration). The typical Law vs. Grace position consistently makes the same mistake Paul countered in Galatians. Following the commandments of our Lord is NEVER the means of achieving grace. It was not true for the Jews (nor did they imagine that it was) and it is not true for Gentiles. Legalism is wrong in any form, whether Jewish or Christian (e.g. circumcision = acceptability OR not drinking = acceptability). We must clearly distinguish between what God does FOR US – namely, provide the means of deliverance – and what we are called to do as a result of His action – namely, live according to His instructions. Salvation comes by grace alone, but this does not eliminate the purpose of the Law (Torah). It is still completely and absolutely valid as the means by which God accomplishes His purposes through us. So, if we rest on the laurels of “faith” but we do not exercise our obligations toward the one who provided deliverance, we insult the gift and become useless for the Kingdom.
Now, even a cursory reading of the text makes it obvious that God directed His people to celebrate certain festivals, honor certain days, abide by certain dietary choices and act in certain ways within the community. IT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE to contend that God didn’t mean what He said. He held Israel accountable for these instructions throughout Israel’s history. In addition, we know from the text that the early congregations of Messianic believers followed the same sets of instructions. Sha’ul deliberately makes the point. James confirms it. There is no indication in the text itself that any follower of the Way ever set aside these instructions as invalid or abolished. At the same time, there is no warrant at all for claiming that any of these authors believed fulfilling their duty to keep the mitvot had any effect at all on the application of God’s grace to their lives. But NO ONE suggested that the obligations were optional! If you are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, you live under the constitution of Israel – a constitution established by God at Sinai. To refuse to live according to His government is the equivalent of saying, “Thanks for saving me, Lord, but now I choose to live as I please.” The only way we get to “I’ll just live by the law of love, but I don’t have to follow Torah” is to REJECT the Hebraic foundation of our faith. We are not followers of the UNIVERSAL GOD of MANKIND. We are followers of the God of Israel, and He tells us how He wants us to live through His interaction with Israel. There are no options here, although the history of the church clearly shows there have been lots of mistakes.
Let’s stop the confusion. The feasts, the commandments, the instructions are not “if I feel like it” issues. They are expressions of my thankfulness to the Lord who redeemed me. Not to do them is an insult to His character. He saved me IN ORDER THAT I might live by His design.
Thanks for the intrusion Skip … For the record …. I have never presented anything that is in contradiction to what you have posted herein (go ahead … check back and see any past comments … not a shred of legalism … ever) …. There is no confusion on my part regarding how Yeshua (our Yovel … our Jublilee) redeems us! However ……
There is definitely confusion over what a believer’s required response to Yeshua’s gift is. It is not for the likes of me (or anyone else individually) to determine what is or is not “acceptable”. There is only the perfect character of ELOHIM revealed to us in The Word. Praise Him for so lovingly providing such clarity …. such a guide …. Yeshua! In Word, Spirit and Flesh!
As such, how can His character be reflected … how can His purpose be fulfilled …. if the standard by which His character is defined …. the standard by which He Himself lived (Torah) is viewed by purported believers as “take it or leave it” or “that is only for the Jews” or “that testament has been done away with”? Whatever happened to a perfect ELOHIM … unchanging … Who Was … Who Is … and Who Is To Come?
So perhaps we would like to see some “other” passages from Scripture that can shed some light on the expectation … the requirements …. that our Lord gave to us. Passages that are not taken out of context but remain completely in sync with the truth revealed in The Word.
John: 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Matthew: 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew: 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
1st John: 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua Mashiach the righteous: 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
These declarations, exhortations … these REQUIREMENTS did not emanate from the TANAKH. These all came from the B’rit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant). Naturally these passages align perfectly with the TANAKH since it ALL is THE WORD. If these passages however are rendered in a way that does not align with the TANAKH then of course the renderings must be incorrect. If these passages are rendered in a manner that changes the Character of ELOHIM, then of course once again the passages have been interpreted incorrectly. There can be no negation of THE WORD against itself … It is perfect!
Please also note that I need not introduce the elegant but at times difficult writings of Sha’ul herein because at the end of the day Sha’ul’s writings only confirm the TANAKH and the passages contained herein. If they do not, then we have a major problem …. Don’t we?
We can also toss out any notions that generalized truths such as “loving thy neighbor” can result in abandonment of the commandments. In the same token having Torah written upon our hearts can not possibly mean that Torah is to be disregarded. Think about it for one moment …. ELOHIM will write Torah on our hearts so that we can intentionally disobey Torah … even from a Greek perspective this would be illogical! From a Hebrew perspective it is clearly heresy! And yes … Yeshua was a Hebrew!
So brethren … what conclusions can be drawn?
For nearly two millennia believers have been taught and steadfastly clung to a false belief that obedience in the image and likeness of Yeshua in some way shape or form is wrong! Because of fears of legalistic conventions and man made traditions, believers have purposefully ignored exactly what Yeshua wants for us. Believers lament over the lack of unity and bemoan the fate of a fractured Body Of Mashiach … while the guide book for unity and community living sits right in front of our eyes. The guide book for spreading the kingdom sits right in front of our eyes.
If this doctrine, which is accredited to me, causes offense to anyone …. just remember where it emanates from! The matter at hand is not the issue of Grace (the invitation) but rather our response to this Gift … our purpose and obligation!
I am saddened to hear that this is not to be deemed a “real issue” … but most assuredly disagree. There is no doubt that we have a huge disconnect regarding “sanctification” vs. “kadosh”.
Skip … perhaps you would like to explain the Hebraic versus Greek thoughts on this issue to Shawn. Apparently he is not understanding that “this is exactly the issue I was dealing with all along” … kadosh = separated = purposeful = Torah = Shine the light = Spread the kingdom …