The Feast Of Booths

Pat:

This morning we’ll wrap up our look at the Jewish Feasts and their fulfillment by Jesus as we examine the last of the seven feasts prescribed by God for His people. Before we look at the Feast of Tabernacles, allow me to share a word of personal testimony. Perhaps like many of you, there was a time in my life when I pretty much dismissed the Jewish feasts as merely an “Old Testament” practice that had no relevance to me as a “New Testament Christian”. But then for an assignment in one of my seminary classes I wrote a paper about how Jesus was portrayed in these feasts. For me, that began an exciting journey that still continues today.

In the seven weeks that we’ve taken this year to examine each of the feasts, we have only scratched the surface. We’ve only been able to share with you a small fraction of what we’ve learned about the feasts over the years. And even for us, we continue to learn more about these feasts and their significance for all believers. And as we continue on that journey, our hunger to explore these feasts has increased almost exponentially. Our prayer is that we have just whetted your appetite a bit and that you will join us on that journey as you search out these matters on your own.

Once again this morning, we’ll follow the same pattern that we have been using. Pastor Dana will explain the historical background and the current day observation of the Feast of Booths and then I’ll wrap up by showing how Jesus has and will fulfill the feast and the implications for our lives as followers of the Messiah, Jesus.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Dana:

23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV)

As a event, the Lord’s Supper has the following elements:

• Celebration

• Remembrance

It is meant to be conducted repeatedly

It requires preparation

Shared as a gathering

It’s a celebration

Built upon:

• Remembrance- the Past Completed work of Jesus,

• Anticipation- the Future Return of Jesus

This reminds me of the feast God ordained to the Hebrews known as Sukkoth- or the Feast of Booths

It, too, was- and still is- a feast conducted as a celebration and is based upon remembrance and anticipation.

(Understand, though, that the Lord’s Supper is Not a replacement, for Booths, but an extension of the Feast, and a progressive picture of the Messiah.)

By now we all know that there are a total of seven feasts that were prescribed by God for His people. The feasts are broken down into three main seasons. The Spring feasts – Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits coincide with the barley harvest and were fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming.

The Feast of Weeks coincided with the completion of the wheat harvest and, as was fulfilled by Jesus by the giving of the Holy Spirit which inaugurated the church age in which we now live.

The final three feasts – the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths - occur in the Fall, and they will be fulfilled in full by Jesus at His second coming.

The primary instructions for the observance of the Feast of Booths, like those for the other feasts, is found in Leviticus 23:

33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work… 39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”