At the Feast we have special picnic food together…
…and worship God together.
In our fellowship we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles every year in October. It is a wonderful feast taken from the Old Testament. To understand the full significance of this feast, a Christian needs to look at the seven feasts, and then realise that each feast is a picture of what Christ has done for us.
We have set out a simple Bible study below on the seven feasts, with gaps, so that you can fill them in yourself after you have printed off this study. There are also pictures that were taken during the feast in October 2009, so that you can catch a glimpse of the joy that there was among us as we thanked the Lord for all that He has done.
Another name for the tabernacles we make at the feast is “booth”.
Here is a good one that a family made. The booth is a simple dwelling to remind us how the Israelites lived in booths when they came out of Egypt. In Christ we give up our old strength and worldly ways and live more simply.
The seven feasts of the Lord
Passover
Romans 5.9 “Since we have now been justified by His
_ _ _ _ _ , how much more shall we be _ _ _ _ _ from God’s _ _ _ _ _ through Him!”
This word “passover” is taken from the promise of God that, after the head of each house had applied the blood from the lamb they had slain, the angel of death would pass over that house. In all the houses then where there was no blood, the first-born male in that house died. It was this that persuaded Pharaoh to at last tell Moses to take the children of Israel away from Egypt. Pharaoh is a picture of Satan, and Egypt is a picture of the world.
Exodus 12.12-13 “When I see the _ _ _ _ _ I will pass _ _ _ _ you.”
Unleavened bread
1 Corinthians 5.6-8 “…but with bread without _ _ _ _ _ , the bread of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ .”
When this New Testament passage is read, then it is clear that leaven stands for sin. Leaven, or yeast, is a living organism that feeds on the starch and sugar and makes bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. These tiny bubbles cause the dough to rise.
Exodus 12.17-20 “In the _ _ _ _ _ month you are to eat bread made without _ _ _ _ _ .”
Firstfruits
1 Corinthians 15.20 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the _ _ _ _ , the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of those who have fallen _ _ _ _ _ _ .”
Leviticus 23.9-11 “…bring to the priest a sheaf of the
_ _ _ _ _ grain you harvest. He is to _ _ _ _ the sheaf before the Lord…”
Here the action of the priest waving a sheaf of the first grain is a picture of Christ being raised from the dead.
Pentecost (50 days after firstfruits)
Acts 2.4 “All of them were filled with the _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ and began to speak with other _ _ _ _ _ _ _ as the _ _ _ _ _ _ enabled them.”
Leviticus 23.17 “…bring two loaves … made of _ _ _ _ flour, baked with _ _ _ _ _ as a wave offering of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to the Lord.”
Now those saints in the early church were the first fruits of the harvest that our Lord Jesus has prepared. There were two loaves, because there will be many, and they were baked with yeast because we come to salvation with still a lot of work to be done in our lives. The sin still in us will be dealt with in the feasts still to follow.
Trumpets
1 Corinthians 15.52 “For the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ will sound, the
_ _ _ _ will be _ _ _ _ _ _ imperishable, and _ _ will be
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ .”
Leviticus 23.24 “… you are to have a day of _ _ _ _ , a
_ _ _ _ _ _ assembly commemorated with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ blasts.”
In Old Testament times, the trumpet was used to signal several things, but note that this time it was to proclaim a day of rest. When the last trumpet sounds, it will signal a rest coming upon the whole world as our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones to rule and reign upon the earth. But before that happens for the whole world, we are invited to enter into rest by depending entirely upon His strength and not our own.
If we stay at Pentecost, we will not be able to fully satisfy the Lord’s desire for a people able to demonstrate the Kingdom of God in humility and purity.
Atonement
This feast deals with the sin that has remained after Pentecost. We have time to reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about inner purity and integrity.
Luke 9.23 “If any man would come after _ _ (Jesus), he must _ _ _ _ himself and take up his _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and follow Me.”
Leviticus 23.27 “Hold a _ _ _ _ _ _ assembly and _ _ _ _ yourselves.”
Tabernacles
Hebrews 4.9 There remains, then, a _ _ _ _ _ _ – _ _ _ _ for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s _ _ _ _ also rests from his own work…”
Leviticus 23.39-40 “… the first day is a day of _ _ _ _ …. _ _ _ _ _ _ _…”
Here is the main theme of the Feast of Tabernacles – REST! This does not mean doing little, or being lazy. No, it means to do whatever you do in the strength that God supplies.
That results in the second main theme – that is, JOY! Joy comes not from telling jokes or being silly in order to get a laugh, but from a well-being deep within our spirit that tells us that we are right with God and that He is pleased with us. That joy is our strength, and will sustain us in times of great hardship, and persecution.
It will therefore be very important that the saints in the last days experience this feast. We see from John 7 that it was half way through this feast that Jesus appeared and gave His invitation for those hearing to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
John 7.14 “Not until _ _ _ _ _ _ _ through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.”
v38 “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of _ _ _ _ _ _ water will flow from within him.”
Well, there it is. The seven Feasts certainly make a beautiful illustration, don’t they!
Where are you in your experience with the Lord?
Ask our Lord to show you if you are not certain, and do a more careful study in the Bible, praying as you go. The Holy Spirit is here to help you.
There is a time of rejoicing at the Feast for all that God has done.