What's so Holy about the Holi-days?
In line with the Jewish calendar, the High Holy Days are upon us
this year. But as Gentiles, why would we
be interested in these events? We know
that Jesus participated in the Feasts and culture of the day, but then, He was
Jewish. Do the times and seasons set up
by God way back in Moses’ days have an impact on us as Believers today? Here are a few thoughts to think about:
Rosh HaShana - Head of the Year
Leviticus 23:23-25
Otherwise known as the Feast of Trumpets, it was simply to be a
holy day celebrated by the blowing of the trumpet/shofar. Today it is acknowledged with several
different shofar blasts, and marks the beginning of the ‘10 Days of Awe’ - a
solemn time of soul searching in preparation for Yom Kippur. During this time, God’s forgiveness is sought
and His judgment is feared. One
considers their ’sins’ before God and enters into a time of repentance, seeking
forgiveness from God and from those you may have hurt. It is also a time of restitution.
As modern day believers,
the sound of the trumpet blast is also very significant to us. It is mentioned
several times in New Testament writings, not the least of which being the signalling of the end of an age, and the
beginning of a new season when at ‘the last trumpet’ we shall all be changed!
(1Cor 15:51-53)
Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement
Leviticus 23:26-32
The holiest day of the Biblical year. The only day the High Priest was permitted to
enter the Holy of Holies, to approach the Lord where He resided over the mercy
seat. First the Priest had to go through
a series of sacrifices to atone for not only his own sin, but the sins of all
the people. After this, the ‘scape-goat’
was released into the desert to carry away the sins of the people . Then, and only then could the Priest dare to
approach the most holy of places and sprinkle the blood from the sacrifices
onto the Ark of the Covenant.
We know, according to God’s Word, that the blood of bulls and
goats did not provide full and permanent forgiveness. Each year the Priest had to go through the
rituals, each year new animals had to be sacrificed, and each year a new goat
wandered off into the wilderness.
Through Jesus life, death and resurrection, God provided a ‘once and for
all’ solution to sin: He was the sacrifice, He used His blood, and He took on
our sin on our behalf.
Not long after this, the temple was destroyed for the last
time. Since then there has been no
provision for the sacrificial system to be reinstituted. Today the Jewish people try to gain
absolution through prayer and good deeds and spend the Day of Atonement in
prayer and fasting, hoping that their names be inscribed in the Book of Life
for another year.
Sukot - Feast of Tabernacles
Leviticus 23:33-44
This is the most joyful of all celebrations - God actually
commanded the people to rejoice! It
celebrated the final harvest of the year and served as a reminder of how the
Israelites lived when they came out of Egypt.
Temporary ‘dwellings’ are constructed with 3 walls and a leafy roof so
you can see the stars. Then the
structure is decorated with harvest fruits, scriptures, garlands, and
pictures. In Yeshua’s day, this time was
simply referred to as ‘The Feast’, and incorporated special ceremonies with
water, adding great significance to Jesus’ words when he proclaimed His offer
of Living Water!
Today, families spend as much time as possible in their booths,
eating and even sleeping in them, being reminded of God’s provision and how His
presence was always with them in the wilderness through the cloud and pillar of
fire. As believers we are also reminded
of God’s eternal commitment to us, to tabernacle with us, to provide for us, to
leave or forsake us!