Biblical Feasts
By Rev. Dr. Rick Chesher
There are many things in the Bible that seem very hard to understand, and we can find this especially true with the Old Testament. I really don’t like to call it the Old Testament because I believe and also speak each week of the importance for us to know and understand all that is there. We really cannot not understand what is in the New if we don’t know what is being talked about.
The reason I am saying these things is at the time Yashua (Jesus) was walking the earth, and the disciples were following Him and learning from Him there wasn’t a New Testament. So what were they all using to teach Scripture? The answer, of course in the Old Testament, and the New Testament expounds upon this Old Testament. The teachings that Paul did, for example were from the Old Testament.
Now the reason I bring this up is with this understanding there is a need to understand what is being taught and what is it we are really supposed to be doing. For instance, all of those feasts that they did in the Old Testament they were still doing in the New Testament, and that’s why we find Yashua doing things like Passover and the other feasts.
Now this is close to my heart because we are actually headed into some of these feasts, in fact by the time you read this Shavuot (Feast of Weeks will be done and we will be looking at some other festivals. These are those times that some have coined Jewish Feasts or Festivals, which by the way is not what Scripture says about them at all. The truth is I really like sticking close to what Scripture says about things.
If we look at Scripture we will find Scripture doesn’t call them Jewish feasts and Festivals either. In Lev. 23:2 Yahweh tells Moses to let Israel know what the feasts are and that they are His feasts, not Jewish feasts, and in Lev. 23:44 it is Moses went to Israel to tell them about the feasts of Yahweh. These are also called appointed times, not only appointed time for them to do something, but they are appointed time for Yahweh to meet with His people.
One of the appointed times, by the way, is Sabbath each week. Yahweh wants to meet with us on all of His appointed times. These are times He will be there to be with His people as a whole. Paul calls us the temple of Yahweh, or the tabernacle of Yahweh. The temple and the tabernacle was a place for Yahweh to put His name, a place where He dwells. I don’t know about you, but as for myself I want to meet with Him and to be with Him. This is just something for you to consider. Have a blessed day.