The Feast of Joy – Tabernacles

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Well, as we end our ten days of introspection and reflection and repentance and ended with

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the Day of Atonement, we now enter the seven-day feast of tabernacles known as a feast of rejoicing,

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what a fun time we all will have, Jew and Gentile.

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We're all invited to celebrate it.

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So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional, when I seek to share just a little

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inspiration and bring a little peace to the close of your very busy week.

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The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day feast designed to remember God's provision for

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the Israelites during their wilderness days.

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But once they took possession of the land, it became a celebration of God's provision

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for them in a harvest.

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And as the Israelites celebrated this year's harvest, they then began to pray for rain

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so that they would have an abundant harvest next year as well.

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So as the tradition developed over the years of how to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles,

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a special water libation ceremony became a critical part of it when the high priests

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would go down to the pool of Siloam in procession, and they would take their beautiful vessels

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from the temple and they would dip it into the living waters of the Gehon Springs there

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at the pool of Siloam, and they would bring this living water up, process up the hill,

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if you've been there, it's up the hill to the temple mount.

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They would pour that water out over the altar, praying for rain, the praying for an outpouring

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of God's Holy Spirit.

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Now this was much more than about rain or just water because the waters of Siloam had

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been used during the Old Testament days to anoint the kings of Israel.

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So it became known as an anointing place, a water of anointing, and the Spirit would

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come upon that individual then.

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And so the living waters of Siloam became to be associated with the outpouring of the

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Holy Spirit, and the pool of Siloam became known as the Well of Salvation and was associated

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with the Messianic Age.

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Thus, to the Jewish people of the Second Temple period when Jesus lived and the Magnificent

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Temple was there and all of this was in operation, pouring of the water on the altar during the

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Feast of Tabernacles was a symbolic of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the days

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of Messiah.

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So I want you to understand that because it was within this complex of the temple and

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within this context that Jesus proclaimed to the crowd, He was the source of living

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waters.

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Wow.

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So the Feast is also one of the three great Feast of Israel that were, and this is the

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only Feast of Israel that it was prophesied that one day the Gentiles would celebrate

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it.

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So a quick little story, back in the 70s there was a group of Christians living in Jerusalem

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and they said, you know, no Christians even understand what the Feast of Tabernacles is,

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yet it's prophesied that the Gentiles will celebrate it.

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So we need to begin teaching about the Feast of Tabernacles.

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We need to begin celebrating it.

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So they were planning to hold the very first Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles

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there in Jerusalem in 1980 and some of the organizers went to one of the chief priests

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there in Israel, sorry, rabbis, chief rabbis there in Israel and they said, you know, we

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want to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles but we don't know how, what is your advice?

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And so they had this meeting and they discussed it and he gave them ideas and meaning behind

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what they do and then as this couple was leaving his office, the rabbi summoned them back and

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he said, if the Gentiles are beginning to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, I hear

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the footsteps of Messiah.

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So the Feast is very much associated with the Messianic Age and today because of the pioneering

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work of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Christians all around the world

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understand the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles and are celebrating it back in their churches

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and in their homes.

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And of course, we're still celebrating it every year there in Jerusalem.

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So I invite you celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with us this year.

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You can celebrate from your home by registering for our online Feast of Tabernacles.

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We link to it down below in today's show notes and you may even have a Feast Watch Party,

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gather your church or your friends or your family and host a little party and watch the

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Feast from Jerusalem.

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Once again, we link down below to more information on how to do that and how we can help you

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do that.

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And of course, plan to go next year with us to Jerusalem to the Feast.

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It is a wonderful Feast of Messiah, a Feast of Rejoicing.

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It's a great time.

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So when you take a little break this weekend, prepare to celebrate this joyous Feast of Joy

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and just celebrate God's goodness to you, all of His provisions to you.

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And with that, I wish you Shabbat Shalom.