UNDERSTANDING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
To truly understand the Feast of Tabernacles, one must understand that Egypt symbolically represents a state of mind that is devoid of spiritual enlightenment. The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 11:8: "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Israel was spiritually dead (in “spiritual Egypt”) during the time of Christ’s ministry (Rom. 5:12-14; Matt. 8:22). John likened Israel to the Egyptian dead (Ex. 12:30) and the dead sacrifices on the altar in the tabernacle. By the tabernacle pattern, the dead bodies of sacrificed animals were found in the Court Round About with the altar for sin sacrifices and the water laver for washing.
Christ came on earth to fulfill (Mt. 5:17-18; Lk. 24:44-45) or bring to an end the Old Covenant, including the feasts, ceremonies, and sacrificial worship of God (Rom. 10:1-4) and to establish a New Covenant (Heb. 8:6-13). The Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s fulfilling of Prophesy. The Feast was supposed to remind Israel of how they dwelt in booths on their journey out of the land of Egypt yet, to Christians, it represents a universal principle of the human soul receiving the Holy Spirit and rejoicing at its revealed presence.
The sacrificial lambs and goats slain in Egypt during the Passover released Israel from captivity (Heb. 10:1-6) as Christ’s death released us from spiritual captivity. Israel’s physical migration from Egypt to the Promised Land is representative of the believer’s journey from spiritual darkness, bondage, and ignorance into knowledge of the Holy Spirit and eternal life (Rom. 12:2). What held Israel in bondage at the time of Jesus, were the religious teachers of Israel and the Law of Moses, which condemned them (Rom. 8:1-2). Christ’s death brought an end to the law and victory over sin, for He was the atoning sacrifice (Jn. 1:29).
Solomon’s temple, which was dedicated on the Feast of Tabernacles, is a picture of Christ’s body (2 Chr. 7:8-10). Jesus made the analogy of His body being a temple when He said: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (Jn. 2:18-21). During a later discourse at the temple, Jesus spoke of “living water.” The Jewish audience knew the religious rituals and ceremonies performed by the priests during this day, but they did not grasp the implication of Jesus’ mention of water. Of course, Christ did not speak of the water the priest dipped with a golden pitcher from the Pool Siloam and poured out at the base of the altar on the last day of the feast. Jesus analogy foretold of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost following His death and resurrection. His words of truth represented the “living water,” which is the Holy Spirit.
In closing, the end of harvesting represents the church of believers gathering resurrected souls together into one body in Christ (Lk. 10:2; Rev. 14:5). It is also symbolic of the harvesting or gathering of spiritual principles (Rom. 5:1-5) and applying them to tribulations as one goes through life. The gathering of knowledge of these principles adds strength to one's faith in the Holy Spirit.
Resources Consulted
Geisler, Norman L. ; Nix, William E.: A General Introduction to the Bible. Rev. and expanded. Chicago : Moody Press, 1996, c1986
Karleen, Paul S.: The Handbook to Bible Study : With a Guide to the Scofield Study System. New York : Oxford University Press, 1987
Richards, Larry ; Richards, Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S. 727
Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985, 2:301
No comments:
Post a Comment