What the Bible says about Keeping the Feasts Properly
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Leviticus 23:6-8 God requires us to remove leaven from our homes and not eat anything leavened for the duration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (see Exodus 12:15; 13:3-10). The command refers specifically to yeast, which causes bread to rise, but modern chemicals such a baking powder and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), which do the same thing, fall under the spirit of the command. Leavening is a biblical symbol of corruption and sin. So, in this festival, God is emphasizing to us that, in the same way that He brought the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery, He brought us out of our bondage to sin, and we are now to live an unleavened life "of sincerity and truth" (I Corinthians 5:8). For this week, then, Christians must do without soft breads, donuts, muffins, buns, bagels, cakes, and any other breadstuff that contains leavening. Instead, we eat matzos or homemade unleavened bread each of the seven days. It is a daily reminder of what God has done and how we should be living before Him and this world. Richard T. Ritenbaugh How Do We Keep God's Festivals? Related Topics: Baking Powder | Baking Soda | Bondage to Sin | Bondage, Release from | Deleavening as a New Testament Practice | Eating Unleavened Bread | Keeping the Feasts Properly | Leavening as a Metaphor of Sin | Unleavened Bread of Sincerity and Truth

Nehemiah 8:13-18 Nehemiah 8 records a significant festival period in Judah's history. This occasion begins on the Feast of Trumpets during the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall following the reestablishment of those Jews who chose to return from their Babylonian captivity. They had good cause for their emotional response to keeping this Feast of Trumpets in this particular location and time under the stresses they had already endured, all the while knowing that those stresses were not yet over. This was in all likelihood the first Feast of Trumpets observed in seventy years, and who knows how long the Jews had not observed it before they went into captivity? Their joy continued, as verses 13-18 relate the first keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles in the land in a long time. "Not since the days of Joshua the son of Nun had the children of Israel done so" probably means the Feast of Tabernacles had not been kept with the combination of all the elements in their right proportion to constitute a great Feast. They were obedient, in the right place, in the right attitude, with the right emphasis. The books of Kings and Chronicles provide records of the feasts being kept by Israelites during the period between Joshua and Ezra, but they did not always keep them consistently or correctly, especially in attitude and purpose. However, we can see that Ezra understood the Feast of Tabernacles to be a spiritual bonanza whose fruit was rejoicing. John W. Ritenbaugh Amos 5 and the Feast of Tabernacles Related Topics: Babylonian Captivity | Feast of Tabernacles | Jerusalem, Rebuilding of | Keeping the Feasts Properly | Rebuilding Jerusalem

Amos 5:18-20 The Israelites of Amos' time were like many in the Western world today. Those who at least nominally believed in God had fooled themselves into thinking that when He intervened, He would be on “their side.” Certainly, they were in a privileged position because of God's covenant with them, not remembering that this relationship made them more accountable (Amos 3:2). Over time, the Israelites had turned God's promises to their fathers into a sort of inflated divine favoritism, as though God had no choice but always to bless them no matter how they lived. Here in Amos 5, however, God pronounces a woe against them for this approach. They would not enjoy the fireworks from a safe distance; His judgment would overtake them, personally and painfully. There is a mystery in verse 18 about the phrase “the day of the LORD.” Amos mentions it as something Israel was already familiar with, not a new event he was foretelling. This mention is curious because Amos is one of the earliest recorded prophets, and none of the earlier ones—such as Moses or Elijah—refers to a “day of the LORD.” Isaiah, who does speak of the Day of the Lord by name (see Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; 34:8), did not come on the scene for another forty years, and Joel, with his dramatic imagery (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14), would not prophesy for nearly two hundred years. Yet, at this early date, Amos refers to the Day of the Lord as if it is already part of the national consciousness. Perhaps one of the earlier prophets had spoken about the Day of the Lord, and we simply do not have a record of it. But another possibility fits the context. Even though what we call the Old Testament had not yet been canonized, the Israelites of Amos' day still had Scriptures to draw upon to learn history and religion. The Pentateuch, some of the histories, and much of the wisdom literature were already available. Significantly, they had the psalms, many of which are prophetic. None of the psalms use the specific phrase “the day of the LORD.” Still, the book contains enough mentions of God's deliverance and protection during the day of trouble that a clear picture emerges of His future intervention and judgment. In addition to prophetic psalms, the Israelites had psalms of praise for God's mercy, watchfulness, and regard for His people. These inspired and encouraging psalms were among the songs they sang at their feasts. However, God declares in the very next verse: “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies” (Amos 5:21). God does not use such words carelessly! The Israelites' singing of His psalms did not impress Him because they mixed truth with debased practices. They felt good about themselves even as they mistreated others. Whatever the source of their concept of the Day of the Lord, the Israelites had concluded that God's intervention would be spectacular—which was true. Yet, they willingly overlooked what God required of them and what it truly meant to be His people. David C. Grabbe Do You Desire the Day of the Lord? Related Topics: Amos, Book of | Amos, Prophecies of | Day of the Lord | Desiring Day of the Lord | Do You Desire the Day of the LORD? | Favoritism | Favoritism as Wrongful | God Requires Standards which Glorify Him | Israel's Immorality | Keeping the Feasts Properly | Truth and Error Mixed Together

 

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