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The fifth in a series of Christ In the Feast

The Angel and Other Stories By Sue Stauffacher / Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. This collection of ten folktales with spiritual themes offers memorable examples of the wonder of faith, the power of kindness, and the breadth of God's grace. The stories have been thoughtfully gathered and retold by Sue Stauffacher from such classic sources as Count Leo Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Hans Christian Anderson, Henri Pourrat, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. With luminous illustrations by Leonid Gore, this book would be a beautiful gift book for many occasions. For ages 8 and up.

 

Title: The Thanksgiving Feast

 

Text: Leviticus 23:15-21

 

Introduction

 

Background – 7 weeks – 50 days from the Passover – the harvest of wheat. As with the First Fruits Harvest of Barley, where only unleavened bread was partaken, the Feast of Weeks offered leavened loafs.  While there is some debate on why this feast was required allow me to share my personal opinion.

 

Israel was to leave with haste from Egypt – thus the symbol of the unleavened bread. They were to leave hastily and without the sins of Egypt; the times that follow the exodus were frightening and a real test of faith. It some time before the nation realized they were truly free.

 

When entering the promise land, it would be some time before the produce of the land would be theirs.

 

After the death and resurrection of Jesus it would be some time before they understood the joy and power of the church.

 

Let us examine this Feast of Weeks, this Harvest Feast, known as Pentecost (50) by looking at the Celebrations as observed by Israel, The Appreciation – or thankfulness found here, and last but certainly not least the Application as it both appears in the OT and in NT.

 

I.                  Celebration

 

A.     Orderly

 

God is and always has been – and thankfully always will be a God of order. There is purpose and direction in all that He does and nothing is left to chance.

 

1 Corinthians 14:33

33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

 

There are those that believe that celebration is chaos. Not so!

 

B.     Compulsory

 

Many people reject the true God of the Bible because they do not want a God that requires – absolutely demands certain things of them.

C.     Merry

 

It many sound like I am hammering this home -- but as with every feast, the occasion was joy and not mourning. Rejoicing was a requirement to worship God!

 

Deuteronomy 12:12

12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

 

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Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

 

II.               Appreciation

 

A.     Gratitude Expressed

 

In the days of Christ, on Pentecost every section of Israel would gather a caravan of travels – often those Jews living outside of Israel would form their own caravan or join up with others.

 

They would travel to the Holy City with one calling out the words of Jeremiah, “Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.” The people would reply in the words of David, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”  First went one that played the pipe and then following was the a sacrificial bullock, destined to be the peace offering with his horns cover with gold and garlanded with olive braches.

 

There were a number of sacrifices required but let me address two.

 

The Bullock was a peace offering to God. Men must make peace with God.

 

The Goat was an offering for sin – for the “unknown sins.” God holds people accountable for sins that are unknown – He must for he is a Holy God.

 

B.     Gratitude Given

 

Following the Bullock were people carrying baskets of the first fruits. Poor carried weaved baskets, rich carried silver or gold basket filled with grain. Weaved baskets were given to the priest, the gold basket were given to temple treasury.

 

 

C.     Gratitude Shared 

 

Deuteronomy 26:3-11

3 And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. 5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: 6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: 7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: 8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: 9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: 11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

 

This feast was a time to of “Testimony”!!

 

III.           Application

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A.     Celebration of Life – Celebration of New Life

 

Israel was to celebrate their new gained freedom

 

The Church was not be in seclusion – It was now to be a light unto the world!

 

Matthew 5:14-16

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

B.     Celebration of Harvest – Celebration of the New Harvest

 

Israel celebrated their Harvest – The Church Celebrated their Harvest

 

John 4:35

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

 

C.     Celebration of God Empowering – Celebration of Church Empowered

 

The Harvest was a time to rejoicing for Israel because they had overcame bondage and now enjoyed the promise land.

 

Church rejoices because of the empowering power of God’s Holy Spirit.