Numbers 28-30
The biblical holidays are wonderful and believe me, I knew almost nothing about them growing up in Indiana until I lived in Israel. 🙂 I bite my tongue from saying, “Jewish” holidays as they are biblical holidays. So much meaning behind them, more so than most pagan based American holidays. One of the harder parts about leaving Israel was leaving the holidays.
In our passage today many sacrifices are named with the holidays, which no one is doing now. Also, the holidays were days of rest, set apart from other days. These holidays are still celebrated without sacrifices but with rest, stores close down!! I’m going to briefly give you a taste of these biblical holidays and how they’re celebrated today.
Shabbat: Late every Friday afternoon public transportation, sport games, and stores CEASE, yes, the MALL included, to usher in the shabbat a day of REST. Families eat a nice meal together having leftovers for the next day so no one has to cook/work.
Passover: Feast of Unleavened bread is the first month of the biblical year, which makes sense the new year starts in the spring with new growth blooming. It’s the oldest holiday still celebrated in the world, over 3,400 years! And it’s the BIGGEST holiday, (like Christmas is in America).
Feast of Weeks: Seven weeks after Passover the firstfruits are celebrated. Kids wear white and carry a small decorated basket of fruit to share with others.
Day of Blowing: People blow shofars (ram horns) throughout the day. It’s a warning to repent for the next 10 days before the Day of Atonement.
Day of Atonement: A day of repentance with fasting. The whole country SHUTS DOWN, no flights, vehicles on the highway, EVERYTHING is CLOSED… to REPENT. It’s quite amazing to experience such a national “holiday.”
Feast of Booths: A week long holiday of eating and sleeping in a booth outside. Kids often decorate them with paper chains and pictures.
God appointed these holidays for a reason and for our good. Take a moment to reflect on them. It’s hard to implement them in a society that doesn’t acknowledge them, but it’s still good to be aware of these biblical holidays and their meaning. Maybe the modern sacrifice would be to take time out and rest on these holidays and think about and thank God for what He has done. The first three have been fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus, and the last three with his second coming!
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.” 1 Thes. 4:16
-Stephanie Schlegel
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. Which holiday do you like the best? Which one would you like to celebrate?
2. What’s one way your Shabbat rest day could be changed/improved to make it more restful?
3. A holiday of repentance and fasting?! Maybe pick a day within the next week that you could fast a meal and pray for forgiveness to God and others possibly offended.
Seek Grow Love 