THEME: Feast of Tabernacle
TOPIC: Feast Of Tabernacle: Its Significance in My Personal Life
Title: What Does Feast Of Tabernacle Means to Me
Texts: Lev. 23-24; Exodus 25 and Hebrews 8-9
I. DEFINITION OF TABERNACLE:
The most famous feast that YAHWEH gave the Israelites; celebrated on the 14th night of the 7th month of Hebrew calendar: Tishri [September to October] with a full or harvest moon and lasted for seven days and a Sabbath day on the 8th. It was also called the “Feast of Ingathering” which corresponded to the final harvesting of crops.
II. ELEMENTS OF THE FEAST: -
a. THE TABERNACLE – Exodus 25:8
“A Sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” A special dwelling be erected for Him where His presence could be manifest daily to them, to commune with them through Moses and the priests in generations to come. Every part of the tabernacle was typical of the nature of God, the coming redemption, the sinfulness of man, the means of pardon through grace and the full reconciliation of man to God.
b. THE PEOPLE – LEV. 23:40-43
The people were commanded by God to rejoice, during the feast to make booths and to dwell therein.
c. THE OFFERINGS – LEV. 23:36-38
Offerings made by fire to the Lord:
· Burnt offering
· Meat offering
· A sacrifice
· Drink offering – everything upon his day
d. THE BOOTHS – LEV. 23: 42-43
Hebrew “hadar” which means magnificence, beauty, goodly glorious and majesty. These booths were made with boughs of goodly trees, the Septuagint version of the Bible refer them to the fruit of trees to eat as they built booths, inasmuch as they had no tome for cooking that day it also contained branches of palm trees, thick trees, perhaps the myrtle and willows of the brook.
e. OIL FOR THE PERPETUAL LIGHT – LEV. 24:1-4
God commanded the children of Israel to bring pure beaten oil of olive to be used in the tabernacle to cause the light to burn continually.
f. THE SHOWBREAD – LEV. 24:5-9
The showbread was made with fine flour and 12 in numbers, this must be placed on the table inside the tabernacle and the frankincense on it will make it an offering made by fire to the Lord, the showbread must be replaced every Sabbath and it was for Aaron and his sons and must be eaten inside the “Holy Place”.
III. ORDINANCES OF THE FEAST – LEV. 23:35
a. A holy convocation unto the Lord without servile work. – God requires all Israel be gathered together in a holy assembly on the first day of the feast and that there will be no servile work. However the people are required to make offerings to be brought to the priest, the people were asked to make booths for them to dwell therein during the 7 days feast while some are asked to do service in the temple.
i. The God who came to dwell with men desires a special day where He could commune, bless and fellowship with Him He is the center of the gathering, the focus of attention and the object of worship and service.
ii. No servile work must be committed – servile work refers to slave and hired-man work or the ordinary labors of men. This is what God wants from us that as His children, we should find time to withdraw from our responsibility in this world and be more focused and committed in works related to His kingdom.
b. They were asked to dwell in booths during the period of the feast. Booths are small tents made of boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees and willows of the brook. Lev. 23:42-43
i. This command of God is a picture of God’s deliverance of Israel from spiritual bondage and carnality of heart and mind. When God brought Israel from Egypt and caused them to dwell in booths, God wanted the Israelites to be spiritually, emotionally and mentally from this state of carnality. Too much attachment to this world will affect the possibility of exclusion from the feast.
ii. When the Israelites dwelt in booths, they leave the comfort of their homes – God wants a sacrificial living not in the comfort we made in our own private world, but in temporary dwelling place which signifies our readiness to be of service to Him, living in full dependence of His provision, not in our own strength – a life of faith and commitment to God.
c. Offerings made by fire to the Lord – Lev. 23:36-39
i. The offerings were: 71 young bullocks, 15 rams, 105 lambs, 8 kids of goats for a total of 199. These offerings were beside their regular offering: they offered in the morning and in the evening: 2 rams, 14 lambs and a goat for a sin offering. This serves as sweet aroma made by fire to the Lord.
ii. The purpose of this offering if for the sin of the people - the priest should not come to the tabernacle without blood. [Hebrew 9:7]
d. Oil for the perpetual light: Lev. 24:1-4
i. God commanded that a pure oil made from beaten olive oil not heated be taken by the people, the oil will be used as an agent to help the lamp burn continually day and night.
ii. This refers to God’s availability every time the people needed Him; however the access of people is through the priest who were given the authority to minister to the Holy of Holies.
e. Table of showbread – Lev. 24:5-9
i. God instructed that a bread be baked out of fine flour, 12 in quantity to be set in 2 rows with frankincense on each row on top of pure gold table before the Lord.
f. Pouring of water at the base of the altar which will happen on the last day of the feast. The priest accompanied by the a joyous procession of musician had to go to the Pool of Siloam to get the water in the golden pitcher.
IV. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLE: ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO ME:
What does the Feast of Tabernacle stands for in my life?
The celebration of the feast always points out to Christ and His redemptive work on Calvary, the Feast commemorates the deliverance of every believer, the future celebration and the present privilege every believer attained because of Christ’s work.
® As we mentioned earlier the Tabernacle was a typical of God’s nature:
§ The Outer Court: offerings of sacrifices at the Brazen Altar, cleansing at the Laver of Brass.
§ The Inner Court also known as the Holy Place – light coming from the Candlestick, food from the Table of Showbread
§ Holy of Holies – Ark of the Covenant, Golden Censer, Golden pot with manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and Tables of Covenant.
What was the effect of Christ’s work on this feast? The completed work of Christ has enabled me to enjoy the true meaning of this feast.
® Various offerings were no longer needed – Heb. 9:12
Christ came as the offering not with animals’ blood but with His own blood and this offering us final and complete to disregard the various sacrifices. The ultimate sacrifice of Jesus and His blood has all the power to allow anyone to cleanse the conscience from dead works in order to serve the living God.
® Booth-making is only a prefigure of our earthly dwelling, Heb. 9:15
Because of Christ work, we have now the assurance of a more excellent dwelling place that awaits us - a dwelling place not made with human hands or earthly things, but God-made. The only requirement is detachment from this world and attachment to God.
® Believers can enjoy free access through the tabernacle – Heb. 9:23
The Feast of Tabernacle in the time of the Israelites only allow the priest to come once a year inside the Holy of Holies, but because of Christ’s work, every believers gains an access to God because of Christ representation of us.
® Pouring of Water – Heb: 10:22
Christ’s work and His promise of refreshment to those were part of the feast, once we accept the work of Christ, Christ will pour the Holy Spirit to cleanse us and ready us from this life’s struggles and to cause every believer to be satisfied with the presence of the Lord.
Because of Christ work, we need not gather oil of Olive to burn the candle inside the tabernacle. The Holy Spirit: the kind of perpetual light dwells in us in order to keep our lamp burning in full service to God. As a vessel of this oil, the Holy Spirit, we should be clogged-free to keep the fire burning perpetually.
® Table of showbread – John 6:35
The table of showbread is no longer limited to the priest, because of Christ’s work; Christ who is the Bread of Life has the power to satisfy the hungry heart of anyone who are willing to come to Him.
Not everyone can be a part of this feast of tabernacle, only those who have responded to God’s invitation can celebrate with Him. The Tabernacle of God will come to be with men forever, no restrictions and no offerings needed, just a pure heart for the Lord which was changed from the carnal state of mind to spiritual or heavenly state. The kind of tabernacle made not with human hands but by God Himself.
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