Dr. Willmouth writes, "These Outlines were prepared for our Sunday Evening Bible Study, as a 2 page handout (front & back), at Trinity Bible Church, Biloxi, Mississippi"

The "firstborn" or first male born in ancient times had a great significance. In Israel, as in among other ancient peoples, the firstborn male was to be the PRIMARY HEIR of the family. The firstborn customarily received a DOUBLE PORTION of the family inheritance, and the firstborn had the duty of seeing to the care of the family in the event that the father passed away.

The firstborn was therefore SPECIAL, and was to be treated with special care, according to God's Law, whether he was your "favorite son" or not. In Deuteronomy 21:15-17 we read:

SUPPORTING ~ Deuteronomy 21:15-17  "If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: [16]  Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: [17]  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his."

Why all this information on the "firstborn son"? Mainly, because this section of the Law was designed to REMIND Israel about the Grace of God they enjoyed when they were freed from Egypt. The sacrificing of the firstborn male animals reminded  the Israelites when God sacrificed the firstborn of the Egyptian families in order to secure their release from bondage:

SUPPORTING ~ Exodus 11:4-8 "And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: [5]  And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. [6]  And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. [7]  But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. [8]And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger."

The Israelite, in order to protect his firstborn child, was to take a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year, and sacrifice that animal. The lamb was to be killed in the evening, then it's blood struck on the two side posts and the upper door post of the door. The death angel, on seeing this blood, would then "pass over" that household, and the firstborn of the believing Israelite would be saved while the firstborn of the unbelieving Egyptian would be lost.

Deuteronomy 15:19 tells us that these firstborn animals, reminders of Israel's redemption from Egypt, were NOT to be used for work and NOT shorn or in any way be used for profit before they were given to God. God is supreme, and spared nothing in redeeming His people from Egypt, from a land of sin and bondage. Jesus was not spared in any way on the Cross, when He paid for our sins to the uttermost. Since He spared nothing for His own, God demands that there be no PROFIT made from these donated animals. Deuteronomy 15:20 tells us that these donated animals were to be taken to THE PLACE WHERE THE LORD CHOOSES. For nomadic Israel, this would be the Tabernacle or Tent. When Israel was settled under King Solomon, this would be the Temple.

The animal that was to be brought to God for sacrifice must not only be the firstborn male, but it must be "without blemish". If the firstborn had blemishes (defects, blindness, crippleness) it was then NOT to be sacrificed to God, but it could be eaten by the family who owned it, just like wild game was eaten. Why couldn't the animal offered for sacrifice be "blemished"? There were two reasons. FIRST, our God asks us to consecrate and give the very best to Him, and to do it without reserve and often. God has withheld no good thing from us:

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 84:11  "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

And expects us to honor Him likewise by GIVING Him the best that we have to offer. It is no great gift to give the Lord a dollar if you have a million! SECOND, the sacrifices that Israel made were a teaching aid, a foreshadowing, and a prophecy of the Lamb of God who would come and take away the sins of the believer. Jesus was a Lamb without spot or blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said, 

SUPPORTING ~ John 1:36  "... Behold the Lamb of God! "

And the Bible tells us that Jesus, the Son of God and God the Son, was the Lamb "without spot or blemish" that redeemed us:

SUPPORTING ~ 1 Peter 1:18-19  "... ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; [19]  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot"

God therefore told Israel to take these firstborn animals without blemish and take them to be sacrificed. We'll talk more about this in the next chapter of Deuteronomy.

"Observe the month of Abib": It's hard to know exactly with the ancient Israelites EXACTLY when a date was, for they did not use a 365 day yearly calendar like we do. The Jewish calendar had twelve lunar months, each starting with the New Moon. This gave their calendar 354 days, not 365, and they synchronized their calendar with the seasons by adding the additional month of Adar in leap years. The word ABIB means "green ears", and was another name for the month of NISSAN, or March/ April of our calendar. This was when God freed Israel from Egypt, in the spring of the year when all things were like new.

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:2  "Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there."

The Passover, as we studied before, commemorated the time when God caused the Death Angel to destroy the Egyptian firstborn while the BLOOD of the slaughtered lamb on the side posts and top post of the doorway caused the angel to PASSOVER the firstborn of Israel. The Passover Feast, in addition to looking BACKWARD and remembering the Grace of God in Egypt, it also looked FORWARD to the "place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there", the Temple of Israel. The Passover also looked FORWARD to the coming of Messiah, who would deliver Israel once and for all.

The Passover was therefore a celebration of FREEDOM, but at the same time it was a REMINDER that freedom from enslavement in Egypt and worldly domination brought a COMMITMENT to God. The Israelites were children of God under the Abrahamic Covenant - and though PRIVILEGED as Royal Family, Privilege brings RESPONSIBILITY to God. 

1. To prepare for the Passover the Israelites were to CLEAN OUT all of the LEAVEN or yeast that was in the house. The Lord told the Israelites to do this for two reasons. First, when the Passover was prepared, the Israelites prepared it IN HASTE. Leaven or yeast requires time to rise and puff up the bread product - thus the injunction that there be no leaven in the house (Exodus 12:19-20). SECONDLY, leaven in Scripture symbolizes SIN. Jesus used leaven to describe the works of the PHARISEES (hypocrites) and HEROD (hedonist):

SUPPORTING ~ Mark 8:15  "And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."

The Israelite, in a ceremony the Haggadah calls BEDIKATH CHAMETZ or "Searching for Leaven", where they went through the house and looked on every shelf, in every room, and on the floors for leaven. Leaven MUST be swept out of the house before the Passover is observed.

In the Church Age we who are Christians are also called to "Search for Leaven" in our lives. Position and privilege  DEMAND responsibility.

SUPPORTING ~ 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? [7 ] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: [8]  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Jesus Christ was OUR PASSOVER. Because Father sees HIS blood on the door posts of our lives, WE HAVE NO FEAR of the Death Angel. We have GREAT privilege, GREAT position, but we also have a GREAT responsibility to "walk in the newness of life" that Jesus has bought us. Anything less - and God holds us accountable.

2. Next, my copy of V'Higgad-Ta (Haggadah) tells me that the ceremony of BRECHAT HANER or "Blessing of the Festival Candles" commences. Passover begins with the lighting of the candles by the women, and the  father presides over the meal (the grandfather makes sure that everything is done correctly).

Just as woman lights the candles which brings light to the Table of Passover, it was by woman, Eve, that Messiah would come to bring forgiveness for our sins:

SUPPORTING ~ Genesis 3:14-15  "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: [15]  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

SUPPORTING ~ Matthew 1:22-23  "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, [23]  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

SUPPORTING ~ John 8:12  "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

3. I cannot possibly, based on the amount of time I have, go through all the elements of this V'Higgad-Ta, but I do want you to realize that the purpose for the formal ritual of the PASSOVER, regardless as to which version of V'Higgad-Ta is used, is to cause two things to happen in the Israelite family: There is a LOOKING BACK at where these believers were (the land of Egypt), and a LOOKING FORWARD to the coming of Messiah. Nothing typifies this more than the ceremony of THE FOUR QUESTIONS. The youngest child asks the questions, whereas the leader of the Passover meal answers these questions:

Q. On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread: why on this night do we eat only matzah which is unleavened bread?

A. When Pharaoh let our forefathers go from Egypt they were forced to flee in great haste. They had no time bake their bread and could not wait for the yeast to rise. The sun which beat down on the dough as they carried it along baked it unto unleavened bread called matzah.

Q. On all other nights we eat vegetables and herbs of all kinds: why on this night do we eat only bitter herbs?

A. Because our forefathers were slaves in Egypt and their lives were made very bitter.

Q. On all other nights we never think of dipping herbs in water or in anything else; why on this night do we dip the parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs in charoseth (mixture of apples, nuts, raisins, cinnamon. Symbolic of the mortar used to make bricks in Egypt. Pronounced CH aroseth)?

A. We dip the parsley in salt water because it reminds us of the green of springtime. We dip the bitter herbs in sweet charoseth to remind us that our forefathers were able to withstand bitter slavery, because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.

Q. On all other nights we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline?

A. Because reclining was a sign of a free man long ago, and since our forefathers were freed on this night, we recline at the table.
 
 

RECAP: If you're coming to this study late (by that, I mean you missed our previous session on the Passover), then there is NO way that I can re-teach the material we studied earlier. At the end of this lesson I will give you a website address where you can find this study in it's entirety. However, to refresh our memories, I will cover a few of the highlights of our previous lesson.

The Jewish Passover was celebrated in the month of Abib/ Nissan, on the fourteenth day of that month, which corresponds to the springtime of the year (March/ April). The Passover commemorated the time when God caused the Death Angel to destroy the Egyptian firstborn while the BLOOD of the slaughtered lamb on the side posts and top post of the doorway caused the angel to PASSOVER the firstborn of Israel. The Passover Feast, in addition to looking BACKWARD and remembering the Grace of God in Egypt, it also looked FORWARD to the "place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there", the Temple of Israel. The Passover also looked FORWARD to the coming of Messiah, who would deliver Israel once and for all (Deuteronomy 16.1-2).

Having explained the purpose of the Passover, we began to examine how the orthodox Jew ACTUALLY PERFORMED the ritual. We used a Jewish Haggadah (ha GAH dah), a book that the Israelite believer uses to preserve the traditions of the Pesach (pay-sockh), or Passover, handed down through their generations.  The Haggadah (ha GAH dah) contains Scriptures, songs, and rituals
that are designed to EMPHASIZE the Seder (say-dur), the traditional ceremonial meal at Passover.  We have already studied the "sweeping out of the Leaven" and the "Blessing of the Festival Candles", as well as "The Four Questions".

READ ONLY ~ Deuteronomy 16: 1-4  "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. [2] Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. [3] Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, [even] the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. [4] And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there [any thing] of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning."

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:5-6  "Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: [6]But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt."

The Passover looked both BACKWARD at God's deliverance of His people from Egypt, and at the same time FORWARD to the building of the Temple and the Coming of the Messiah - Savior. The Passover lamb, a lamb without spot or blemish, was NOT to be sacrificed at home, but was to be taken AWAY from your home to   "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in" (Deuteronomy 16:6a).  For the Israelite this place "away from home" would be the Tabernacle (for Nomadic Israel), and the Temple of Solomon (once the Promised Land was occupied). This "taking the Lamb away for sacrifice" was prophetic on another level as well. 

SUPPORTING ~ 1 Corinthians 5:7  "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us"

The Apostle Paul, an Orthodox Jewish Scholar, trained under the great teacher Gamaliel, converted to believe in Christ as Savior on the Damascus Road, recognized Jesus as "our Pesach (pay-sockh), or Passover, sacrificed for us".  The early Jewish believers in the Church rightfully recognized Jesus as the COMPLETION of God's Passover. The Passover sacrificed under the Old Covenant looked forward to the time when Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins.

SUPPORTING ~ John 19:13-17 "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. [14] And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! [15]  But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. [16] Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. [17]  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha"

Jesus, the Lamb of God without spot or blemish, innocent of evil or wrong doing, was brought forth to be judged by those who were blemished and spotted with sin. The Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple (John 19:14a "it was the preparation of the passover") while Jesus, the Lamb of God, was being readied for slaughter. The Passover Lambs were taken away from their master's homes to be slaughtered in the Temple, whereas Jesus was taken away from home, outside of the gates of the city, and crucified in a place called Golgotha, "The Place of the Skull". 

SUPPORTING ~ John 19:31-36  "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away. [32] Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. [33] But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: [34] But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. [35] And he that saw [it] bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. [36] For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."

SUPPORTING ~ Numbers 9:10-12 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. [11]  The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. [12]  They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it."

And just as the BONES of the Passover Lamb were not to be broken, the Bones of Jesus, our Passover, were NOT broken, that God's prophecy would be fulfilled. Just as the Israelites were redeemed from Egyptian slavery by an unblemished lamb, now men are now freed from slavery to sin by the Messiah, the Lamb of God.

Returning to our Deuteronomy passage, we read this:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:6b  "... there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt."

We know the "season" that Israel came out of Egypt was springtime, Abib (which means "green ears")/ Nisan. I want to focus on the words "at that season" in our text. I did not know it, but I discovered on the "Jews For Jesus" website that Abib/ Nisan was to be the FIRST MONTH of the Jewish Calendar. The following is a quote from that site:

"God's calendar for the Jewish people began with the month of Nisan and Passover. He created a whole feast that would cause the children to ask "Why is this night different from all other nights?" And then, noting those differences, they would discover what was important to remember about this night. Then God commanded other holidays in the Torah to punctuate our lives with times that would make us stop, look and listen. God says that Nisan should be "the first month of your year" (Exodus 12:2). The primacy God designated to the season of Pesach indicates that he expected us to give top priority to celebrating our redemption, and to remembering that He reached down into Egypt to rescue and lift us up from bondage with His z'roah netuyah v'yad hazakah (outstretched arm and mighty hand)."

Passover was to be a NEW BEGINNING for the Israelite. When they walked out of Egypt because the Death Angel passed over their households and struck down the firstborn of the unbelievers, they walked out of a life of fear and slavery in Egypt and into a life of joy and redemption in Jehovah. This new life, and it was a new life, was not a life without boundaries. The Israelite was now called to freely and willingly give his life over to his Redeemer, to his God, and to serve and love Him with all his heart and strength. In the same way, Jesus our Passover brought we who believe in Him for salvation out of bondage and slavery to sin. The Israelite, freed from Egypt, should have abhorred the idea of returning to this place of bondage. God freed them, God gave them a new land, and God in Grace would continue to empower them as long as they remained FIXED on Him in LOVE. 

SUPPORTING ~ Romans 6:11-18 "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12]  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13]  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14]  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. [15]  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. [16]  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [17]  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18]  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."

Those under the New Covenant, blessed because of Jesus our Passover, are called to walk in the newness of life that we have been given. Released from slavery to sin, we should abhor returning to sin as much as the Israelite should have abhorred returning to Egypt. Christ freed us from slavery to sin so we can yield ourselves to Him who died for us. Charles H. Spurgeon, that great Preacher, said this:

"Death to the world, and burial with Christ, are experiences which carnal minds treat with ridicule, and hence the ordinance which sets them forth is almost universally neglected, and even condemned. Worldly wisdom recommends the path of compromise, and talks of "moderation." According to this carnal policy, purity is admitted to be very desirable, but we are warned against being too precise; truth is of course to be followed, but error is not to be severely denounced. "Yes," says the world, "be spiritually minded by all means, but do not deny yourself a little gay society, an occasional ball, and a Christmas visit to a theater. What's the good of crying down a thing when it is so fashionable, and everybody does it?" Multitudes of professors yield to this cunning advice, to their own eternal ruin. If we would follow the Lord wholly, we must go right away into the wilderness of separation, and leave the Egypt of the carnal world behind us. We must leave its maxims, its pleasures, and its religion too, and go far away to the place where the Lord calls his sanctified ones. When the town is on fire, our house cannot be too far from the flames. When the plague is abroad, a man cannot be too far from its haunts. The further from a viper the better, and the further from worldly conformity the better. To all true believers let the trumpet-call be sounded, "Come ye out from among them, be ye separate. "

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:7 "And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents."

The Passover Lamb was eaten "in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose". This location varied: While the Promised Land was being occupied by Israel, the Passover Lamb was eaten "in the plains of Jericho" (Joshua 5.10). During the times of Hezekiah and Josiah, the Lamb was eaten at the Jerusalem Temple (2 Chronicles 35.1-19). In the time of Herod and the Herodian Temple, the common people gathered in the outer Temple Courts to slaughter the Passover Lambs. The Blood of each Lamb was collected in gold basins by priests who passed the basins, from hand to hand in continuous exchange, until the blood was tossed on the altar. Though the Passover was slaughtered in the Temple, the meal could be eaten in any house within the boundary of the Holy City of David. 

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:8 "Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein."

Unleavened bread was eaten because, as we said before, leaven (yeast) was forbidden from the Passover (Exodus 12.19-20). It was forbidden because the first Passover was prepared in haste, as Israel left Egypt. It was also forbidden because leaven is a symbol of SIN in the Scriptures, and sin has no place in the Passover meal. Our Messiah, Jesus Christ, made the unleavened bread that He shared in Passover with His disciples a symbol of His own sacrifice for our sins. We read:

SUPPORTING ~ Mark 14.12-26 "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? [13] And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. [14] And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? [15] And he will shew you a large upper room furnished [and] prepared: there make ready for us. [16] And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. [17] And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. [18] And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. [19] And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, [Is] it I? and another [said, Is] it I? [20] And he answered and said unto them, [It is] one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. [21] The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. [22] And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake [it], and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. [23] And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave [it] to them: and they all drank of it. [24] And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. [25] Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. [26] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

The Jewish Haggadah (ha GAH dah), a book that the Israelite believer uses to preserve the traditions of the Pesach (pay-sockh), or Passover, tells us: "the matzah is unleavened; in it's baking it is pierced, it is striped. Unleavened, because it is to be without contamination, a symbol of the meaning of sin. Pierced and striped, it illustrates the beautiful symbol of our Messiah, Who being without sin, yet was pierced according to the Scripture, as found in Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Also in Psalm 22.16-18 we find, "they pierced my hands and my feet ....  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." The Prophet Isaiah declares in Isaiah 53.5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Our Lord Jesus took the unleavened bread, the matzah, and said, "Take, eat, this is My Body". 

The Jewish Haggadah (ha GAH dah), also tells us that there are FOUR CUPS of wine ritually offered during the Passover, each cup standing for one of God's "I Wills" recorded in Exodus 6.6-7:

CUP OF SANCTIFICATION: I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians

CUP OF JUDGMENT: I will rid you out of their bondage

CUP OF REDEMPTION: I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments

CUP OF PRAISE: I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God

Jesus took the "Third Cup", the cup of Redemption, and said  "This is My Blood of the New Testament, Shed for many".

That cup was shed for me. That cup was shed for you.  God chose to be involved, first with Israel, from whence Messiah would come, and then with all humanity through the sacrifice of Messiah. Do you know the Savior? 

SUPPORTING ~ Hebrews 9:25-28 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; [26]  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28]  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

SUPPORTING ~ Hebrews 10:4-13 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. [5]  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6]  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. [8]  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; [9]  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. [10]  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12]  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13]  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool."

The Feast of Weeks was designed to be a time of thanksgiving to God for all that He had done for His people Israel.  It was called "Weeks" {shabuwa` [shaw-boo'-ah]} because it was celebrated seven weeks from the time they began to harvest their grain in March/ April, as the text tells us:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:9 "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn."

The Feast of Weeks went by several other names. It was called "Feast of The Harvest":

SUPPORTING ~ Exodus 23:16  "... the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field ... "

It was called "Day of Firstfruits":

SUPPORTING ~ Numbers 28:26  "... Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation ..." 

And Jewish tradition named it "Day of Conclusion" or "Conclusion". We, however, know the Feast by it's New Testament name, the "Pentecost". This name was given to the Feast based on the Greek Septuagint translation of the word "Fifty", found in:

SUPPORTING ~ Leviticus 23:16  "... shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD."

Why did God demand that the Israelites have a "Feast of Pentecost"? 

SUPPORTING ~  Exodus 19:1-3  "IN THE THIRD MONTH, WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE GONE FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. [2]  For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. [3]  And Moses went up unto God ..... "

In the THIRD Month, the month of Sivan (June, our timeframe), Israel received the Ten Commandments on stone tablets for the FIRST time from God. Pentecost celebrated the freeing and formalized founding of Israel as a nation because of the Gift of the Law that God had given them. As you know, Israel went into apostasy and began to worship a false god (the golden calf) while Moses was on the Mount receiving the Law the first time. Scripture tells us:

SUPPORTING ~ Exodus 32: 19-29  "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. [20] And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it]. [21] And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? [22] And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they [are set] on mischief. [23] For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. [24] And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break [it] off. So they gave [it] me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. [25] And when Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:) [26] Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD'S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. [27] And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. [28] And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there FELL OF THE PEOPLE THAT DAY ABOUT THREE THOUSAND MEN."

Because three thousand people refused to return to God, to worship of the One True Creator, three thousand men died! Though it is a harsh thing that we do not like to think about, our Lord demands obedience of His followers. When we disobey His best will for us, when we reject His Word, His leading, His nail pierced hand, then we bring misery on ourselves and others.

Pentecost was not only a looking back at the giving of the Law (which formalized Israel as a national entity), but it was also a looking forward to the formation of ANOTHER chosen people. Israel, God's Holy Nation, rejected the Messiah, refused His Word, and was instrumental in nailing Him to the cruel tree. The Apostle Paul tells us that this rejection of Messiah by Israel, the natural Olive Tree, led to the GRAFTING IN of the Church as God's chosen people in this day and age. We who were the Wild Tree were grafted in to the promises and provisions of God by faith in Christ Jesus:

SUPPORTING ~ Romans 11:17-23 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; [18] Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. [19]  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. [20]  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: [21]  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22]  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23]  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again."

Just as God gave Israel the Law fifty days after the slaughter of the Passover Lambs, thus showing the birth of Israel as a nation, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the New Testament believers on Pentecost , thus showing the birth of the "Wild Olive Tree", the Church of Christ.  Our Lord Jesus, after His resurrection, gathered His flock of disciples and commanded them to WAIT for the promise of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. The disciples, in obedience to our Lord's command, after seeing Jesus ascend into Heaven, left Mount Olivet and went into an upper room in Jerusalem. Just as Moses ascended the Mountain of God to receive the Law, these young disciples ascended up to an upper room and began to pray and seek God. They remained in prayer for ten days, waiting patiently and faithfully for Jesus' promise.

SUPPORTING ~ Acts 2:1  "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

The first generation of Israel, the generation who rejected the first giving of the Law, were all of one mind and one accord, but not with God, but with a false idol. As Moses received the Law the first generation of Israel broke the Law - and in so doing brought about the death of 3000 people. The first generation of the Church, on the other hand, were of one mind and in one accord both with each other AND WITH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Rather than 3000 people dying, the Scripture tells us in a fantastic parallel:

SUPPORTING ~ Acts 2:38-41 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39]  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [40]  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [41]  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were ADDED UNTO THEM ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SOULS."

Here then is a truth that we can hold on to from the Feast of Pentecost. When the believer in obedience to the Lord Jesus does as His Word instructs him to do, as we seek and APPLY God's perfect will for us to our lives, we WILL BE blessed. When the believer in disobedience to the Lord Jesus does not do as His Word instructs him to do, as we ignore and FAIL TO APPLY God's perfect will for us to our lives, we WILL BE cursed. Pentecost reminded the Israelite of the great Grace of God, but at the same time reminded the Israelite of the curse connected with disobeying God's Word.  Pentecost should remind the Church Age believer of the great Grace of God that sent us the precious Holy Spirit to indwell us so we would be empowered to work for our Lord Jesus. Had the disciples rejected Christ's Word and left Jerusalem :

SUPPORTING ~ Acts 1:4  "And, being assembled together with them, COMMANDED them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me."

Then what do you think would have happened? Would the Spirit still have come? I believe so, for it was by Jesus' promise that the Spirit was given - but the Spirit would not have come to the Church through those who DISOBEYED THE COMMANDS of the Lord Jesus. Let's return to our Deuteronomy passage. Four VERY STRONG commands are given to the Israelite in relationship to the Feast of Pentecost:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:9a "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee ... "

The Israelites were to COUNT OFF {caphar [saw-far']} seven weeks or "fifty days up to the day after the seventh sabbath" (Leviticus 23.15-16) to start the Feast. Pentecost was to be a Feast that was EXPECTANTLY AWAITED. God expected His people to therefore "count down" the days to Pentecost, much like we, when we were children, counted down the days to Christmas. But, unlike Christmas where we "counted down" so we could satisfy our childish greed, the Israelite was to "count down" to the day when they could praise God for all His bounty.

Sadly, Pentecost was the most neglected of the Feasts among the ancient Israelites. Sometimes the Israelite was "too busy" to worship Pentecost. "I just don't have the time". The Scripture tells us:

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 100:4-5  "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. [5] For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

God wants to be thanked for all that He has done for us. Jesus wants to be thanked for suffering that terrible penalty for us. The second command the Israelite was given was:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:10 " ... And THOU SHALT KEEP the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee"

The Israelite was to KEEP {`asah [aw-saw'], work out, celebrate} Pentecost by giving the Lord a FREEWILL offering out of all that which God had blessed them. I am told that there are around 2000 promises in Scripture which our Lord has made to those which believe in Him. Promises like:

SUPPORTING ~ Isaiah 41:10  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Or this,

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 27:5-6 "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. [6]  And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD."

Or this,

SUPPORTING ~ 1 John 1:8-9  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9]  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

These are just of the many promises that our Lord has promised to those who believe in Him. The Israelite, who gained the profit of the early harvest because of Jesus' great Grace, were to give the Lord a FREEWILL OFFERING in recognition of all that He had given them.  This principle is still in effect, even in the New Testament era. As God has given to us, we are required to give back to Him: 

SUPPORTING ~ Romans 12:10-13  "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; [11]Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; [12]Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
[13]  DISTRIBUTING TO THE NECESSITY OF SAINTS; given to hospitality."

SUPPORTING ~ Acts 20:32-36  "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. [33]  I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. [34]  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. [35]  I have shewed you all things, how that so LABORING YE OUGHT TO SUPPORT THE WEAK, AND TO REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, HOW HE SAID, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE. [36] And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all."

SUPPORTING ~ 1 John 3:16-17  "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. [17]  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

We cannot live our lives as our Lord Jesus did, and wants us to do, until we have learned to give freely of ourselves and our possessions to those in need. As God has given, He expected the Israelite to give back in turn to Him. As the Lord has given us, we are expected to give back to the Lord as He so prompts. Returning to our Deuteronomy passage we read this third command:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:11a "..  And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God .."

Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then he is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm."

The Israelites were to remember all that God had done for them and, in remembering, REJOICE, {samach [saw-makh']}, make merry before the Lord. When we bless God and praise Him for all that He has given us, when we focus on the beauty of His goodness, then life becomes more beautiful. When a believer is obedient to His Lord, he gains the capacity to rejoice - whereas the man out of Christ can never truly  SAW-MAKH', rejoice, celebrate in Jesus.

I can always tell when someone is where they should be in Christ. When a person can look back at all that God has done for him in Grace and rejoice, have a heart party, then here is one who has truly known and truly knows Christ.

If the Israelites were focused on the Lord, then there would be a great and thankful celebration at Pentecost - if not, then they would either ignore the holiday, or just go through the motions. The Israelites were called to:

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:12 " ... REMEMBER that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes."

Remember where they came from - remember who they were - remember who they would be because of the Grace of God. Do you "remember"? Do you thank Jesus that you're not where you were? Do you thank Him that you have the promise of Eternal Life, and the indwelling Spirit to empower you? Do you remember?

Just as the Feast of Pentecost was held after the Spring Harvest, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles {cukkah [sook-kaw'], tents} was held after the Fall Harvest. It began on the 15th day of Tishri (September/ October of our calendar). The Israelites were to live in "Booths" or tents for a week, to commemorate the journey through the desert after Israel had been released from Egyptian slavery.

The Feast of Tabernacles, {cukkah; [sook - kaw]} comes just four days after Yom Kippur (YOM KIPPURE). The original detailing of Tabernacles is found in:

SUPPORTING ~ Leviticus 23:34-44 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the feast of tabernacles [for] seven days unto the LORD. [35] On the first day [shall be] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein]. [36] Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] ye shall do no servile work [therein]. [37] These [are] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: [38] Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. [39] Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day [shall be] a sabbath, and on the eighth day [shall be] a sabbath. [40] And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. [41] And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. [42] Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: [43] That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God. [44] And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD."

The first seven days of the feast are called Succoth, {[sook - kawTH]}, (BOOTHES, plural), because the Israelites  dwell in a succah, {[sook - kaw]}, (BOOTH, singular) during this time. The eighth day is called Atzeret, assembly, or Shemini Atzeret, the eighth assembly. 

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:13 "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine"

The first and the eighth days are Sabbaths in which work is forbidden. The five days in between these two Sabbaths are called the "intermediate feast days". During these intermediate days certain kinds of work are permitted.

Why was the Feast of Boothes celebrated? Boothes was commemorated to remind Israel of the time when they were a nomadic tribe living in tents in the desert. When the Jews left Egypt and began wandering in the barren desert, they were unarmed, unprotected, and left vulnerable to the elements of wind, cold, heat, bandits and animals.  Since they were constantly traveling, The Lord instructed them to build flimsy, temporary booths -- called succahs [sook - kawTH]. These hardly provided any protection from the elements! Yet the Children of Israel learned a profound lesson:  Safety and security does not come through thick walls and burglar alarms, but ultimately through trust and reliance in the Lord God. In other words, if Jesus is for us, any shelter will suffice. If Jesus is against us, no shelter will protect us. 

The booths also have the harvest fruits (Etrog, a fruit grown in Israel and looks like our lemon) and olives hanging on them (Lev.23:40; Neh.8:15, 18).

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:14 "And thou shalt REJOICE {samach [saw-makh'], celebrate, make merry} in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates."

Boothes was a time of GREAT REJOICING in the provision of God our Savior. In fact, the Rabbis taught the people that, if they could NOT rejoice while in their Boothes, they were to GO HOME. For to be pre-occupied with your own comfort was to sully the "time of rejoicing" for all others in Boothes.

The Israelites were to re-learn that same lesson every year by building their own Succah [sook - kaw]. For an entire week, they left the comfort and "security" of their homes, and venture out into our flimsy, temporary tent.  For an entire week, they APPLIED the lesson of their ancestors. They ate in the Succah [sook - kaw], socialize in the Succah [sook - kaw], and learn Torah in the Succah [sook - kaw]. They did everything, except for going to the bathroom, which is considered a dishonor to the Succah [sook - kaw]. Weather permitting, they even slept in the Succah [sook - kaw]. The Succah [sook - kaw]became their temporary home! 

What a wonderful lesson God gave His people! They stayed in the Succath in the desert ... but so did their Lord God. Though they were yet unsettled, though they had not yet possessed the Promised Land, though they had no great cities to boast of, not even a great earthly King, God still dwelt with them in the desert in a tent. He lowered Himself from the glory that is Heaven to come down and live among His people.

Water played a very important part in the celebration of Boothes. Since the [sook - kawTH], booths, represented the tents that Israel dwelt in as a nomadic desert nation, water, as you know, is VERY important for those who live in the desert. As long as Israel trusted in God their Savior, water, that liquid of life, was provided to sustain the people no matter where they traveled. When Israel had a Temple in Jerusalem, a high priest went to the pool of Siloam to fill a golden pitcher with water. This symbolized God's provision to His nomadic children. The high priest, once he filled the pitcher, made a great display of carrying the water back to the Temple, accompanied by a joyous following that included trumpeters and worshippers. As the high priest walked he recited:

SUPPORTING ~ Isaiah 12:3-6 "Therefore with JOY shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. [4] And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. [5]  Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. [6]  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 76:1-2 "In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. [2]  In (Jeru)Salem also is his tabernacle [sook - kawTH], and his dwelling place in Zion.

God lived among the Israelites in tents as they did, providing their every need. He gave them Manna, He gave them water for life, He gave them land - therefore Israel rejoiced in Boothes in remembrance of His great love. The Scripture tells us, though, that this was not the only time that God would walk among His people:

SUPPORTING ~ John 7:1-2 "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. [2]  Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand."

The Lord lowered Himself down to walk and live among His people in the desert. The Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, walked among the Israelites while they were in Roman bondage. Jesus made it plain that He was the One who provided for Israel in the desert. He gave them water for life while they roamed the earth, but now, in this Present Ministry, He offered them something greater than "just water". On the last day of the Feast of Boothes, just as the Priest took the golden pitcher of water and poured it out in offering to God, the Scripture says that:

SUPPORTING ~ John 7:37-44 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38]  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39]  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) [40]  Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. [41]  Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? [42]  Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? [43]  So there was a division among the people because of him. [44]  And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him."

Jesus gave His people water in the desert, while they dwelt in Boothes - now Jesus offered LIVING WATER to all who would believe on Him. Some heard Jesus, but just said, "this is the Prophet". He may be a famous Prophet, Ezekiel or Elijah re-born, come to tell us of Christ to come. Others heard and believed Jesus' claims, and said "This is the Christ", here is the Messiah, here is God in the flesh come to save us. And yet others heard His message and said, "Shall Christ come out of Galilee?", could a small town boy really be Messiah? And the rejected Him because of His place of birth. How sad, to deny the joy of God for appearance sake!

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 16:15  "Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice."

The Feast of Boothes was, as were Passover and Weeks, both a look backward as well as a looking forward. The text says, "Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose". Where was "the place where God chose for Israel to celebrate Boothes"? In the future, Boothes would be celebrated in the Holy City, Jerusalem, and the Temple of God would play an important part in the celebration. We previously studied the "Water Libation", where the High Priest took water from Siloam and, carrying it in a Golden Pitcher, entered into the "Water Gate" of the Temple and poured it our near the altar.

[[MISHNA = The collection of precepts that constitute the basis of the Talmud, the book that contains the Hebrew civil and canonical laws, traditions, and explanations]]

There was also another ceremony of Succoth called "the illumination of the Temple", which has it's source in Jewish tradition. At the end of the first day of Tabernacles, the priests and Levites went down to the court of the women. Four enormous golden candlesticks were set up in the court (fifty cubits high) with four golden bowls placed upon them and four ladders resting against each. Four youths of priestly descent stood at the top of the ladders holding ten-gallon pitchers filled with pure oil, which they poured into each bowl (Mishnah, Succah 5:2) There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated by the light of these candles(Succah 5:3). 
The priests and Levites used their own worn-out priestly  clothing for wicks. The light emanating from the four candelabra was so bright that the Mishna says, "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit up with the light at the libation water-well ceremony" (Succah 5:3)

The morning after the lighting of the great candles, Scripture teaches us that Jesus, at the end of Boothes, sat in the Temple teaching when:

SUPPORTING ~ John 8:3-12 " .. the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, [4]  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. [5]  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? [6]  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. [7]  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. [8]  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. [9]  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. [10]  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? [11]  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. [12]  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

The candles at Boothes illuminated the Temple, even so Jesus much more, by His life, by His death, by His resurrection, has illuminated the world we live in.

~ ILLUSTRATION ~  The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit. He quoted 1 Samuel 16:7, and said "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different, he explained. Then he upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and vinegar spilled out. "When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference lay within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed."

Do you know the name "Jesus", or do you know HIM as Savior? There is a difference between the two. Many know who Jesus is, but do not know Him as the "Light of the World". Just as He saved the fallen woman when she recognized Him as "Lord", He saves each and every one of us who believe on Him. Just as He dwelt WITH Israel in Boothes, Tabernacles, while they were in the desert, in the Church Age Christ dwells IN US who believe:

SUPPORTING ~ Colossians 1:24-27 "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: [25]  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; [26]  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: [27]  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory"

SUPPORTING ~ 1 John 2:27-28 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. [28] And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

SUPPORTING ~ Colossians 3:15-17 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16]  Let the WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17]  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."