but it most certainly cannot be the touchstone of the true child of God. The redeemed know that they are heirs o f the Kingdom and they lay all at God’s disposal, in stead o f hoarding earthly treas ures. Listing the Feasts and their numerical structure and dispen- sationa! setting, we have: 1. The Passover (Lev. 23:4, 5 c f Ex. 12:1-7, 23; I Cor. 5 :7). 2. The F ea s t o f Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6-8 cf Ex. 12:15-20). 3. The Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-14 cf I Cor. 15:20-23). 4. The Feast o f Weeks (Lev. 23: 15-21 c f Acts 2 :1). 5. The Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25). 6. The Day o f Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32). 7. The F ea st o f Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-44). There are Seven Set Feasts, ex cluding the Sabbath. Now seven is the number of completion, so that we have suggested here a perfect typical outline o f God’s dealings with the Jew and the Gentile from first to last. The Feasts can be divided into two sections of four and three respec tively, with an interval between the fourth and fifth Feasts. The first four Feasts, and the interval between the fourth and fifth, con tain truth o f God’s dealings with mankind up to and including the present d isp en sa tion o f the Church. The last three Feasts are intended to teach truths concern ing a future dispensation and God’s future dealings with Israel. by Lehman Strauss E ditor ’ s N ote : With this issue THE KING’S BUSINESS pre sents a series of articles by Dr. Lehman Strauss on the Seven Feasts o f Leviticus 23. This month the introduction is given. Following issues w ill present a detailed study o f the various feasts presented in this chapter, with their spiritual significance for believers o f all ages. 19
en of spiritual health and pros perity. When we are right in our hearts toward God and toward His children, we will rejoice in assembling ourselves together and say with David, “ I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house o f the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). “Not forsaking the as sembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). Now God promised to care for the land and the possessions of His people while they were in Jerusalem keeping His Feasts. He said, “ Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy bor ders: neither shall any man de sire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year” (Deut. 16:16). Observe further that they were not only to leave their lands and possessions to go to the Feasts, but that they were not to appear before the Lord “empty” (Exodus 23:15; Deut. 16:16), that is, they were to bring to Him their sac rificial gifts. If the Israelites were like some o f us, they might excuse themselves on the ground that they could not afford to take off from their work to assemble be fore the Lord, but God sees to it that no man is a loser when he renders willing and cheerful obe dience to His commands. God’s demands upon His chil dren must be their first concern. When we gladly give Him His due, we miraculously prosper. “ But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6 :33). His bread and water are most sure who walks in the ways of the Lord (Isaiah 33:15, 16). Solomon put God first and he prospered abun dantly (I Kings 3:11-13). To make the obtaining of food, rai ment, and shelter the obsession and goal of life and labor is to miss tragically the ultimate aim in life. Such may be the standard of those that know not the Lord,
(John 7 :2 ). Even long before Christ came, Jehovah had said, “ Your new moons and your ap pointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them” (Isa. 1:14). Here, beloved Christian, learn how possible it is for holy things to lose their energizing power and vernal freshness. How easy it is for Christians heartlessly to par ticipate in worship through care less, formal, and irreverent forms! Let us search our hearts at all times lest we slip into a void form of worship that would weary the loving Lord. In Jesus’ day the Jews held the feasts but the Lord was absent. A special reference is made to men attending the Set Feasts. “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose, in the feast o f un leavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty” (Deut. 16:16). It might appear that in those days, as now, men were negligent in attending to spiritual matters. On the other hand, the man always has been regarded as the head o f the house and as holding rightful authority from God; for if he gave due at tention to the appointed times for worship, he might lead his family to respond more readily. This spe cial announcement to the men is recorded also in Exodus 23:17; 34:23. I verily believe that God would have us testify to these things. Men were so essential in the work of the Lord that no matter where a man was, or what he was do ing, he stopped what he was do ing and went to Jerusalem to wor ship Jehovah at the Set Feasts. Meeting with God and God’s peo ple at appointed times is one tok- AUGUST, 1968
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