“Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?" (Deut. 33:29)
"The children of Israel, a people near unto Him.” (Psa. 148:14)
Perhaps it will help us to understand "the Feasts of Jehovah" better, if we look first at the people of Jehovah —those people whom He commanded to keep the feasts. The book of Leviticus, where we read the account of these feasts, is the third book of the Old Testament. In the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, we read of the way God made man, put him in a beautiful garden, and came down in the cool of the day to walk in the garden with the man whom He had made. Here we find the wonderful fact that God was seeking the companionship of man. I suppose we all know how man sinned, and so spoiled this communion with God. In the very brief history of man before the flood, God pauses to speak of one man who "walked with God for three hundred years." God lets us see His joy in this man, with whom He could have companionship.
Then we read of the general apostasy, and of the flood. After the flood things were no better, we read of the Tower of Babel, and of the way man again turned from God. Then God chose one man, Abraham; he was the "friend of God." We see again God's joy in one man with whom He could have companionship. We read of this same joy in Prov. 8:31, where the Lord Jesus Christ, typified by "Wisdom" says, "My delights were with the sons of men."
God chose Abraham to be the father of a special nation. This nation was to be God's own people— “a people near unto Him." I expect that most of my readers know the story of Abraham and his descendents. You know the way they became slaves in Egypt, and when the second book of the Old Testament, (Exodus), opens, we see Abraham's descendents, a great and mighty nation, in Egypt, but helpless slaves there under the cruel dominion of the great king Pharaoh. But not only were they slaves, they had also forgotten the God Who had chosen them, and made them His Own. They were idolaters in Egypt, (see Josh. 24:14). When God was about to send Moses to deliver them, we see in Ex. 3:13-14, that when God told Moses to say to the people, "The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you," Moses asked God, "They shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say?" God's people had so far forgotten their God, that they had even forgotten His great Name.
There were no "Feasts of Jehovah" in Egypt. There were no "holy convocations." There were no times of rejoicing. Pharaoh tried to make Israel keep the feast in Egypt, but that was impossible. (Ex. 5:1, 8-22) They were slaves and idolaters there. This shows us a picture of man, every man, in his natural state, He has departed from God. He is a slave of Satan, the prince of this world. Anything and everything has a place in his heart, but "God is not in all his thoughts." (Psa. 10:4)
Did God forsake His people because they were in this terrible condition? No, He did not. With mighty power He brought His people out of Egypt. He delivered them from under the cruel hand of Pharaoh. He separated them from the people and the idols of Egypt, to become the chosen people of Jehovah, according to His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Afterward He could say to them, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself." (Ex. 19:4)
The wicked ways of these people in Egypt demanded death and God brought them out of Egypt by the means of death, as we shall see. But it was the death of another: not of Israel, who deserved to die. They were redeemed from Egypt and slavery by blood.
They were redeemed, they were separated, to be Jehovah's "peculiar treasure," "A people near unto Him" (Psa. 148:14); with Jehovah in the midst of them, shielding, protecting, and ruling over them. Jehovah again was devising a way whereby He might dwell amongst men.
But please consider what wonderful grace for God to take up such poor rebel slaves, and to redeem them, to save them from their cruel master, to bring them so near to Himself, and to fill their mouth with singing. Truly we do not wonder that Moses could say, when he was taking leave of them, in Deut. 33:29, "Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?”
But, although the grace that brought Israel into such a place was very wonderful: although the blessings that Israel received were far beyond the thought of man: yet all this was only a shadow of the greater grace that brings poor, lost sinners today, into a still higher and better place. Please listen to these words, "Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph. 1:3)
Much less than this would have satisfied us. We would have been quite satisfied to be delivered from hell and judgment. That was all we desired when we discovered that we were lost. But less than these wonderful blessings could not satisfy God, or fulfill the desires of His heart. He was seeking worshippers, (John 4:23). It does not say He was seeking "worship," but "worshippers." His purpose was to have a people near unto Himself, made like His own dear Son, "holy and without blame before Him in love." (Eph. 1:4)
These feasts would have been no use to Israel in Egypt. Other things filled their minds there. Their lives were bitter with hard bondage. Their days were filled with making brick and mortar. Their backs were sore from the whips of the task-masters. They had no heart for "the feasts of Jehovah." But now that Jehovah had delivered them, and brought them out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, into the wilderness, where they could be alone with Himself, then they were ready to hear Jehovah's gracious invitation to come to His feasts. Then Jehovah was able to tell them what was in His heart, and to invite them to share with Him the great things which had been in His thoughts from eternity. Once again, Jehovah could have His heart's desire, to have His people with Himself, and be in their company. Listen to His own words, "Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." "I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them." (Ex. 29:45-46).
Jehovah was the host at these feasts, and His people Israel were His guests. He ordained these feasts, as celebrations of His own joy, His own delight, in the great events to which they pointed. Truly they were but shadows of those great events which were to come, but Jehovah could see the real images themselves. And though His people could not understand the fullness and depth of meaning, as we can now; it was their joy and privilege to share with Jehovah His joy, and to be His guests.
As we read and meditate on these feasts, we will see that the things which have occupied the heart of God from all eternity, were those things which will still last to all eternity. The songs of Heaven will never grow old. How different to the joys and the songs of earth, which so soon pass away! May the Lord give us eyes to see, and a heart to share, those things which fill the heart of God with joy.
Do you remember in the parable of the Sower, that some of the seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it, and the Lord told us that thorns were a picture of the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and that they sprang up and choked the Word, so it became unfruitful? How sad, if the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, make it impossible for us to care about these things that are a joy to the heart of the Lord. How sad if we are too busy with other things, perhaps business, or study, or even the Lord's work to take time to hear from the Lord these things in which He has delighted for so long, and which He has taken the trouble to tell to us.
Every individual saint is called to have fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3), and the whole church, (meaning "the called-out ones") is called to the fellowship of God's Son "Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor. 1:9). Do you remember those gracious words of the Lord Jesus in John 14? "If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." Compare also John 14:3 and Rev. 21:3; 22:3.
The Lord desires the fellowship of His people now, and He desired it in the days of old also. He desired it so much that He thought of the difficulties that might arise when His people came together to meet Himself, and He provided for these difficulties. We all know that it would be impossible for us to rejoice before the Lord if we were worrying about our cares at home. When all the men left their homes to go up to meet the Lord, who would protect the homes from the enemy? What about the Philistines who were always ready to come down on the Lord's people? Would it be safe or right to leave their wives and children unprotected to go up to meet the Lord, as He desired? The Lord knew all these dangers and difficulties, and so He gave the special promise, "Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." (Ex. 34:24) The God Who could think of these things and take special care of His people in those days, will not forget them now. He tells us now not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, (Heb. 10:25) and will He not take care that those who hear and obey His Word, will not lose by it? Is not this a special word for us in China, where all around us we see our neighbors making no difference for the Lord's Day, but going on with their own affairs in business and pleasure, as if the day were their own? May we not be tempted to follow their example? But when we know the deep desire of the Lord's heart to have us with Himself and around Himself may we let nothing hinder us, and we will surely find in eternity that we have not lost by it. The Lord's promise still stands true, "Them that honor Me, I will honor," (1 Sam. 2:30) and "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;" (that is, put God's things first,) "And all these things shall be added unto you."(Matt. 6:33)
But before we begin to consider the "feasts of Jehovah" in detail, there is one more matter connected with them that we should notice. If we turn over in our Bibles to the Gospel of John, we read in Chapter 2:13 of the Passover, the first of "the feasts of Jehovah." But here it is not called "the feast of Jehovah," but "the Jews' Passover." In chapter 7:2 we read, "The Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand." "The feasts of Jehovah" have become the "feasts of the Jews." The outward form was there, but the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, had been rejected, and what joy could God have in empty forms?
Speaking of them in an earlier day, (Isa. 1:14), the Lord had said, "Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them." Why was this? Was it not because of this formal, empty way in which the people kept the feasts, while they themselves were defiled with sin, and going on with evil? Do you not think that you and I can learn a very valuable lesson from this for ourselves today? Do you think that the Lord likes any better a correct form, and fine outward worship, if the heart is away from God, and the hands are defiled with sin, and the feet not walking in the truth? The Lord says plainly, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." (1 Sam. 15:22). How much we see about us, that has the form of worship, but if we examine it, we find that it is not in accordance with the Word of God, and not in obedience to His expressed command. We hear men say, "You worship in your way, and I worship in mine; we all have a right to our own opinions." This is exactly what we have not. And if you or I worship in our way, we may be quite certain that this worship is not acceptable to God.
Remember in Rev. 3:14-22, the church of Laodicea had very great outward show. They were rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing, (in their own eyes). But what is the Lord's judgment? They were ready to be spewed out of His mouth, they were so loathsome to Him. He could bear them no longer. May you and I, dear brethren, beware lest we also follow in this pathway. And let us not forget that the beginning of the downfall, as seen in the church of Ephesus, Rev. 2:4-5, was not in any way outwardly apparent, but was in the heart, "Thou hast left thy first love." May the Lord keep our hearts may He keep our love bright and fresh, with Himself alone as the object and we will find our joy in being with Him, even as He finds His joy in having us with Him, also. How well if our hearts can say, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." (Sol. 2:16), but it is a deeper lesson when we can say, "I am my Beloved's, and His desire is toward me." (Sol. 7:10). What great grace!