Revelations Abounding
I am a firm believer in the fact that there is one question that all individuals, at one point or another, ask and that is: Who am I?
I once read that it is the most asked question in the world.
We are caught in a constant struggle for identity, and we see this everywhere. We see it in the clothes we buy, the places we eat, and the cars we drive. We see it on billboards and on those screens that decorate at least one room in every house. The modern man (or woman) is caught in a storm, a hurricane, of opinions and ideas – we get all kinds of doctrines and dogmatic ideals shoved down our throats on a daily basis, but one thing always remains the same – there is one constant factor in a world of variables and that is God’s Word.
To understand who we are we need to understand the Pentateuch – the first five books of the Bible. To understand who we are, or who we are called to be, we need to understand God- and God has revealed Himself to us so wonderfully in the five books of Moses, through prophecy and typology but also through His actions – through His deeds and His words.
An example of this is Genesis 1:1:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
This verse consists of only ten words yet it is filled with revelation.
The first three words – In the beginning – teaches us that God is eternal. He was there before time and space were created, before everything around us existed He was there. In these three words we also find that God transcends the material realm – that which can be observed – because He was there before it was created.
In the first three words we see two aspects of God – He is eternal and beyond this physical realm.
When we continue we find that He is a creative God – that He is God the Creator – He has the power to create. We also read and see that God is infinite in His power.
H.P. Lovecraft once wrote: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
H.P. Lovecraft was an author of science fiction and horror stories, and a brilliant one at that – he knew how the human mind worked – he understood emotions, especially fear, and knew how to draw one into a tale and keep you there – on the edge of your seat.
In ancient cultures the sky was the limit. It was hard to comprehend the stars and that which lay beyond the clouds – our ancient ancestors feared that which they could not comprehend and it is because of this fear that many ‘sky gods’ came into existence – it was because of this that sun and moon cults sprang up in many primitive cultures – a lack of understanding and the fear of the unknown.
In the midst of these cults and religions God speaks unto Moses revealing the creation of the Heavens and the Earth. God comforts His people saying (in a sense): Do not fear that which lies beyond your understanding but know that I am the Creator, that everything on this earth and beyond was created by My hand.
God speaks unto Moses and emphasizes one important fact – that He is the creator of the universe – of that which is seen and that which cannot be observed.
Colossians 1:16 explains this beautifully:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
God reassures His children of His power and His might – of His status as the Omnipotent and Omniscient God who has created and is aware of all things – both the known and the unknown.
All of this and more is found in the opening verse of the Genesis – the first verse in the Bible. I think it’s amazing how God can reveal so much in so little – just think, for a moment, about all the knowledge to be gained in working through the Pentateuch – there are revelations in abundance to be found.
This specific series however is not about the Pentateuch in general but about the Biblical Feasts and Festivals found therein as well as some of the other feasts mentioned in the Old Testament.
The Purpose of the Feasts
Émile Durkheim was a French Sociologist often cited, along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, as the principle architect of modern social science. He was the first to formally establish sociology as an academic discipline.
He was born in Épinal in Lorraine and came from a long line of devout French Jews. His family had seen three generations of Rabbis – his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Émile however decided not to answer the rabbinical call, as his forefathers had, and lead a completely secular life. The majority of his work was dedicated to religious phenomena – attempting to demonstrate that the religious experience (in general) stemmed from social factors rather than the divine.
Even though he chose not to follow family tradition he did not sever ties with his family or the Jewish community.
There have been many arguments concerning the influence Jewish thought might have had on his work, but the answer remains uncertain.
This being said, Durkheim firmly believed that any religion could be reduced to a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things. These beliefs and practices unite all those who adhere to it in a single moral community often called a church.
His definition of religion is favored by modern anthropologists of religion and could very well shed some light on the cultural/social purpose of the Biblical Feasts.
In an essay called ‘On the future of religion’ he states: “There can be no society which does not feel the need of upholding and reaffirming at regular intervals the collective sentiments and the collective ideas which make its unity and its personality.”
What he is saying is that every society (as defined by their cultural and social norms and ideals) eventually (and again there after) feels the need to reaffirm those collective sentiments and ideas that define them as a society.
Each feast has an individual purpose, these feasts allowed the Israelites to remember certain times when God stretched forth His hand to save them from certain situations (for instance – how God delivered them from Egypt), or reached out to His children to share His will and divine plan with them (the giving of the Law unto Moses).
These feasts are celebrated to unify the Jewish community – to gather God’s children that they may remember His mighty deeds –He is life unto those who abide in Him and salvation to those who dwell in His shadow.
I believe these feasts and festivals –these Holy days – were ordained by God to give the Israelites a sense of identity in a world rotten with idol worship and pagan cults. These days were given unto the Israelites to commemorate the times that their God triumphed over the old, pagan mythos and saved them from the physical powers and authorities of this world.
A statement made by Durkheim, one that stays with me is this: “in a word, the old gods are growing old or are already dead, and others are not yet born.”
These Holy Days are there to prove that God is eternally faithful and true – most of these feasts not only serve a physical, historical purpose but also a prophetic purpose. When we see the prophecies fulfilled there is no doubt in our minds that our God is not dead but living and true. Durkheim’s statement might apply to the pagan deities and idols but it does not and will never apply to our Lord and Savior.
In Isaiah 40:8 we read:
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
The whole physical world may eventually wither and fade away but the word of our God will stand forever – unchanging and true. Always constant.
We read in Hebrews 1:10-12:
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
We see that everything that is in existence, everything that exists in this physical realm will perish, yet God will remain. Everything, the writer exclaims, will wax old – shall grow old and be changed – but God Almighty will remain the same forever. Our God is consistent – never changing, eternal and true.
These feasts are a testimony to the fact that God is our salvation – that He is love and hope in the face of adversity and this binds those who adhere to these beliefs and practices together in a moral and spiritual community as children of the Most High.
The purpose, therefore, of these feasts and festivals was to provide the Israelites with a social and spiritual identity that distinguished them from the gentile nations and their pagan religions. It supplied them with a constant affirmation of their shared sentiments, ideals and beliefs. It encouraged them to remember the great love and mercy of God and His work in the midst of His children.
Peace be with you as you read and explore the influence the Biblical Feasts might have on your life as a believer in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.