Celebrating The Feasts of Israel

Explore the Depth of Our Faith In Jesus Christ and Pass It on to the Next Generation

Werner Sonderegger

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781644928776
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Studi biblici

This unique book captures God's plan for the Feasts of Israel; with their Biblical history, rich traditions and triumphant fulfillment in Christ. It will open your eyes to see how relevant these Feasts are to your everyday Christian life and will serve as a powerful tool to pass your faith in Jesus Christ to the next generation. Interwoven throughout this book you find testimonies, songs, christian theology, topics of discipleship, and suggestions of a Christ centered celebration of these Feasts in your own family. The richness and personal nature of these Feasts is waiting to be unfolded in the story of Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. Be ready to discover God's great plan for you, your family, and this world as it is portrayed in this second expanded edition of Celebrating the Feasts of Israel.

Chapter 1

Danger / Preface

Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus

Your life is about to change! Are you wondering why? Continue to find out. Let’s take a little journey back in time. Imagine yourself living in a small peaceful village nestled in the countryside about a day’s journey from Jerusalem. The time is 20 BC. Are you ready?

Today is not an ordinary day. You are eager to begin your journey from your hometown village to Jerusalem. There you are now walking along the way and bringing with you a lamb out of your flock. You chose this particular lamb only after careful observation and inspection. Your eyes did not find one single blemish.

However, there is something heavy in your heart. You feel convicted and guilty of having sinned by unintentionally breaking one of God’s commandments. You had condemned yourself for being so foolish. But now you have a new sense of hope and are looking forward to your arrival at the temple in Jerusalem. You made up your mind to obey God’s command for such situations—bring a lamb without blemish as a sin offering. God explained in Leviticus, “For the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (Leviticus 17:11).

As you walk along the way you look down at your lamb. Your eyes meet. Yet the silence is only interrupted by a soft “baa.” Your thoughts are captivated by what will happen in the temple. Finally, after many hours have passed, you arrive. God had very specifically described in His command how your lamb needed to be sacrificed. You cannot just drop the lamb off at the temple as if writing a check for the debt you owe. No, not at all! You personally will go to the priest.

The priest will not kill the lamb for you. No, you will. God instructed that you place your hands—and by that, your sins—on the head of the innocent and blameless lamb. Then you pierce it to its death. Only then will the priest take some of the blood of the lamb with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. The fat of the lamb he will remove and burn on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In doing these things, the priest will make atonement for you and your sin which you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.

Text: Leviticus 4:27–35

Let’s go even further back in time when Israel was held enslaved in Egypt. Again there is a lamb sacrificed without any defect. It became to be the first Passover Feast.

And they shall take some of the blood (lamb) and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. (Exodus 12:7)

For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood (of the Passover lamb) on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. (Exodus 12:23)

You will find that John speaks about a Passover lamb in the New Testament. He calls Jesus the Lamb of God.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ became our Passover lamb. The penalty for our sins was paid by the blood He shed for us on the cross.

God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. (Romans 8:3)

Do you remember your visit in the temple? The lamb of your sin offering? Interesting that you personally laid your hands on the head of the lamb and by it your sin and then killed it. And now we are seeing Jesus Christ having before his crucifixion a crown of thorns placed upon his head. Like it was by your sin offering, you are personally called to come to the cross, to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. It was your sins that Christ carried and by his death paid the penalty for it on the cross. Why, you may ask?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16–17)

Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrew 6:18–20)

The Feasts of Israel are in essence the story of Jesus Christ, your messiah. Come along by walking in the footsteps of Jesus through the Bible. The feasts were a foreshadowing of things to come. Christ Himself is the substance of this shadow. They also carry God’s marvelous plan for you. Pray as you read. Meditate on each Bible reference to dig deeper in God’s word. Don’t lose what God reveals and speaks to you. Write it down.

Jesus explained:

I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. (John 8:12)

We Christians are called to be a light in this world. Christ in you is that light. Wherever you are today, simply by your presence, the darkness knows it is in danger because of your willingness to follow Christ. Why, you may ask? Listen.

I (Jesus Christ) am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me. (Acts 26:17–18)

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27)

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which yo...

Table of contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10