I think most of us can remember back many years ago, we would go to the feast and a particular  patriarch of the Church would ask a question: "Why Are We Here?"  He did this just about every year.  Then he would take the Bible and proceed to explain and expound the answer to the question. 

 

Over the years since then, I think we can all see that there is more than one answer to that question.  probably the most important answer is found in Deut. 14:23; " and you shall eat before the Lord your God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of your corn, of your wine and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always."  Every other reason that we can think of for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles should be summed up in Deut. 14:23

 

Let's move forward in time, to a few weeks from now to the opening night, the evening of October 17, 2005.  Now, let's ask ourselves that same question, "Why Are We Here?"  Again, as services begin the next morning, and all the way through the Feast, "Why Are We Here?" This may begin to become a little redundant, but let's realize that not all of God's people are here for the same reasons.  I'm sure that we have all known people that have used this time and all the money set aside for God's Feast to go on a super vacation. Not that it's wrong to enjoy a special time of rejoicing, (Lev.23:40), but we must keep the overall purpose in mind.

 

I have personally seen people leave services during, or before the final hymn in order to get a head-start on the afternoon of rejoicing.  What about attitudes? if you've ever spent the Feast in a tent in Big Sandy, Texas or any other place of similar climate, you may have had to struggle to maintain a smile or a cheerful attitude.

 

I remember my last Feast in the piney woods at Big Sandy, I think it was 1972, it rained five days and five nights non-stop. Many tents collapsed , clothing was soaked and we all acquired a new concept of what it meant to sleep in a water-bed.  I don't recall seeing or hearing of even one person gripe or complain. Attitudes were definitely differently back then.

 

Some people risked losing their jobs and even their families, to obey God in keeping the Feast, and some did lose jobs and families. Now some of these same people have abandoned keeping of the Feast altogether.

 

In Lev. 23:2   God told Moses, "speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them concerning the Feast of the Lord, (God's Feast, not ours) which you shall proclaim, these are my Feast."  We need to be deeply convicted that these are God's Feasts, not man's. God is the one who commands us to keep them.  I personally believe that it would be impossible to learn to fear the Lord if we find it unnecessary to keep HIS Feasts If we cannot learn to fear the Lord, how does that affect our learning knowledge?   Proverbs 1:7 states " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."  Without the fear of the Lord, we cannot learn knowledge.

 

If we despise wisdom and instruction, God call us fools. Proverbs 9:10 " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all they that do his commandments, his praises endures foe ever."  Also the keeping of his commandments gives us understanding.

 

So far we have seen that learning knowledge begins with the fear of the Lord. Keeping his commandments gives us understanding

Deut. 31:12  "gather the people together, men , and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law.

 

Since the main purpose for attending the Feast of Tabernacles is to learn to fear the Lord, then learning knowledge is what the Feast is all about

Let's consider one other aspect of the Feast of Tabernacles, Psalm 111:9 " he sent redemption unto his people, he has commanded his covenant for ever, Holy and Reverend is his name. Only God is holy and reverend .  A lot of men (ministers) take the name ":reverend " as a title for themselves, some men are even called the "holy father." I personally see this as a direct violation of the third commandment.

 

The titles "holy" and "reverend" connotes objects of worship. Only God is worthy to be worshipped. So this could also violate the first commandment.  Zech. 14:16 "and it shall come to pass that everyone that is left of the nations which come against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King. the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." So we can see that another of the main reasons to keep the Feast, is to worship the Lord of hosts.

 

I have a really hard time trying to understand how any person can decide for himself that keeping the Feast is not important.  Let's continue in Zech. 14: 17-19  "and it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain., there shall be the plague where with the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles." .....Vs 19--- "This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the Punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles."

 

I think that we can have no doubt that God consider it extremely important that we keep the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles is commanded in many scriptures in the Old testament: ( Lev.23;  Num. 29; and others).

 

It was kept in the New testament by Christ and the apostles, (John 7; Acts 17), and it will be kept in the millennium  (Zech. 14).  When we put it all together, I think we can see  "Why We Are Here" and YES, by all means, we MUST keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

                                                                                                               -Neil Wroten