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The Feast of Tabernacles, God's Feast has come and gone for another year. We look forward to being able to attend more, but will we? Perhaps 2021 was the last Feast many of us can unite together physically -- only God knows. Some will indeed have kept their last Feast this year because their lives will come to their natural conclusion until God resurrects them. Whatever the future holds, we need to be ready and do our part as God promises He will finish the work in us as long as we remain faithful and obedient, earnestly resisting and overcoming sin by never giving up. The first time scripture in Philippians 1:6 was discovered early on after my baptism, it was a huge moment of relief and confirmation that this really would happen, it would indeed be possible, for I had self-doubt and many "what ifs", yet in that moment they were immediately quenched by God. The great hope this scripture gave me was so reassuring that I remember it well like it was just yesterday -- my thoughts were "God will ensure my success as long as I do what He says". That spoke and meant volumes to me and propelled me on with renewed vigour.
We all need hope and we have great hope in that God will resurrect all of humanity as part of His wonderful plan -- this is what The Last Great Day which immediately follows after the Feast of Tabernacles represents. Nobody will miss out and God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). We learn many lessons from each Feast for which we are truly grateful and give God our humble thanks. Each year a different theme seems to arise for me which undoubtedly is a very loving way God reinforces through repetition, as many of us need reiteration and timely reminding in order to grasp and hold onto the lessons carefully so that we grow and mature. This year the book of Deuteronomy popped up everywhere throughout the rich spiritual food we ingested at the Feast. Once home I was most eager to delve in and heartily resolved to read through the whole book slowly in one sitting. However, it took more than one day to carefully meditate meaningfully on everything God was showing me. This experience was exciting as well as very sobering. God says what He means and means what He says. Allow me to share a few salient points which became noticeable and prominent in my study…
● Are we listening, truly listening with ears that are tuned in carefully to every Word of God? This is where we start by focussing intently with all distractions set aside or removed while hearing His important instructions. Pray for ears to hear, for if we are not listening as if our life depends on it, then we may be just going through the motions as it were. If our listening is compromised then how can we put into practice all that we need to? Effective listening takes concerted effort. Jesus often said throughout the gospels when teaching his disciples and others by use of parables, to use their ears by paying careful attention and to take heed to what He was saying. We too must concentrate well to glean fully not only for ourselves but also in our preparation to teach others.
● Are we absorbing by rightly dividing God's Word? What God says is Law and given to us through love. It must be taken seriously as if our life depends on following what God is teaching us, for it most certainly does. Pray to ingest His teaching before listening, and before reading, as well as before and during your studies. There can be no rushing this process; otherwise we are in danger of missing teachable moments. We need to slow down and connect to God with healthy awe and deep respect despite what is going on in the world around us. Plan wilderness walks and time 1:1 weekly at least once. No wonder it is mentioned in scripture that Christ would go off to be by himself in remote places to pray to His Father early in the morning, in the evening, and even throughout the night. Fasting is also tremendously helpful and powerful in staying close with a clear connection -- the more we fast the more we realise why this is a great weapon against our wicked and evil enemy. God will give you the blessing of actually desiring and looking forward to your next fast wanting nothing except spiritual blessings of being closer to Him.
● Then we come to the next "big one" -- we DO what God says. When reading about the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai having Moses convey to God that they wanted to be obedient in all things they were instructed in upon the giving of the 10 Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:27 and 26:17) it made me very happy. I found myself wanting to help them along, urging them to succeed yet knowing they will repeatedly fail due to idolatry. We are like them too, battling our carnal human nature but we have the benefit of their mistakes to look at and learn from. We really are given everything including God's Holy Spirit in order to be able to overcome. This should motivate us to keep going day by day no matter what.
Now that we have returned to our usual place of living, things are back in their old routines…but are they? Hopefully we are rejuvenated and energized to be more awake, less cluttered, and less bogged down by the chaos in the world. The 8 days (nearly 200 hours) in worship of and praise to our most wonderful Father by attending His Feast was truly a joyous delight -- now we keep that momentum going by staying alert. For me it is like getting a new battery that is fully charged giving plenty of power -- a virtual power pack of energy to do what I know is right in God's eyes. Removing every shred of compromise is vital. Fine tuning right down to the point where all thoughts, our words, and actions are examined and dealt with appropriately (2 Corinthians 10:5). Let nothing get by or escape our notice on a daily basis. Improvement in pleasing God is really all that matters as we strive to live righteously like our forefathers -- Abraham, Noah, Daniel, Job -- until we reach perfection when we are changed (1 Corinthians 15).
The day we packed up and left Hahndorf in the lovely hills of Adelaide, where one could readily and very easily refer to this area as "God's country", this was the day after the Feast completed. It felt like we left with a "high hand" and ready to take on the world which reminded me of the boldness of the Israelites in Numbers 33:3. The morning was beautifully mild and sunny as we drove with the sunroof open exposing ourselves to the gorgeous warmth of the sun's rays while we traversed the steep decline passing through famous landmarks such as the Heysen Tunnels and Devil's Elbow, historically notorious for many a car accident ending in tragic fatalities. Dad always ensured that he woke the 3 of us children while we descended the treacherous roadway without even a safety barrier back in the 60s and 70s. My place was in the back seat on the left side where I was only inches away from a long drop and I'm sure I held my breath many a time on our frequent interstate journeys. Now my memories give me a smile, even a laugh but back then there was genuine fear. This time the freeway was an effortless and smooth drive that morning but on the evening news that night we saw a very different picture of wet and white surroundings raining ice on multiple highway lanes backed up for a long way. Traffic was at a standstill as people tried to navigate treacherous conditions. "Once in a hundred years or one lifetime" conditions were reported. We just looked on in shock and pity on those caught up in it while we couldn't help but feel deep thankfulness to God.
Shortly after we arrived home the heavens opened to a deluge of rain, hail and what looked like snow dumping huge amounts that flooded Hahndorf and the surrounding townships and villages. We heard loud thunder and saw lightning flash about the skies with dramatic moments that filled me with healthy fear and awe for God's power. We were safely nestled back into our custodial domain comfortable and free from danger, such is the protection of our great God Almighty. The message for me was clear and sound, that God will protect us if we LISTEN to Him, OBEY Him, and DO what He says. This was not some random coincidence as the timing was perfect. God gave us blessings of lovely weather to enjoy while keeping His Feast, even moreso on the outdoor events by holding back rain, increasing the temperature and sunshine that was coordinated with such skill and perfection. There was some gentle steady rain while we were ensconced inside the room where we had services and fellowshipped. Reviewing this with hindsight there was no other conclusion except to say it was exquisitely and purposefully made to order by God's will. Now it was over. The thunderstorm post Feast readily brought to mind scripture from Deuteronomy giving account all those years ago when the Israelites experienced the mighty power of God which made them very afraid in Deuteronomy 4 and 5.
This next year will be monumentally challenging, even more challenging than the previous year. Many will have big decisions to make and some are wrestling with these now. We will sadly see death on a huge scale for many who have trusted in worldly ways. It is high time to give God every part of our lives, whether big or small, the highlights, routine or seemingly insignificant. For what is God's will for us? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". We must continue to look to God for everything while we must live in this decaying world and its systems which are fraught with confusion, chaos, corruption, deception and evil. The apostle John conveys to us for these end times the vision given to him by God who is lovingly warning us in Revelation 18:4 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues". We must not allow ourselves unwittingly to be tangled up by anything the devil offers hiding behind human faces whether in government, in health officials, or otherwise, nor combine this with our human reasoning or logic. In other words, WAKE UP! Stay close to God and always look to Him to guide us, because nothing from this world can be trusted. Put your trust fully in God and you cannot go wrong!