Festivals and Sacraments

	FESTIVALS AND SACRAMENTS	"For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, you know it altogether" Psalm 139:4
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FESTIVALS AND SACRAMENTS

It greatly matters for us in the New Testament period to know whether or not it is appropriate to celebrate festivals ordered by God. The LORD said to the children Israel to observe festivals so as to help them remember their deliverance from the bondage of slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt. Feasts were celebrated as a sign to show hospitality, or the joy expressed in the success achieved in domestic affairs, birthdays, or the days of marriages etc. both in the Old Testament period, and in New Testament period. As far as small celebrations are concerned like the ones in birth day celebrations, or marriage feasts etc. there are references both in the Old Testament. and in the New Testament.

Few references from the Old Testament are as follows:

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. (Genesis 19:3 KJV)
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. (Genesis 29:22 KJV)
And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. (Genesis 40:20 KJV)
So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. (Judges 14:10 KJV)
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. (Job 1:4 KJV)
So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast. (2 Samuel 3:20 KJV)

Few references from the New Testament are as follows:

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (Luke 15:23 KJV)
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. (Matthew 14:6 KJV)

The LORD ordered few festivals in the Old Testament period and they are:

Passover signifying the LORD passing over the houses of Israelites without killing their first born while killing the first born of Pharaoh, Pharaoh's servants and al the people of Egypt under Pharaoh.
Wave-Sheaf (Also known as Festival of Resurrection)
The Exodus of Iraelites from Egypt
Pentecost (Also known as 'Feast of Weeks')
The law given at Mount Sinai
Festival of Tabernacles.

One of the great annual festivals of the Jews as recorded in Leviticus 23:33-43 was the 'feast of Tabernacles' "... The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD". (Leviticus 23:34 KJV) The 'feast of the Tabernacles was also called, 'feast of ingathering'. (Exodus 23:16 and Deuteronomy 16:13)

"The feast of Tabernacles, the harvest festival of the Jewish Church, was the most popular and important festival after the Captivity. At Jerusalem it was a gala day. It was to the autumn pilgrims, who arrived on the 14th (of the month Tisri, the feast beginning on the 15th) day, like entrance into a silvan city. Roofs and courtyards, streets and squares, roads and gardens, were green with boughs of citron and myrtle, palm and willow. The booths recalled the pilgrimage through the wilderness. The ingathering of fruits prophesied of the spiritual harvest.". [Valling's Jesus Christ, p. 133] "The third of the great annual festivals of the Jews (Le 23:33-43). It is also called the "feast of ingathering" (Ex 23:16; De 16:13). It was celebrated immediately after the harvest, in the month Tisri, and the celebration lasted for eight days (Le 23:33-43). During that period the people left their homes and lived in booths formed of the branches of trees. The sacrifices offered at this time are mentioned in Nu 29:13-38. It was at the time of this feast that Solomon's temple was dedicated (1Ki 8:2). Mention is made of it after the return from the Captivity. This feast was designed (1) to be a memorial of the wilderness wanderings, when the people dwelt in booths (Le 23:43), and (2) to be a harvest thanksgiving (Ne 8:9-18). The Jews, at a later time, introduced two appendages to the original festival, viz., (1) that of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam, and pouring it upon the altar (Joh 7:2,37), as a memorial of the water from the rock in Horeb; and (2) of lighting the lamps at night, a memorial of the pillar of fire by night during their wanderings" Easton's Bible Dictionary

"Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD" (Exodus 23:14-17 KJV)

"Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water. Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand" (Deuteronomy 12:16-17 KJV)

"Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee". (Deuteronomy 16:16-17 KJV)

The aim of the celebrations of the festivities in the Old Testament period was to offer the sacrifice unto the LORD and to show the solidarity of oneness of the nation by congregating at a place usually at a sacred tent. The celebrations were usually of religious but not political. The people were not just meeting at a place to meet one another but to adore Jehovah and to show them as one body before the LORD. This act of presenting themselves as one body was also associated to strengthen them, continue unity and to revive the joy of their deliverance from the bondage of slavery of Pharaoh.

In contrast to Old Testament period celebrations of the festivals, we in the New Testament period, have Lord Jesus, who fulfilled all the Old Testament laws and prophecies, having offered himself upon the cross of Calvary for the remission of our sins. There is, therefore, no festivals required nor or any designated for us to celebrate.

A New Testament believer would give credence to few verses detailed below:

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent" (Matthew 27:51 KJV)

"Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come" (1 Corinthians 11:17-34 KJV)

"For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people" (Hebrews 9:19 KJV)

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22 KJV)

After going through the verses from the Old Testament and from the New Testament it is clear that the LORD ordered the festivals to be celebrated but after Jesus Christ came in to the world, he died for us and he became propitiation for us and it is he, whom we have to remember. It is Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone we can approach the Father in heaven. Other than the small celebrations that are done to remember in a sober way of the birthdays, and marriage celebrations, and so on, not specified as mandatory in the Scriptures, no other celebrations are required nor or any designated. All that we in the New Testament period need to do is to remember the death of Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary for our sake by taking part in the feast of Lord's Supper that needs to be done on the first day of the week. In addition to this there is one more sacrament, which is done as an external evidence of accepting Lord Jesus Christ as the personal Savior is the Baptism that which is not mandatory.

Dear Friend,

If you are in such situation, like that of Israelites, who were in safe hands of God, and because of temptations, yielded to sin and backslidden, please return to the forgiving God. You will be able to sing to the Lord in joy and worship him in heaven falling down before the one who is seated on the throne, saying "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created". But if you refuse to accept Jesus as your Lord, please be sure that you are securing a place in lake of fire. God is compassionate, loving and gracious and he will give you eternal life if you confess your sins to him and accept Jesus as your Lord.

God bless you
Leslie M. John