Title Feast of Ingathering! must keep
Contents
Text: Exodus 34:18-24
Abraham was recognized by God, became the father of faith, the father of blessings, and the ancestor of the nation of Israel, and Jesus Christ, the savior of mankind, is the one who received the honor of being included in his genealogy. How much he was honored by God can be found in the New Testament (Luke 16:19; Luke 19:9; Luke 13:28; Luke 19:9).
Why? Did God bless Abraham so much and exalt him?
At that time, his hometown of Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:28) had the best culture and civilization in the world. However, Abraham did not have the opportunity to accumulate much knowledge as a shepherd, nor did he have a social position, of course. Although he lived in poverty, he had faith in God (Genesis 15:6). He served God, but he did not serve God in moderation and according to his own convenience. He served God as the absolute and the only God. Therefore, he showed faith in absolute obedience to the Word of God.
This kind of obedience is shown in Abraham's life, and Abraham obeys the three great commands that God gave to Abraham.
The first is the command in Genesis 12, “Abraham, leave your country and your relatives and your father’s house.” The second is the command in Genesis 21:12: “Cast out Hagar and Ishmael.” The third command is Genesis 22:2: “You shall offer up your son Isaac as a sacrifice.”
If we read the Word of God deeply, there are two great streams in the Word of God. One is a command and the other is a promise. There is a link between this command and the promise, and that is obedience. No matter how good God's promises are, if you don't obey His commands, it's of no use. Because Abraham's faith in God was absolute, his obedience was absolute, and God's blessings were enormous.
Therefore, even when we serve God, we must, absolutely, absolutely must do what God has told us to do, and we must not do what God has told us to do, no matter what happens, even if it causes harm or death in extreme cases. This is real faith.
In today's text, God commanded us to keep three feasts.
The first feast is the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
I was in a hurry to leave Egypt, so I didn't have time to make bread with yeast, so I roasted the dough and ate it. Later, when the Passover came, I kept the feast, thanking God for the help that gave me freedom in those difficult times. Even today, all acts of giving thanks and giving thanks while giving thanks for the grace that Jesus Christ saved us from slavery in the chains of sin fall under this feast.
Those who have received the grace of salvation must live in gratitude to God, and especially, “Give back the firstborn of the beast to God”, “You must make a ransom for the firstborn of your children, and do not look at my face empty-handed.” You did.
We have no animals, but we must give the first of our income. Also, we should be thankful that our sons and daughters are all God-given. And since the firstfruits of income and the firstfruits of business are all God's, we should give thanks to God. there's another We should give thanks to God for the first day of the week and the first hour of the day as well.
The second feast is the Feast of Weeks.
The Feast of Weeks is also called the Feast of Firstfruits or the Feast of Harvests, and in the New Testament times it was the Feast of Pentecost. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and the church was born. Therefore, we should give thanks for the grace of salvation on the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) and give thanks for the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Weeks (Feast of Harvest).
The third feast is the Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles).
The Feast of Ingathering is today's Thanksgiving Day, the harvest season of grapes, figs, and grain. Thanksgiving is generally a festival to give thanks for food, but if interpreted religiously, it means the time of judgment. Therefore, we should greet Thanksgiving with more gratitude for the Heavenly Father where we can live forever and even more grateful for the grace of the Lord who shed His blood on the cross to give us that Heaven.
There are also grades and levels. ① In case of not being able to do it due to a face-to-face greeting
It's woo. ② It is a case of giving as much as you can give depending on circumstances. ③ This is a case where we do our best to give ourselves to our strength according to our beliefs.
In particular, on Thanksgiving this year, 1) thank you for giving us food, 2) thank you for planting next year's blessings, and 3) thank you for giving us heaven. May the God who blessed Abraham who glorified God bless you.
Dear Shepherd Church members, Feast of Ingathering! Thanksgiving Day! must be kept.
Gratitude does not mean that I am rich right now, it is gratitude that I do even when it is difficult. May God's blessing be with all of you in broadening our boundaries and preventing others from coveting ours. best for God