Word of Salvation – March 2014

 

Numbers 29 – CELEBRATING SACRED TIME

By Rev. John Westendorp

(Sermon 29 in a series on Numbers)

Scripture Reading: Numbers 29.

Singing: Book of Worship 337 / 90a / 515 / 159

 

Introd: Holidays were originally holy days… they were great religious occasions.

Christmas holidays are holy days – we remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

Good Friday and Easter are holy days – we celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection.

I’ve sometimes spoken to unbelievers and asked them why they take those days off.
They are, after all, Christian feast days that were meant for Christians.
But most people willingly take those days as holidays even if they are not Christians.

Of course other religions have their own holy days.
Modern day Jews still celebrate the Passover and Hanukkah.
Hindus have their Festival of Lights… and the Muslims have Ramadan.

An atheist once lamented that every religion had it’s holy days and holidays except atheists.
He complained that atheists were missing out.
A Christian who was listening to him said, “No! Your special day is April 1st – April Fools Day.
Because the Bible says: ‘The fool says in his heart that there is no God.'”

The point though is that holidays give us a break in the rat-race that life so often becomes.
Holidays provide relief from life’s pressures… they help us maintain our sanity.
That applies to our weekly day off… the Lord’s Day.
And then on top of that there are those annual festive days that make for long weekends.
And then here in Oz we also get four weeks of annual leave,

But here in Numbers 29 we see that holidays (or holy days) were originally God’s idea?
God not only gave mankind one day in seven as a day of rest.
God also set apart for Israel some special feast days as days of rest and celebration.

A] SACRED TIME – A REASON TO CELEBRATE.

1. The first of these is the Feast of Trumpets – it’s actually Israel’s New Year celebration.

Maybe that seems odd… because verse 1 says that this is feast is on the first day of the seventh month.

Let me explain. Here in this country we have a calendar year but we also have a fiscal year.
Our calendar year runs from January through December.
Our financial years runs from July through June.
Well, in Israel they had a calendar year but they also had an ecclesiastical year… a church year.
Their religious year began with the first month when the Passover was held.
Then in the seventh month (around the end of our September) their civil year began.

God says: This is a very special occasion that is to be marked with the blowing of trumpets.
There were some instructions about these trumpets back in Numbers 10.
In a way we could say that these trumpets were God’s way of getting people’s attention.
Something special was happening… here it is to mark the beginning of a new year.

As such this first special day in Numbers 29 is really the climax to Numbers 28.
There we had a picture of God claiming for Himself all of Israel’s time.
Numbers 28 was saying that all of time is sacred… it belongs to the Lord.
   The days are special… because each day begins and ends with a sacrifice.
   The weeks are special too… because each week again there is a special Sabbath.
   And the months are special… so at every new moon there was again a special sacrifice.
   Now there is added that the years are special… it’s beginning is marked with this feast.

The reason why this begins a new chapter is that all that now follows happens in this seventh month.
This feast of trumpets is the first of three feasts in that month that all belong together.
This one sets the scene for the other two… and it’s preparing for the other two.
So it is to be celebrated loudly with trumpets… this is celebration in style.

That highlights something wonderful for me.
My God is a God who loves celebrations… this feast was His idea.
And it’s not announced with some quiet organ music… or with the strains of a violin.
No! It is announced with the blare of the trumpets.
God loves celebration and He loves music. These festivities were all His idea.

When I think of that I am puzzled that some Christians ban music from their worship.

Their singing is unaccompanied… as if that is more godly than playing this trumpet.

Read Psalm 150 and you get a whole orchestra celebrating the goodness and grace of God.

In this feast God was saying: Here is a new year… celebrate it in style… do that with trumpets.

2. The second feast that is listed in Numbers 29 is the Day of Atonement (called Yom Kippur).

Yom Kippur is held on the tenth day of the seventh month.

It is the central feast of these three feasts held every seventh month.

So early in the new year there is this Day of Atonement and it’s a much more solemn feast.
That solemnity reminds us that God is not only the God of joyful celebration.
He is also the God of quiet and thoughtful reflection.
Those two are not opposites that cancel each other out. God makes room for both.

We notice the solemnity of this day when we read that God tells them in vs.7 to deny themselves.
IOW it is a day of fasting.
Incidentally it’s the only day of the year in which fasting is prescribed for Israel.

The rituals for the Day of Atonement are described more fully in Leviticus 16.
It tells how two goats were chosen to picture the way God deals with the sin of His people.
One goat was slaughtered as a sacrifice. It showed that blood must be shed for sin.
The other… the scapegoat was released into the wilderness to show that God removes sin.

3. The third feast in this seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles… or the Feast of Booths.

This feast was the highlight of the three festivals mentioned in Numbers 29.
– It is the feast that lasts the longest – a wonderful eight days in all.
– More animals are sacrificed here than at any of the other feasts.
– And whereas the other feasts are dealt with in just a few verses
we have 27 verses of instructions about this Feast of Booths.

During this feast the people Israel made themselves huts out of palm branches and lived in them.
In some ways it was a symbolic re-enactment of their journey through the wilderness.
For forty years they had lived in temporary shelters as they journeyed through the desert.
Now in a small way they lived that out during these 8 days of the festival.

So after all the solemnity of Yom Kippur the stress is now on joy and celebration. This is a great feast.

It’s a party time… in which they remember and celebrate how God cared for them those forty years.

At the same time this great Feast of Booths also looked to the future.
There is a sense in which nothing in this life is permanent.
That wilderness journey of Israel on the way to Canaan is symbolic of all life here and now.
So it was also a celebration of anticipation – a small foretaste of joyful celebration in glory.
In a sense therefore this feast anticipates that great party at the end of the ages.

B] REDEEMING THE TIME – THE SACRIFICES.

1. It’s worth remembering that all these feasts were actually spelled out earlier in Exodus and Leviticus.

Now here God is simply reminding Israel of them as they are about to enter Canaan.

They must not forget these great festivals as they enter their new land. God wants them to celebrate.

However there is now a somewhat difference emphasis as these instructions are repeated.
The stress now falls on the sacrifices that accompany each festival.
Very precise regulations are given as to just what is to be offered to God and when.
That’s important for a number of reasons.

One of our problems is that when it comes to celebrations we often lose our focus.
The celebrations become an end in themselves. We focus on the party… not the reason for it.
That happens in a major way at Christmas and at Easter.
We so easily get distracted from the real meaning of Christmas by commercialism.
Santa Clause is a huge distraction… and our holiday plans can be too.
So we need to work at staying focused and remembering who it is all about.

By stressing the importance of the various sacrifices God was keeping them focused.
He was saying to them: Don’t lose perspective on the sacredness of time.
Remember: the days… the weeks… the months… the years belong to me.
You are living out the whole of your life in fellowship with me… also these holy days.

At this point I want to make an application to us today.
I am surprised that some Christians increasingly try to have a holiday from God.
They are faithfully in church Sunday by Sunday… but come holidays, they give it a miss.
It’s as if divine perspective on life… and a God-orientation… suddenly doesn’t matter anymore.

Here, by means of these sacrificial regulations, God was telling Israel not to lose focus on Him.
Yes, celebrate! Yes, blow those trumpets! Yes, make the most of this festival.
But at the same time don’t lose sight of whom all your days belong to… also your holy days.
You can’t take a holiday from God and holidays should also be for spiritual refreshment.

2. There is an even more sobering truth that runs through these verses.

And that is that all of life needs to be redeemed.
The reason is that you and I have forfeited everything because of sin.
Nothing that we have is merited. We haven’t deserved any blessing we receive.
And the more we grow in our faith the more we realise that everything is of grace.
All that we have is only because for Jesus’ sake God is merciful.

Throughout the O.T. we see that all of life needs to be redeemed by the Lord.
There are all kinds of rituals of dedication… as stuff is dedicated to God.
There are all kinds of rituals of purification… as things are ritually cleansed.
God is teaching us that all of life is redeemed.
By that we mean: it is purified and cleansed and devoted to God.

And now all these sacrifices on these holy days… these festivals… tell us the same thing.
All of life needs redeeming… even our celebrations, even the holy-days of God’s people.
You cannot even enjoy your holidays apart from God.
Here, by the blood of sacrificial animals, these days are made sacred… holy to the Lord.

In the NT Paul calls Christians to redeem the time (Eph.515,16). Redeem the time because the days are evil.
We are to be aware that all of time is an undeserved gift we receive from our God.
And we need to live out all of our time in relationship to Him.
That’s why Psalm 90 says: Teach us to number our days a right that we gain a heart of wisdom.

3. We should notice too that there is no room for short-cuts when it comes to these matters.

There is a kind of cumulative effect in the way these sacrifices on these special days apply.
There were daily offerings – morning and evening.

Well, God doesn’t give the list of special offerings for the Feast of Trumpets
and then tell them that because they already have so many sacrifices
they can conveniently forget the daily morning and evening sacrifice.
To the contrary.
God specifically says in vs.6 that these are in addition – not only to the daily sacrifices.
They are also additional to the monthly burnt offerings.
That meant three lots of sacrifices on this New Year’s Day.
– The daily offerings… brought morning and evening.
– The Monthly offerings… because it was the first day of the new month.
– And then on top of that the special New Year’s sacrifices. That’s a lot of sacrifices.

Again I wonder whether there isn’t a lesson in that for us.
There have been times when I have been tempted to skip my private devotions on Sundays.
Hey… I’ve already been to church today.
Sometimes I wonder about that when I make a pastoral visit and pray with you.
Do you say that day, “I’ll skip my own prayers because John already prayed with me”?

I don’t want to get legalistic about this.
However I find it telling that Israel were not allowed to take short cuts.
The listing of these offerings show us that ultimately it is all about giving God His due.
And we ought to do that consistently in all areas of life.

C] FOR CHRISTIANS – FULFILLED IN CHRIST.

1. A question we face in this chapter is: What are we to do with all this as Christians?

Many years ago I had a lady in our congregation who kept all these feasts.

Her family celebrated the Passover… that feast of the Exodus that started their church year.
Well, okay… they didn’t slaughter their own lamb.
But they kept a great deal of the ritual of many of the Jewish feast days.
They also felt that all Christians still ought to do that.

I have a major problem with that. The apostle Paul would not agree either.
Listen to what he says in Colossians 216,17
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink
or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.
These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Some have the idea that when Paul mentions Sabbath in this text he’s talking about the seventh day.
And then they conclude that we today don’t have to keep the Lord’s Day special.
It seems more likely that Paul was talking about special Sabbaths.
Because these feast days were also called Sabbaths… special Sabbaths,
They were treated the same as the weekly Sabbaths.

And then Paul says, “don’t let anyone condemn you concerning these things”.
I believe that he means these feasts. He points out that these festivities were but shadows.
And that the reality behind the shadows is the Lord Jesus Christ to whom they pointed.
Christ fulfils the Scriptures… and He also fulfils all these feast days.
And if we now insist on keeping them then we act as if Jesus has not yet come.

Let me show you two ways in which these feast days are just the shadow and that Jesus is the reality.

2. First it is significant that during each of these feasts Israel was told to do no regular work.

These feasts were all to be regarded as rest days.
That didn’t mean spending all day dozing or reading a book.
No! They were festivals… they were celebratory.
BUT…. God did say in each case that there was to be no regular work.

The reason for that is something I alluded to when I began.
These days were not only given to remind Israel of some aspect of God’s saving love.
They were also part of system of holidays that helped busy people to cope with life’s pressures.
Sure, they focused on God… but they were also opportunities for rest and relaxation.

And then I remember as NT Christian that we today find our rest in Christ.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t need holidays anymore or time out to be refreshed.
But it does mean that there is a deeper dimension… a spiritual fulfilment of rest.
In Mat.11:38 Jesus gives that lovely invitation:
   Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest,
Those words are unique in religion. They highlights the essence of the gospel.
In every other religion you have to work hard for your salvation.
Only Christianity teaches that Jesus has already done it all for you.
And all you now have to do is rest in Him. He fulfils these feast days.

3. We could say the same thing about the fact that time is sacred because it belongs to God.

But it is Jesus who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

He is the Lord of all of life… therefore not only of our days but also of our weeks and months and years.

And when all is said and done only He can redeem our time and redeem our holy days and holidays.
And He does it through the blood that He shed on the cross of Calvary.
He redeems our days and weeks and months and years.
And He places them in the context of eternity when time will be no more.

Those celebrating that eight-day Feast of Tabernacles looked back to God’s care in the wilderness.
I look back to something far greater: the finished work that Jesus accomplished for me.
For them that feast was also an anticipation of the great feast at the end of the ages.
But in Jesus I see that too much more clearly because has gone to prepare a place for me.
A place that will be far more wonderful… with celebrations that I can even begin to imagine.

An 85 year old couple (married almost 60 years) were still in excellent health – mainly due to the wife’s interest in health food and exercise. But, they died in a car accident and end up in Heaven.

When they get there Peter takes them to their mansion which is decked out with a beautiful kitchen.
  The bedroom has a Jacuzzi off to the side and all the creature comforts.
  As they “ooh and aah”, the husband asks Peter how much all this will cost.
  Peter replies, “It’s free. This is Heaven.”

Next they go out the back to see the championship golf course that the home backs up to.
  They can golf everyday. Each week the course changes to a new one –
    each one representing the greatest golf courses.
  The husband asks, “What are the green fees?”
  Peter replies, “This is heaven. You play for free.”

Then they go into the clubhouse where there’s a lavish buffet lunch
    with the cuisine of the world laid out.
  The husband asks, “How much to eat?” Peter says, “This is heaven. It’s free!”
  The husband says, “Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods?”
   “That’s the best part,” explains Peter,
   “You can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick.
  This is Heaven!”

The husband looks at his health conscious wife and says,
  “You and your bran muffins! I could have been here ten years ago!”

Because of Jesus we’re going to a better place and to the greatest festivities ever.

That gives us Christians more cause to celebrate than these Israelites in Numbers 29 ever had.  Amen.