October 8, 2015
Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign:
Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.
- Isaiah 7:14
Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel,
which is translated, "God with us."
- Matthew 1:23
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God...
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth...
And of His fullness we have all received,
and grace for grace.
- John 1:1-2, 14, 16
...And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God...
- Revelation 21:3
My heart is filled with much emotion as I begin to write this post.
One year ago my family was in a very uncertain place as my third grandson was born a few weeks pre-mature. The days prior to his birth were days filled with anxiety for us, and all I could do was plead before my Abba Father for His miraculous protection over both the mother and the baby.
Fear lurked within but I never gave it a voice. I displayed faith, confidence, and strength... to be an encouragement to my family members. Yet in my private conversations with my God, I pleaded for His mercy and compassion to surround us.
The baby was born rather tiny, and his lungs which had not yet fully developed, were filled with water. The fluid had to be drained out, and the newborn attached to an oxygen machine, hoping that he would eventually learn to breathe on his own.
A few days before the birth, it was impressed on me that the baby was to be given the spiritual name Joyful One.
The obstetrician had wanted to wait a few more days to allow more time for the baby's lungs to absorb the medication intended to protect them at birth. But the decision to perform an immediate C-section had to be made. And so, in God's perfect appointed time, my third grandson was born on the morning that the Feast of Tabernacles was to begin at sundown that same day.
Within 36 hours, dear Joyful One's lungs were completely drained of water; he also began breathing on his own. He was taken off the oxygen machine and he began breastfeeding a few hours later.
These developments brought us all so much joy.
Five days later, the little one gave us his first smile.
He truly was filled with the spirit of joy... this little one loves to smile and laugh.
And there is nothing accidental about the timing of his birth. This little Joyful One whom his parents named Jeremiah David, was destined to be born at the same time the Feast of Tabernacles was being celebrated, one year ago.
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the seven feasts of the Lord; another name for it is The Season of our Joy. It is the last of the fall feasts and is a very significant one.
In my previous posts, I have explained why I am so interested in the Hebrew foundations of my spiritual faith, even though I am not a Jew by birth. For reasons known to God alone, He chose to have a covenant with Abraham, promised this man a son, a land, and a nation. The son of promise is Isaac, the promised land is Canaan, and the nation is Israel. Jesus was born a Jew, and much of the Bible was written by Jews under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In trying to gain a deeper understanding of the historical context during which Jesus and His disciples lived, as well as the cultural setting in which the Bible was written, I am better able to appreciate my faith, the nature and character of my God, and His words.
Because I love my God, it follows that I have a special love for His "chosen" people and the land in which they live.
I am not ashamed to say that I am standing with Israel in the prophetic purposes that Abba Father has for them.
The seven feasts were given by God to Israel, but He calls them "My feasts." Strictly speaking, they are not Israel's feasts, they are God's feasts.
The Hebrew word for these feasts is mo'edim, or "appointed times," special events which God said are to be commemorated for all generations to come.
I will not repeat here what I have written in several of my earlier posts, except to say a few words about the Feast of Tabernacles.
This feast lasts for seven days, from the 15th to the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Tishri which corresponds to the months of September-October in our Georgian calendar.
There were two main reasons for this feast.
First, it was to be celebrated each year as a reminder of Israel's deliverance from their slavery in Egypt, commemorating how they dwelt in tents as they traveled through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.
A tabernacle is a temporary shelter, made of light materials. In Hebrew it is referred to as a sukkah, or a "booth." Thus, the Hebrew name for this feast is the feast of Sukkot, during which Jews in Israel and around the world build booths outside their homes where they eat their meals for the duration of this feast. They were to do this that they and their generations may remember that their forefathers dwelt in booths when God brought them out of the land of Egypt.
The significant thing about their journey is that God Himself was with them, as a pillar of cloud by day...
and a pillar of fire by night.
In the gospel of John, he writes that Jesus Christ was the Word who became living flesh and "dwelt among us" (John 1:14).
Many modern versions render this verb dwelt as "pitched His tent," or "took up residence." However, it is extremely important to note the cultural origin. In the original Greek, John used the word skénoó which is directly translated as "tabernacled."
The Word was made flesh and tabernacled with us.
It literally means Jesus came in human form and "dwelt" among us.
The birth of Jesus was prophesied by many prophets thousands of years before it happened. In the book of Isaiah, it was prophesied that His name was to be Immanu'El which means "God is with us."
Elsewhere in Scripture it is said that Mary gave birth as a virgin, the birth of Jesus as a man is a supernatural act.
This really is such an awesome truth!
The second reason for the Feast of Tabernacles is to be a celebration of much joy at the fruit harvest.
It is important to note that on the last day of this feast, called Hoshanah Rabbah, there are many ritual prayers offered by the Jews, one of which is the ritual of bringing God's glorious presence (shekhinah) into the synagogues so that their requests can be made. A specific request for rain is made, but on a broader scale, the people are actually asking for survival.
Their very survival depends on rain.
The Feast of Sukkot marks the end of the dry season in the land of Israel. With the fruit harvest being the last harvest, a new agricultural cycle, the planting season, followed. Abundant rainfall was therefore very crucial.
A Hoshanah Rabbah ritual is described in John 7: 37-39...
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The significance of the words of Jesus is clear. We all need the outpouring of the rain of His Spirit for our spiritual survival.
And the significance of this feast is clear. We need to be reminded that just as God led His people out of Egypt, He is able to set us free from bondage and fear. The celebration of the fruit harvest is a beautiful picture of how God gathers His people to Himself at an appointed time. You will be My people and I will be Your God, He says it over and over again in many passages of Scripture.
But there is a bigger picture about this particular feast. It not only points to the past as we celebrate it in the present, it is also very much forward looking. Jesus Christ our Yeshua HaMashiach will return a second time in fulfillment of this wonderful feast.
And this feast will play a pivotal role in the Kingdom of God in the one thousand year reign of Yeshua HaMashiach.
In Zechariah 14:15-19 we read these words of prophecy:
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and the keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
At a future time, there will be a Gentile remnant (those who are left from all the nations that came against Jerusalem) together with Jews who will worship the Lord every year in Jerusalem and observe the Feast of Tabernacles. This will also determine who will receive rain and who will be struck with the plague.
This sounds pretty serious. I wonder why the punishment is so severe for anyone who does not go up to Jerusalem to observe this Feast. But since we do not understand very clearly at this point, it would do us a world of good to take this Feast seriously, since it is obviously very important to our Lord.
...And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God...
- Revelation 21:3
Needless to say, my heart overflows with joy as my grandson Jeremiah David turns twelve months old today.
How thankful I am for how God showed us His mercy and His compassion and watched over the birth and the first year of this little one.
I cannot think of any other name of God to bless Him with other than Immanu'El... the God Who is with us.
My dearest Joyful One,
Many people prayed for you as you were about to be born, and during the weeks following your birth.
Clearly, your life is an answer to all the prayers that have been offered at the feet of our heavenly Father.
Jesus Christ is our Immanu'El... the God who is with us, every step of the way, every moment of the day.
Providing, protecting, guiding, giving, loving, pouring His mercy and His grace.
He is real... oh so real.
And I bless you now with His manifest presence in your life.
I declare that your heart will always be filled with His joyful presence, and that you will never forget that you were born during the Feast of Tabernacles, the Season of our Joy.
How we need the joy of the Lord to be our daily strength.
How we continually need the rains of the spirit to water the dry grounds of our hearts.
May you have these always, God's joy for your strength, a sense of rejoicing for an abundant fruit harvest in your life, and that out of your heart, rivers of living water, the water of the Holy Spirit, will always overflow into the lives of others.
I pray that you will have a special relationship with the Holy Spirit... that you will never quench the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit,
that you will not despise prophecies, but that you will test the spirits, and hold fast to what is good.
This is my fervent prayer of blessing for you as we celebrate with joy your first year of life.
You are a fortunate boy to be surrounded with so much love, and to be raised by parents who fear God and who love Him above all, and to have a big brother who has such a soft spot in his heart for you...
And of course, grandparents who pray often for you.
Much love always,
Nana
(Note: I will be writing a separate post about Joyful One's first birthday and child dedication party.)
3 comments:
Lidia - I so appreciate this blog post - as I'm reading on a Monday morning - about to get started on my studies and all that this week will entail for me and my family.
Reading this blog --a good start!
Of all of the writing - one thing especially stood out - although I so very much appreciate the description of the feast and the Sukkot (I think we need to build one of those...), what stood out more was the phrase "I declare..." as you pronounced a blessing over Joyful One. My heart soared at that word - declare. For yesterday I placed the finishing touches on a long research paper for my current course - in that paper, while describing a fictional case history of a young man who was struggling with suicidal ideation while dealing with sexual identity issues. This young man "declared" to his parents, "Mom, Dad, I think I am gay." In my assessment of the case - I focused on the fact that this young man made a declaration - and advised as a counselor (in this fictional scenario) that he instead DESCRIBE - rather than DECLARE - that he describe to his parents his emotions and struggles, thereby inviting them into the conversation - so that they would be able to come alongside and counsel him. A declaration may have precipitated an emotionally-charged exchange...based upon the POWER of the declaration.
I say all of that to say - that the fact that you DECLARED a blessing over Joyful One - brought with it much power in the Holy Spirit (as you know - hence the declaration) (smile). The declaration says to the enemy - that it has been set forth in motion - no interference permitted!
I appreciate your writings Lidia. Always full of a wealth of knowledge of the inner workings of the Spirit.
As always, Lidia, your post is full of wonderful information and inspiring words. Congratulations on the birthday of Joyful One! What a celebration for your family. And, isn't it wonderful to know that we have a future celebration ahead of us?! A wedding feast hosted by the Lamb!
GOD BLESS!
That little Joyful One is thriving! And I remember praying last year for him so this is a blessing once again to see the Lord's hand on this child. Sukkot is very colorful and joyful, I hear. I haven't been to Israel during this particular feast, but a friend has and she loved seeing the shelters in various styles and colors. You explain this beautiful feast so well! I especially love the fall feasts and the significance they hold!
Love,
Mary
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