messianicpublicat ions.

com
http://messianicpublications.com/ariel-ben-lyman-hanaviy/why-i-keep-the-biblical-feasts/
Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
Why I Keep the Biblical Feasts | by Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy
[J]ust Old Testament observances f or ancient
Israel? Hardly. The biblical Feasts of the LORD
are the very command of a righteous Father to
His very people in ALL generations. Heres why.
A young man once called us with a question:
Why do you teach that we must keep the Old
Testament Feasts? Werent they done away,
along with the rest of the laws like sacrif ices and
other rituals?
His question was not new. Many have the
mistaken belief that what is f ound in the Old
Testament is old and dead and f aded away. This
common misunderstanding completely loses
sight of the Covenant HaShem made with Israel and still makes with His people todays spiritual
Israel.
The Old Testaments promises and expectations are a part of the overall plan of HaShem, as are those of
the New. There are not two dif f erent and separate religious requirements: one f or Jews and the other f or
us. John tells us, Scripture cannot be broken (10:35).
The Feasts, similarly, are not just f ound in the Old Testament. But thats getting ahead of ourselves.
Several f alse conclusions are continually drawn concerning the Feast Days:
The Feasts were only f or ancient Israel.
The Feasts are a part of an old, dead ritualistic law.
The Feasts were nailed to the torture stake along with all the other laws Yeshua abolished.
Lets look at each of these allegations one at a time.
Whose Feasts Are They?
Nearly two months bef ore the Old Covenant was ratif ied and bef ore he scaled Mount Sinai to receive the
codif ied law f rom God, Moses was instructed about Passover and the f irst Feast, Unleavened Bread.
HaShem told Him, And this day shall be unto you f or a memorial; and you shall keep [it] a f east to HaShem
throughout your generations; you shall keep it a f east by an ordinance f or ever (Ex. 12:14).
We learn f irst of all that it is a Feast to HaShem, Later in Leviticus, a book that details each of the
seven annual Feast observances, God commands Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, Concerning the f easts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these
are my f easts (Lev. 23:2).
He leaves us with no doubt as to whom these observances belong. They are HaShems, not Israels
and not Feasts just f or Jews.
Lest we wonder whether all the Feasts are Gods or just some of them, He details each one f or us in
Leviticus 23:5-43. But caref ully note how He pref aces the f easts He is about to list (verse 4):
These are the f easts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their
seasons (Lev. 23:4). All the Feasts belong to HaShem.
At the end of the chapter, af ter God f inished detailing each of the seven observances, we read, And
Moses declared unto the children of Israel the f easts of the LORD (Lev. 23:44).
It didnt matter whether you were an Israelite or a stranger, you were required to observe these days.
Notice what HaShem says about the f irst of the Feasts, Unleavened Bread: Seven days shall there be no
leaven f ound in your houses: f or whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut of f
f rom the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land (Ex. 12:19).
These special annual times belong to HaShem and are given to those who seek to know Him and take
hold of His promiseno matter which they are. Well now look at the next common argument.
Ritual or Spiritual Law?
Do you mean you keep the ritual law that leads to so much bondage? one inquirer asked concerning Feast
observance. The mistaken assumption many make is in thinking that all law in the Bible is the same. It is not.
In f act, we f ind f ive dif f erent kinds of law in Scriptures:
Spiritual law
Commercial-civil law
Ceremonial-ritual-sacrif icial law
Judicial-criminal law
Natural law
The Feasts f all into the category of spiritual law, just as the Ten Commandments (which also are judicial).
They reveal the spiritual attributes of HaShem and they transf orm us spiritually to be more like Yeshua
when we observe them.
The change in the law that many mistakenly believe ref ers to the spiritual and moral law came about in the
ceremonial-ritual-sacrif icial law. Hebrews 9:9-12 speaks of that change:
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,
that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which
stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them
until the time of reformation. But Messiah being come an high priest of good things to come, by
a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
These ritualistic ordinances had been added to the law obligation because of Israels continued
transgressions (Gal. 3:19). It was imperative that Israel learn the important lesson that sin is a serious
thing that separates us f rom God and requires bloodshedding f or atonement.
Now we rely on the Savior as the ultimate sacrif ice, and who now intercedes f or us as our High Priest. His
blood, and not the blood of bulls and goats, is the only ef f ective antidote to counteract and blot out sin.
This is the change in the law that the Bible speaks of .
We f ind nothing here or anywhere else in the Scriptures about a change in our responsibility to keep the
spiritual lawmeaning either the Ten Commandments or the Feast days. That is because neither the
Commandments nor these annual observances are part of the ceremonial-ritual-sacrif icial law that was
changed with the coming of Yeshua and the institution of another priesthood (Melchizedek).
Nailing Down the Change
But doesnt Colossians 2:14 say that all of Gods laws, including the Feasts, were nailed to the stake
when Yeshua died? some may be asking. Lets read the main verse in question:
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to the tree (Col. 2:14). Here we f ind that the ordinances that were nailed to the
tree were against us. Is Gods law against us? Does not Paul write, Wheref ore the law is holy, and
the commandment holy, and just, and good? (Rom. 7:12).
If the law is against us, why does 1 John 5:3 say, For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His
commandments: and His commandments are not grievous?
In f act, any law, is intended f or the good of the people. The commandments sure are, and so are the
Feasts.
Feasts Now and Forever
Had Yeshua or Paul told us that under the New Covenant we dont need to observe the seven annual
Feasts, then we would not bother. The reality is, no one in the New Testament said such a thing.
In f act, we f ind a myriad of passages in the New Testament where people intended to keep them, were
keeping them, and would keep them in the coming Kingdom. And these included Yeshua Himself . Here are
some:
And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem af ter the custom of the f east. (The
Saviors parents were in the act of keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread in Luke 2:42.)
Af ter this there was a f east of the Jews; and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem. (Yeshua went to
Jerusalem probably to keep Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, John 5:1.)
You know that af ter two days is [the f east of ] the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed
to be impaled. (Yeshua was to become the Passover sacrif ice in Matt. 26:2.)
Now the f irst day of the f east of unleavened bread the disciples came to Yeshua, saying unto
him, where will you that we prepare f or you to eat the passover? (Yeshua always was planning to
keep the Passover, Matt. 26:17.)
Now the Jews f east of tabernacles was at hand. But when his brethren were gone up, then
went he also up unto the f east, not openly, but as it were in secret. Now about the midst of the f east
Yeshua went up into the temple, and taught. (Heres proof that Yeshua kept this f all Feast, John 7:2,
10, 14.)
And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the f east. (Non-Jews
observed Passover in John 12:20.)
But bade them f arewell, saying, I must by all means keep this f east that comes in Jerusalem:
but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed f rom Ephesus. (Paul in Acts 18:21 was
speaking af ter the Saviors resurrection about his intentions to observe the Feast.)
Theref ore let us keep the f east, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (Paul is telling us to observe
the Feast of Unleavened Bread with a new emphasis in 1Cor. 5:8.)
But I say unto you, I will not drink hencef orth of this f ruit of the vine, until that day when I drink
it new with you in my Fathers kingdom. (Our Saviors statement promises that He would
observe Passover in the Kingdom with the f aithf ul, Matt. 26:29.)
Considering HaShems many commandments to keep His Feasts, as well as patriarchs doing just
that, what hinders us to f ulf ill righteousness as well? Clearly the only holidays in the Bible are those kept by
Israel and by the Apostles and our Savior as well. All else is man-made.
They Just Keep Going and Going
In His instructions to Moses and Israel detailing the Passover and Feast that f ollows, HaShem made it
crystal clear that this was not a one-time ordeal. Nor was it just f or Israel at that time. HaShem thundered,
And this day shall be unto you f or a memorial; and you shall keep it a f east to the LORD throughout your
generations; you shall keep it a f east by an ordinance f or ever (Ex. 12:14).
No f ewer than f our times in Leviticus 23 af ter mentioning the various Feasts HaShem declares
the Feasts a statute f orever. If these days were important only in the lives of ancient Israelites, then why
do we f ind them prominent in prophecy of the coming Kingdom? Isaiah deals with the Millennial Kingdom. We
f ind there that when His Kingdom comes to earth, everyone will come to keep Gods appointed times: And
it shall come to pass, that f rom one new moon to another, and f rom Sabbath to another, shall all f lesh
come to worship bef ore me, says HaShem (Isa. 66:23).
And what if they ref use, as many do today? And it shall come to pass, that every one that is lef t of
all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up f rom year to year to worship the King, the
LORD of hosts, and to keep the f east of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the
f amilies of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no
rain. And if the f amily of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague,
wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the f east of tabernacles (Zech.
14:16-18).
Weve already read where Yeshua the Messiah promised to keep Passover in the Kingdom with His
disciples (Matt. 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18, 30). Does it make any sense that God would command
these Feasts f oreverand enf orce them in the f uture Millennial Kingdom on pain of plagueand not
have them binding today?
The Feast days hold a wealth of lessons and they unlock important truth. They also are keys to
prophetic events as they explain the plan and purpose of the Saviors coming and His role as our
King. It is time f or all people everywhere to be obedient to what HaShem established f or the good of
His people. Get in line with the annual Feasts of HaShem and your understanding will multiply many
times over.
His Feasts were just as much a part of His law as the Ten Commandments. Let us be like the Apostle Paul,
who said, I must by all means keep this f east.