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King David and the Feast of Tabernacles

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King David and the Feast of Tabernacles

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As the Feast approaches, many of God’s people face difficulties that challenge their determination to be there. Many times we are beset with work, school, money, mechanical, personal and other problems just before we set out. But invariably it is all worth it when we are finally joyfully streaming to the meeting facility under the full moon for the opening service. As we all know, the Feast is a type of God’s Kingdom, and our yearly pilgrimage to it is a type of our lifelong journey to be in God’s family.

Have you ever wondered why we have to struggle so much, not only for God’s Kingdom, but also at times just to get to the Feast?

The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that the lives and activities, both good and bad, of those in the Old Testament are recorded for us as examples—examples to encourage and inspire us, as well as to warn and admonish us.

The life of King David is one that gives me great inspiration, especially as the Feast approaches. There are many parallels between our daily lives and the life of this great man of God.

What was the difference between David and all the other kings of Israel and Judah? While a few of them were obedient to God, only David is called a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Only David will be ruler over the 12 tribes in God’s Kingdom (Ezekiel 37:24). The obvious difference is that only David had to struggle for many years before receiving the throne. As so many later kings have proven, power corrupts. Can any of us say that we would not be corrupted by power? Just as David’s character and obedience to God were developed greatly by his years of trials and tribulations, so too are ours.

Fighting Saul and Satan

In his youth, David served in King Saul’s court. Saul can be a type of Satan. Both Saul and Satan were anointed rulers (Ezekiel 28:14; John 14:30; 1 Samuel 10:1). Both exalted themselves and were guilty of rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23; Ezekiel 28:17) and the laments over their failures are similar (Isaiah 14:12; 2 Samuel 1:19). Before we are called by God, we have served in Satan’s court.

Just like David, we each have our own personal Goliaths to slay. There can be no doubt that it was only by God’s mercy that David had the courage to face and overcome this giant, and we too only overcome trials and tribulations by God’s mercy extended to us.

Flush from this great victory, David could do no wrong. Similarly, when we are first called into the faith, God often gives us great victories to encourage and inspire us and give us faith. Likewise, many times we are at our strongest right after the spiritual refreshing we find at the Feast. But just as Saul began in a jealous rage to try to kill David, so Satan comes after us when we begin to live godly lives, and when we go back into the world after the Feast. That is when our character is really developed.

Never Give Up

In fear for his life and on the run, David fell victim to fear, discouragement and even depression. But David never gave up, and neither must we.

David had two chances to kill Saul and end his persecution (1 Samuel 24 and 26), but instead relied on God. We are many times presented with chances to end our persecution from Satan by giving up. But we must rely on God to see us through, knowing that He has anointed each of us to be future kings in His Kingdom (Revelation 5:10). And so we strive on through the long, dark months between Tabernacles and Passover, with the weekly Sabbath to strengthen and encourage us.

Hidden Danger

Interestingly, it was when David was king over Israel that he fell victim to the darkest time of his life by giving in to temptation and committing adultery and murder. At times when he was running for his life, David prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17), but he had drifted far from God at this time.

Some of the greatest trials we face as God’s people come when times are prosperous and our trials seem temporarily over. Then we, like David, may not always feel we have the same need to cry out to God for help.

And it is often when we are at the Feast that we forget that Satan too attends the Feast. We get so caught up in all the godly activities surrounding us that we sometimes neglect our personal prayer and Bible study. We can, if we are not careful, have a more physical Feast than spiritual, resulting in the post-Feast blues and leaving ourselves vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

God is faithful to forgive every sin repented of (1 John 1:9). But if we persist in sin, it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and becomes a threat to our spiritual lives. Then we must, like David, repent wholeheartedly and reestablish our covenant with God if we are to be a man or woman after God’s own heart.

We must ask God every day to lead us not into temptation (Matthew 6:8), and in faith ask Him for the wisdom we need to make righteous decisions in our quest for the Feast and the Kingdom.

So, as the Feast approaches, let us think of David’s life and example, for we, too, have been anointed to be kings and priests in the coming Kingdom of God.

And we, too, will only take our crowns and thrones after a lifetime of being persecuted by the king of this present evil age if we, like David, remain faithful to the living God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. UN