Sabbath Thought - Fall Holy Days

In spite of this year being a year like no other, the time has still flown by.  Summer is winding down and the precursors of fall are starting to show.  In one week we will gather before God to observe His Feast of Trumpets!  Ten days later we will observe the Day of Atonement, and shortly after that the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.  Another year reflecting on God's plan of salvation for mankind will be past.

As we keep these days before God once again, let's not forget their richness of meaning.  In Leviticus 23:34-36 we are told that God views these days as solemn assemblies.  We are to keep them holy and not view them as obligations.  We are to bring an offering reflecting how blessed we are.  These are days made holy by God's presence and He has invited us to be there with Him.

These Holy Days are also a time to rejoice - not just in the physical things, but more importantly in the spiritual fulfillment!  In Deuteronomy 16:11 we read, "You shall rejoice before the Eternal your God, you and your son and daughter...the stranger and the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Eternal your God chooses to make His name abide."  The fall Holy Days are days of great anticipation of the Hope to come - a hope we have and a hope the world desperately needs.  This world is dying and can't be fixed.  We are "on the ground floor" of the solution!

1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God's hope is for everyone who has ever lived to understand that they can be part of God's family.  Are you excited for the billions of individuals who will one day understand God's way of life?  Every day there seems to be something in the news that reminds me the stage is being set for the end-time events, and time is indeed short, but as one man said, we know the ending to the story.

I look forward to the fulfillment of these days, as I am sure you do as well.  Let's make the most of our worship before our loving and merciful Father to become more and more like Him and His Son, so that soon we will be living in the reality of what these days' picture!

I wish you a wonderful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

11 September, 2020