What now? In 1908, between the towns of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, a group of British archaeologists excavated the ancient city of Tel Gezer. Joshua 10:33 records the Israelite conquest of this ancient Canaanite city and its King Horam as he attempted to aid Lachish, yet not much more is known about it. The archaeologist himself, Robert McAlister, is mostly to blame for this, as the chief archaeologist of the Gezer excavations has been remembered throughout history as doing pretty shoddy work and it is believed that he largely bungled up the excavation at Gezer. There was one item unearthed, however, which at the time of discovery appeared fairly insignificant -- but later became McAlister’s crown jewel; his most important find. At Tel Gezer, McAlister and his men had unearthed a small limestone tablet with a very shaky Ancient Hebrew inscription:

The translation of that inscription read: Two months of harvest Two months of planting Two months are late planting One month of hoeing One month of barley-harvest One month of harvest and festival Two months of grape harvesting One month of summer fruit It is believed by many biblical scholars that what McAlister unearthed is a simple poem, written by a small Israelite boy in his training as a scribe. The writing is attributed to a young man named Abijah. Given the dating of the tablet, (10 BCE) we know with pretty good certainty that it’s not the Abijah that was king of Judah. What McAlister had discovered was a written poem used to remember the agricultural seasons. Again, at the time, fairly insignificant. However, later, as people further studied into what is now known as the Gezer Almanac, it was found that it the tablet corroborates sections of the bible that discuss various crops and agricultural production in ancient Israel. It helped to solidify our understanding of ancient Israel’s agricultural timing.

The Agricultural season of Israel went from Tishri to Tishri from a standpoint of harvests and plantings. We just completed our celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering, which marked the end of the agricultural season in ancient Israel. The NEW agricultural season began following the Sabbath of the Last Great Day. Let’s begin today by turning over to Exodus 23, and well pick it up in verse 14. Exodus 23, and we’ll see the 3 times that God commanded Israel to appear before him and keep a Feast. Exodus 23:14 and we’ll read through verse 16. Exo 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Exo 23:15 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty: Exo 23:16 and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou sowest in the field: and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field.

So we see that the Feast of Tabernacles is also known as the Feast of Ingathering. The feast of gathering up what the land has produced. We sometimes refer to the Feast of Tabernacles as a Harvest Festival, however, according to the agricultural timing; the majority of the harvest had already been taken in by the time the month of Tishri rolled around. What was going on during the month of Tishri was the processing of the harvest and a celebration of the blessings that God had provided. The Israelites were threshing the wheat and storing it, treading the wine and storing it, processing the oil from the first part of the olive harvest and getting it stored. The harvest was done. But the hard work – the processing of that harvest, and the putting away of that harvest was taking place. Deuteronomy 16 helps to flesh out this idea, Deuteronomy 16:13, and we’ll see the specifics. Deu 16:13 Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress: Deu 16:14 and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

Intuitively, it makes sense if we think about it that the harvest would have to be mostly over before folks left for the Feast, otherwise, how are they going to take their ‘second tithe’ from the most recent harvest with them. It would have needed to be processed, as much as possible before they left, they couldn’t just scythe the crops and then hop on a donkey and head to Jerusalem, there’s some processing involved. The ancient Israelites were up against a window with the Feast of Tabernacles coming up. In the late fall of the year in Israel came what are referred to in the bible as the former rains. The first rains of the agricultural year, they begin in October-November, (The months of Tishri and Chesven) and can last as late as the months of December and January. (Kislev and Tevet) We know that Israel’s climate is also cold in the winter months – so much so that there is evidence that ancient Israelite shepherds headed their herds to the Arabian Desert during the winter. In fact, one of our proofs that Christ couldn’t have been born on December 25th has to do with the ambient air temperature, and the fact that no shepherd in their right mind would have their sheep in the fields around Bethlehem in the middle of the month of Kislev.

God ensured that the Israelites had a long enough window to work with however to finish the harvest, provided they were following his instructions, turn with me please to Deuteronomy 11, and we’ll see the promises of our just God. Deuteronomy 11:13 and we’ll read through verse 14. Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Jehovah your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, Deu 11:14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy grain, and thy new wine, and thine oil. God promises that as long as the Israelites listen to his commands, and love him and serve him, that he will give them the rain in due season. In other words, he’ll hold off the autumn rains long enough that they can process all the crops outside on the threshing floors and in the winepresses, and allow them the time to process it BEFORE the Feast of Tabernacles begins. In addition the timing of the former and latter rains were crucial for seed germination as well as maturation.

Untimely rains in the barley and wheat harvests could be devastating to the crops in those areas. I have a good friend whose family grows wheat, and our wet season this year about did their wheat crop in. You have got to have the right kind of weather, it has to be just dry enough before you can begin to harvest it, and keep in mind, the ancient Israelites didn’t have combines that cut a 20 foot swath through the fields… they were doing it by hand with a scythe. It takes time, and if the rains came during that process, they were in trouble. They had to rely upon God. Today, ingathering is done at the time of harvest for grains. Combines separate the wheat from the chaff - the rest is processed into straw which comes off the back of the machinery in nice neat little cubes, hardly any manual labor necessary. No physical strain or stress at all… just fire up the combine. So when we look at our celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, much of the original agricultural meaning is lost on us. Our ingathering today is on a spiritual plane. We’ve just recently completed 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the 8th Day, which marks both the end and beginning of the agricultural cycle in Ancient Israel.

The harvest of spiritual food for this year has ended, and a new year has begun. For many of God’s people, the Feast of Tabernacles is the primary Holy Day we look forward to. We saved up our second tithe for the year, we travel to the Feast, stay in a temporary dwelling, and rejoice just like we’re commanded to do. When we come home, often there is a feeling of depression. The Feast and LGD are over, we’re back in Satan’s world, back to work, and that can be tough to stomach. Sometimes we ask ourselves, ‘What Now?’. What exactly do we do now that the Fall Holy Day season is over? For those of you that are fans of titles, I’ve entitled this message today, “What Now?” Just like here in the Northwest, the people of Israel experience some cold, dark and rainy months of winter between now and the spring Feasts, what should we be doing in that time? What did Ancient Israel do during these months following the Feast of Tabernacles? What lessons can we learn from the agricultural practices and timing of Ancient Israel?

If we take a look at the Gezer Calendar, the months leading up to the Spring Feasts were filled with several tasks. It begins with 2 months to Harvest – most scholars believe this to be the Olive Harvest given the timing and biblical corroboration. Likely they would be completing this at this time, as some of the early olives were likely harvested before the Feast of Tabernacles and processed for Oil. Then, 2 Months for planting (in this case, Barley), and then two months for Late Planting. I was unable to find any reference to crops for this planting, but It’s possible that this is in case that if the rains are too severe in the winter and they are unable to plant – that they have a couple of additional months to work with, it could also be for the wheat planting. So we can see, using the Gezer Calendar – that the ancient Israelites didn’t get to take 6 months off – and brethren, neither do we. There is much work to be done in the time between the Fall Feast Days and the Spring Feasts. The Israelites would have been completing three primary tasks during this time…

1) Subsisting on Stored Food 2) Preparing the Ground for Planting 3) Completing Necessary Maintenance With the remaining time that we have today, we’ll explore these three tasks and examine the spiritual applications of these tasks. 1) Subsisting on Stored Food: I think we recognize that there were no 7-11’s in Ancient Israel, but do we fully understand what that means? What that meant to Ancient Israel was that whatever food came from the growing seasons and harvests in the spring, and the harvests in the fall, and whatever little bit of food they could gather between seasons from their flocks and farms had to last!! The barley and wheat harvests that took place around the time of Pentecost had to last until the harvests in the autumn, and so the Israelites had to be good about putting food away – or make enough money that they could purchase it in the markets, but that life was a rare one. We see this attitude of preparation illustrated in a Proverb recorded by Solomon, in Proverbs 6 and verse 6. Let’s go ahead and turn there, despite the fact that it is a very well known scripture. Proverbs 6:6, and we’ll read through verse 11.

Pro 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: Pro 6:7 Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler, Pro 6:8 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. Pro 6:9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Pro 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: Pro 6:11 So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man. Solomon warns the readers here of the dangers of slothfulness, and admonishes them that even though the ant has no chief, no overseer, or ruler, No one telling them what to do, the ant still takes care of its needs through its hard work. And as such, has bread in the summer months. The section I really want to draw your attention to in this scripture however is the second part of verse 8. Gathers her food in the harvest The harvest of the spiritual food of the Feast of Tabernacles began well before the Feast of Tabernacles.

The individuals who presented the sermons at the feast reaped the word of God well before the Feast began. They then took the time to process that word as God inspired them in order to present it to us, so that we could put it into our storehouses. How did we utilize our time at the Feast? Did we treat the Feast as a Festival of Ingathering? The opportunity to gather up and store as much spiritual food that we could gather and store up in the limited time that we had? Did we squeeze every drop of spiritual nourishment from our Feast… or did we treat the Feast as a vacation? How was our time spent? Mr. Richards, an elder from the Bend area, gave an incredible sermon at the Feast in Bend, and for those of you that were not there, I would suggest you listen to it – it’s located at the church’s Feast message website (feast.ucg.org). In it he discussed how God plans for us be Kings and Priests in the Millennium, but he brought up the concept of structured training. Have we ever sat through a ‘Being a King 101’ type lesson? Sure, we sit in structured Sabbath services each week which is kind of like our structured training, but the point that Jeff brought out is that people who are destined for Royalty, such as Prince William, have been trained his entire life for his task. His training is formal. Our training is largely informal.

We learn through experiences, and everyday lessons. We learn from the situations that we go through, trials that we go through, and when we get through them, we sometimes don’t even recognize that we’ve learned a lesson at all. Just like Daniel in the movie, The Karate Kid, who learned Karate through performing mundane tasks. Much of our training is ‘on the job’ type training, so when we talk about the Feast, and the things that we do at the Feast, there are lessons to be learned from everything that we do – though we recognize, some activities are more lesson filled than others. How did we spend our time? We only have 8 days to gather and store as much spiritual nourishment as possible, and that fire that comes from the Feast of Tabernacles, the energy, and excitement, has to last us for quite some time. We have to find ways to put it away, to store it for use in the darker months ahead. And just like in ancient Israel, once the harvest was over, the real work began. Again, they only had so much time until the rainy season came to get the crops processed and stored in the storehouses. I know that many of you can.

My wife and I try to put away as much as possible each year. We’ll typically buy a couple of boxes of peaches, or go and UPICK depending on the costs, then process and can those peaches. It’s a LOT of work as any of you who ‘can’ know. My kids absolutely demolish canned peaches, so this allows our family (and by family I mean mostly my kids – I don’t get too many…) to eat peaches all winter long until the next harvest comes. We’ve also canned pears in the past, the kids don’t like pears as much unless they’ve been made into sauce, but we had one year that we got a bunch of free pears – we went to my friend’s house who had the pear trees during the prime part of the harvest. It was an incredible blessing to get so much fruit… but Shannon and I both got busy, we didn’t get to them, and the majority of them went bad. Putting up the harvest takes a lot of work. It would have taken the ancient Israelites months to harvest and process the harvest and store it up for later use, the ancient Israelites couldn’t afford to let their blessings from God go bad. It takes work for us to put up our spiritual harvest as well. We all have pages of notes from the Feast, as I’m sure many of you do as well.

Will we pour back over those notes, study them out, find correlations and connections, discuss the messages, sharpen the iron of others, and put those messages up so we can slowly use them as the year goes on? Or will we let them go bad? The ancient Israelites had to subsist on what they put up from the growing seasons of Ancient Israel, and spiritually, so do we. We can and SHOULD be slowly utilizing the spiritual food that we have put away from the Feast of Tabernacles as the cold winter months drag on. So,”What Now?” – Process and store up the word of God. Preparation of the Ground: The months directly following the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel, were a time of hard, often miserable work. Just after the Feast, and lasting for 2-4 months, came what are referred to in the bible as the Former Rains. These were the fall rains in Caanan, and are much like the rains we receive here in the winter. Having lived in Oregon now for a little over 11 years, I can honestly and unequivocally say I am still not used to the rain. I understand that we need it, I appreciate the green that it provides, I LOVE that it brings the fish into the rivers… but I don’t like it. It’s miserable to be outside in for extended periods of time, and the dark and dreary winter light combined with the 37th STRAIGHT DAY of rain truly messes with my outlook on life.

With that said, I don’t mind the spring rains. As you’re all Oregonians you can tell the difference. The spring rains (latter rains) are more of a mist most of the time than the cold fat raindrops we get in the winter. The winter rain just permeates whatever coat you’re wearing and soaks you to the skin. It is those cold, fat raindrops that the people of Israel experienced during the Former Rains, but despite the rain, they still had a job to do. The former rains were a blessing, and were given by God exactly when they were needed as we saw in Deuteronomy 11:14. In Israel, the hot dry summer months baked the ground hard as a rock. Making it particularly difficult to cultivate the ground. The Former Rains beginning just after the Feast of Tabernacles marked the beginning of the new growing season, and they provided the famers of Israel a chance to cultivate the soil, and to sow seed which then would have enough moisture to germinate. We can see in the Gezer calendar – that the 4 months following the 2 months of olive harvest following Tabernacles were planting months. The rains allowed them to finally be able to cultivate the soil so they COULD sow seed. WITHOUT THE RAINS, they couldn’t possibly grow crops. Our spiritual lives aren’t much different.

We’ve heard the phrase, that ‘When it Rains, It Pours’, and in the modern vernacular, that has come to represent a meaning of someone’s life going just fine, then all of a sudden, all of these terrible things happen all at once. But where does that idiom come from? It’s pretty common, so it must be in the bible right? It sounds like a proverb. Maybe Confucius, the Farmer’s Almanac? …It came from advertising men at Morton’s Salt. They were trying to describe the characteristics of Morton’s Salt, and how it was different from other salt manufacturers in that during damp weather, the salt didn’t clump, it still poured easily. Thus was born the saying ‘When it Rains, It Pours’. Since that time, the saying has taken on a life of its own, and now it is used in reference to our trials. When someone is going through a tough time in their life, they will often say, “Well… when it rains, it pours”. In fact, rain itself is viewed as an inconvenience, a trial in and of itself, and as I mentioned earlier, I’m guilty of this myself. This is also how we often view our personal trials as well. As inconveniences and frustrations. We know from James 1:2 that this isn’t the right attitude, but let’s head over to Psalms 66 rather than James, to look at a less well known scripture.

Psalms 66:8, and we’ll see the words of David in his description of what the trials of our life, and the tests that we are given produce. Psalms 66:8 and we’ll read through verse 12. (Read in New Living) Psa 66:8 Oh bless our God, ye peoples, And make the voice of his praise to be heard; Psa 66:9 Who holdeth our soul in life, And suffereth not our feet to be moved. Psa 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Psa 66:11 Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou layedst a sore burden upon our loins. Psa 66:12 Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. God in our trials proves us, and refines us. Tempers us, Strengthens us, and brings us into a place of abundance spiritually. Our trials produce spiritual growth. Following the Feast of Tabernacles, it feels sometimes like that is when Satan hits us the hardest. It’s as though, during the Feast, the hand of God is present, and he just can’t get to us as easily as while we’re there, He can hit us REALLY hard before hand, and of course, the pummeling continues after we get back, but while we’re there, we find ourselves successful in the things we have been working on.

I’ll use myself as an example – patience is not one of my virtues. We know it’s supposed to be, but I have never been known as a patient person. My wife was SHOCKED this year at the feast, as I was extremely patient and just let frustrations and stress roll off my back rather than internalize it like I normally do. I give all the credit to God for that, but I noticed as soon as we left the Feast, the lack of patience began to return. Satan knows that we’re vulnerable after the Feast, and that we are easy to get to, and as soon as the Sabbath of the Last Great Day closes, it’s *Ding* Round 1. The Former Rains of Israel were a danger to the crops in the threshing floors and winepresses, and it couldn’t have been much fun to work in, but they were a blessing to Israel. Without the rains that came in the Fall, the ground couldn’t have been prepared, the seeds wouldn’t germinate, and the next season of agriculture couldn’t begin. The months following the Feast of Tabernacles in ancient Israel were spent preparing the ground and sowing seed. The preparation and cultivation of the soil is extremely important.

Let’s turn over to Matthew 13, and we’ll examine the Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13 and we’ll pick up the account in verse 3. Mat 13:3 And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; Mat 13:4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: Mat 13:5 and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth: Mat 13:6 and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Mat 13:7 And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: Mat 13:8 and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Mat 13:9 He that hath ears, let him hear. Christ here used an agricultural analogy in the form of a parable to describe the Kingdom of God. We call this the parable of the Sower, it might be helpful to think of it as the Parable of the Soils, because that’s really what’s being discussed. We see 4 soil types. First, we have the wayside, basically the edge of the roads throughout Judea area that were packed down and salted to inhibit weed growth.

As such, it also prohibited growth of any kind. We also see the rocky places, where the soil is few and far between, and the plants have difficulty growing. The thorny places where there is soil, but the thorns block out the light and choke out the newly formed plants, then we see the good ground, which is the tilled soil, rich and prepped for planting. The disciples go on in verse 10-17 to ask Christ, and we’ll paraphrase here, “Hey, what’s the deal with you speaking in riddles? Why are you intentionally being so mysterious?” Christ informs that it is to fulfill prophecy, that it’s not the time for all to truly ‘hear’ what he has to say. Some of them are blind and deaf to the message, but that it is the time for the disciples in particular to understand. Then we’ll pick the story back up in Verse 18, and hear Christ’s own explanation to the disciples Mat 13:18 Hear then ye the parable of the sower. Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.

Mat 13:20 And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; Mat 13:21 yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. Mat 13:22 And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Mat 13:23 And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. The importance of good soil cannot be overemphasized. We have to cultivate our lives, and prepare the soil so that we can be a soil of the 4th type. Good Ground. The type of soil that when the seed is sown, bears much spiritual fruit. The Former rains that followed the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel were instrumental in preparing that soil; in fact, the hard baked ground COULD NOT be cultivated until the rains had softened up the soil. Much like we are incapable of producing the proper soil type without first the blessings of rain in our own spiritual lives. Our trials soften up and humble us, allowing us to become the type of soil that can be worked with, where seed can take root and flourish, where spiritual growth can take place.

So, “What Now?” – Prepare the soil. #3) Completing Maintenance: Finally, the time spent after the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel during the rainy months gave the Israelites a brief downtime in harvest, sowing, and the regular day to day operations of growing, and while it doesn’t say specifically in scripture, it likely provided an opportunity to repair equipment, outbuildings, amongst many other things that needed fixing. There is a quote by E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, that says, “Farming is 10% agriculture, and 90% fixing what’s gotten broken.” If it is true now, there’s a good chance it was true then. So the months following the Feast of Tabernacles for the ancient Israelites would likely have been spent repairing the things that were broken or purchasing new equipment so that they could sow the seed for the next harvest. Hard rocky soil can be tough on farming implements. Repairing and keeping those implements in top shape would have been crucial in order to get good ground to work with. In order to get the rocks out and properly cultivate the soil. Brethren, in our lives, we have repairs to be made as well. These ‘slow’ months so to speak following the Feast of Tabernacles allow us to make incredible progress in our lives if we work at it fixing what needs fixing. There is a spiritual high that comes from the Feast of Tabernacles, a renewed energy and zeal, a renewed introspection that allows us to focus on what needs fixing. If we can carry the momentum of the Feast forward, we stand to make some great gains in aspects of our life that need fixing, but as we recognize all too well. We can’t do it alone. David recorded one of the most heartfelt prayers to God in the bible in Psalm 51.

Let’s turn there. Psa 51:1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. There is some evidence as we look at the confrontation between Nathan and David in 2nd Samuel 12, that David may not have fully understood the full repercussions of what he had done. It’s hard to tell for certain as you read the account whether he knew of his sin before Nathan’s visit, but without a shadow of a doubt, following his discussion with Nathan, he knows full well that he had sinned. In fact, his exact words in 2 Samuel 12:13 shows that he knew he had transgressed against the Lord himself. His prayer for forgiveness and purification from that sin is well known. Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me.

Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. Psa 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. David recognized he was broken, that he was a sinner, and he is pleaded with God here, FIX ME, please God, repair my heart, if it can’t be repaired, create in me a new heart, renew a right spirit, blot out my iniquities. Please fix what is wrong in my life. He goes on. Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit. Please don’t put me away Lord – I can’t do it without you.

Psa 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Psa 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Psa 51:16 For thou delightest not in sacrifice; Else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. He recognized that a sacrifice wouldn’t be enough for what he had done. That God desires a broken spirit, and a contrite heart, a life of righteousness is what God desires more than the blood of bulls and rams. Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psa 51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Psa 51:19 Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar. David’s prayer for forgiveness and repentance is an incredible example of the kind of attitude that we need in our own lives in order to repent of the things that are broken in our own lives, and brethren, lest we kid ourselves. We are all spiritually broken in some way or another. We all need repentance, and we all need God’s forgiveness.

This time following the Feast of Tabernacles is the time when we stand the greatest chance of making lasting effective change in our lives. Right now, we have momentum. February… perhaps not so much. Take advantage of the time, just as the ancient Israelites would have taken advantage in the time between Tabernacles and the cultivation and planting to repair what needed repairing. So, “What Now?” – Fix that which is broken. Brethren, the 8 days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day are over and done. We learned many spiritual lessons at the Feast, had many opportunities for interaction with our spiritual family, and rejoiced as we were commanded. We wish for a time when the atmosphere of the Feast is continuous, when the whole world can know God, and we recognize that that time isn’t now, and that can be a bit of a downer.

So when we come home from the Feast, we can often pause and ask ourselves, “What Now?” But we can see from the agricultural examples of the ancient Israelites as outlined in the Bible, and supported by the Gezer Calendar, that the work didn’t stop for the Israelites when they returned home from the Feast – quite the contrary. The Feast of Tabernacles marked the divider between agricultural years and upon the Israelites return, a new agricultural year began and there was much work to be done. The former rains softened the ground, allowing cultivation and sowing, there was time for needed repairs, and there was continued storing and using of food that had been stored up. In our own lives, we have much work to be done following the Feast of Tabernacles. We need to utilize the spiritual food we gathered at the Feast of Tabernacles, process it, and store it up for use when the long winter drags on. We have to work on preparing and cultivating our own soil during the blessed rain that tries our lives, so that as hearers of the word, sown seed may take hold and bear fruit, we need to take this time and momentum to affect lasting changes in our lives, bringing us closer to God. These long cold winter months bring much opportunity in our spiritual lives, so “What Now?” Brethren, now, we get to work.