Most professing Christians do not know how to worship God. We see this in the contradictory beliefs and practices of the more than 450 sects, cults and fellowships of Christianity that reveal a confusion rivaling the aftermath of the Tower of Babel.
Yet most of Christianity is united in opposing God’s most basic instructions. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in God’s commandments to keep His Sabbaths and Holy Days. Most Christians ignore Christ’s own example, and say that these are not part of Christian worship but are obsolete Old Covenant physical rituals imposed on the Jews by Moses.
Such professing Christians overlook God’s direct statement that these days are not Jewish or Moses’: they are His Sabbaths and Holy Days. “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, THESE ARE MY FEASTS” (Leviticus 23:1–2).
Despite this clear statement, modern Christianity charges that God’s Holy Days are “Jewish” and a heavy burden—a burden “nailed to the cross” by Christ’s death.
True Worship Not a Burden
This article will not prove that Christians must keep the Holy Days. Instead, this article will answer the charge that the Holy Days are a heavy burden imposed by God. Real Christians—who study, know and understand scripture—have already proved that their submission to God and Christ includes keeping these days. But even some who keep the Holy Days are confused about their responsibilities, and sometimes consider these days a “burden.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines “burden” as “that which is carried, a load.” It often implies difficulty, obligation or trouble in carrying the load.
But God’s direct command to mankind in regard to His Holy Days, or feasts, reveals a far different point of view, which can be seen by examination of the Feast of Tabernacles. “Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall REJOICE before the Lord your God for seven days” (Leviticus 23:39–40).
The operative word is rejoice! The Hebrew word samach is revealing, translated variously as glad, joy, joyful, merry, throughout the Old Testament.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words explains: “Samach usually refers to a spontaneous emotion or extreme happiness which is expressed in some visible and/or external manner. It does not normally represent an abiding state of well being or feeling. This emotion arises at festivals, circumcision feasts, wedding feasts, harvest feasts, the overthrow of one’s enemies, and other such events.” Hardly burdensome.
God designed His feasts as religious and social highlights in a person’s life—breaks from the normal work and worship routines. “And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates” (Deuteronomy 16:14).
Feast is a Centerpiece
Man simply does not want to believe what God says. Man sees the Old Testament God as someone who always commanded, always was stern, wreaking havoc and retribution on mankind because of His harsh laws and burdensome observances.
What they fail to see is that God is a happy, generous God, who is looking forward with great anticipation toward the spiritual growth of His family through this process of worship. They do not understand that His creation—when living obedient, productive lives—is a delight to Him. “Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their ways are His delight” (Proverbs 11:20).
God has especially provided the Feast of Tabernacles as the centerpiece for man to learn how joyous it is to worship Him. “And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23).
By instituting a “second tithe” earmarked only for Feast expenses, God ensured that His people would have a rich experience far different from the rest of the year. “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice (samach), you and your household” (vv. 24–26).
Nearly all of the physical and emotional senses God created in man will be stimulated by the experience of keeping the Feast. Most religious scholars refuse to acknowledge it, but true worship is an incredible gift God has given to us.
God is a Rejoicing God
The true worship of God, that which stresses obedience to His commands, causes rejoicing to both God and man. “And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good…” What most overlook is how God feels about it when man does obey. “…for the Lord will again rejoice (suws or siys, exult) over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 30:8–10).
King David understood that God wanted him to rejoice in the abundance He provided. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice (samach) who seek the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:8–10).
King David knew that there was much to be gained in rejoicing before God at all times, but especially during times such as the Feast. The Book of Psalms beautifully describes this worship. “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:1–5).
We should rejoice at this gift of worshiping our merciful God! Jesus compared our relationship with Him to the physical relationship between a generous father and his children. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11).
Christ used the words “good things.” Good in the Greek means beneficial. The gifts God gives are beneficial to Christians. THEY PROVIDE A BENEFIT! Sadly a world on the verge of self-destruction disbelieves God, throwing out the blessings that come from observing His Holy Days.
Christians benefit greatly from true worship as pictured by the Sabbath and Holy Days. Doing it God’s way, not rejecting His plan for worship, allows them to rejoice in His love, things of beauty, that which is joyful, the pleasure of our senses, prosperity and wealth. This does not picture a God who thrives on burdening His creation. “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14).
Members of God’s church have made the big jump, the transition, from Satan’s way to God’s way. They do it through His spirit and by actually fulfilling the physical as well as the spiritual meaning of the Sabbath and Holy Days. They understand God’s motives because they comprehend His plan and how it is pictured by Sabbath and Holy Day observance.
Christians can truly understand what Paul felt about worshipping God. Being justified by faith, having peace with God and access to Him because of Christ, true worshippers can “…rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1–2).
The “hope and glory” pictured by the Holy Days—God’s plan of salvation—extends BEYOND the church, encompassing the entirety of the world. Paul used the word rejoice (kauchaomai), which has a connotation of boasting, in a good and joyful sense.
A Need to Remain Focused
Human beings, even in God’s Church, tend to see the negative. In the face of persecution for keeping God’s commandments, the feeling of “woe is me” can overwhelm the feeling of rejoicing.
Whatever true Christians suffer to obey God today, it is nothing compared to that which the early church faced. “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us! But Peter and the other Apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’” (Acts 5:27–29).
That was a costly answer in physical terms for these men, but their attitude in the face of persecution for true worship, should be inspiring to all who claim to follow Christ. Before being freed, the Apostles were beaten and commanded not to speak about Jesus. “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (v. 41).
The word rejoicing (chairo) used here, means glad or calmly cheerful with a feeling of being well off. Even when persecuted, Christians should not feel doom and gloom. The Apostle Peter, one of those beaten in the above Jerusalem incident, spoke from experience. “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled” (1 Peter 3:14).
God did not create man to be miserable and sad. He rejoices in His plan of salvation for mankind. This means He rejoices in His creation, His people. That is why He has created feast days to celebrate—SO MAN CAN REJOICE WITH HIM! The feasts are days full of meaning and promise, which picture salvation and hope and glory for all of mankind—HIS ENTIRE CREATION!
An Awesome Destiny
Christians have an awesome destiny and NOTHING should get in the way of rejoicing about it! Those who obey God will receive great promises to be fulfilled in a most spectacular way. “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:6–8).
This is the end result of doing it God’s way. The Greek word “rejoice” used here is: agalliao, to exult, rejoice exceedingly, be exceeding glad. But more importantly, God is saying this event comes as the result of the “righteous acts of the saints” or “righteousness” in the KJV (v. 8). God inspired the Greek word dikaioma, meaning what has been established, and ordained by law, an ordinance—a portion of which, involves keeping the feasts.
In view of this awesome end result for the saints, why would a Christian NOT want to keep—and rejoice at—the Feast, and rejoice in being a member of the church God is using to proclaim the coming kingdom pictured by these Holy Days?
God shows those who care to study His word with an open and submissive mind, there is no burden in His Sabbaths or Holy Day feasts, just an incredible rejoicing in the physical today, continuing on to tomorrow’s world.
As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).