Most of you reading this have been planning for the Feast of Tabernacles for months. You checked out where your congregation would be assigned, where else the Feast would be kept, and maybe even sites in other countries to which you might like to transfer.
But to have the best Feast experience, there is something more important. Paul tells us that Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). That may seem at odds with the command to spend your saved tithe to enjoy “whatever your heart desires,” such as a large juicy steak, a rack of lamb, or premium wine or similar drink. And then, for emphasis, the command is given a second time: “for whatever your heart desires” (Deuteronomy 14:26). In my immature walk with God, prior to baptism, and even for a few years afterward, my emphasis was on doing what my heart desired, not realizing that God intended to change my heart (Hebrews 8:10; Ezekiel 11:19–20; 36:26–27).
Respecting God While Enjoying Blessings
No, please do not misunderstand—God does want us to enjoy the fruits of our labor. In Judaism, the book of Ecclesiastes is traditionally read during the Feast of Tabernacles each year, and this book explains that there is a time to work and a time to rejoice in the results of that work. There is that famous passage telling us that there is “a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:2, 4). A time for dancing certainly will be when God redeems and ransoms Jacob at Christ’s return, and we often read this passage during the Feast:
Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all. “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together; for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:12–14).
King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes of the futility of human endeavors, but he nevertheless encourages us to work—and to enjoy the rewards of our work. “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God” (2:24).
He expresses that same sentiment in the next chapter, with a slight difference, saying that the fruit of our labor is a gift of God. “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God” (3:12–13). Later, Solomon tells of the benefits of our labors as a heritage from God. “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage” (5:18).
So, while we understand that the Feast of Tabernacles pictures a future time when there will be peace and prosperity for all mankind during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, the Feast is also a time for us to celebrate our own labors. However, to have the best Feast, we must not forget that God is in the process of transforming our hearts and minds. We cannot think as we once did when we were spiritual babes.
Our nature, what Paul describes as “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2), is constantly striving to rise to the surface, as an air-filled ball does in a body of water. You can hold it down, but it will pop to the surface any time your grip fails. That can happen if we get caught up in the things we want, forgetting the big picture. As I often say by way of reminder, the Feast is not a vacation. For some portion of our membership, time off for the Feast is the lion’s share of available time off from work or school, but it is first, foremost, and entirely God’s time that He has given us for the purpose of “learn[ing] to fear the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23).
What does the fear of God mean? Certainly, as a child fears his father when he has misbehaved and is being confronted with the consequence of his rebellion, we ought to fear God in a similar manner if we turn away from Him. However, that is not the kind of fear being described here if we have the Spirit of Christ in us. The context is of respecting God—holding Him in highest esteem. As we individually and collectively study His word and practice outgoing concern, we learn about His Way and the wisdom of it. We learn about His character and how He thinks.
Every Blessing Is a Test
An unconverted person could also attend the Feast to eat and drink to his heart’s content, but God expects more of us than filling our stomachs. Jesus instructs us, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14). This is a reflection of how God thinks, and we are to learn His ways.
Is this not what He Himself does in calling us to the marriage supper? Who else does Paul say that He calls but the weak, the foolish, the base, and the despised of this world (1 Corinthians 1:26–29)? It is true that God has another motive—that no flesh should glory in His presence—but is there not also a broader message here about how He thinks?
The third Festival season is a time for celebration. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has come to an end and many of the crops are in. It is a time to indulge in the fruits of our labors, but not in a selfish way. God gives us more abundance at the Feast than we have during the rest of the year, but we must not forget everything we are learning throughout the year.
He makes us just a little rich for the Feast to see what we will do under that circumstance. It is easy to think of all that we want—to see exciting new places, to take the children to Disneyland, to enjoy an ocean cruise, or to spend time with family and close friends. However, the Feast is much more than that. It is a time to rejoice by giving, sharing with those who have less, and bringing comfort to the lonely (Nehemiah 8:9–12).
Yes, God intends for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, as He instructs us:
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:7–9).
However, we must never forget the words of our Savior: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). So, to have the best Feast ever, enjoy the blessings God gives you, and give yourself away!