I just got an email from someone in Africa asking me how to celebrate the biblical feasts. Here is my answer. — Natan
The Bible doesn’t really tell us much about how to celebrate the feasts other than those things pertaining to the Levitical and tabernacle systems, which we can’t do anymore because that system no longer exists or because they were fulfilled by Yeshua’s death on the cross (i.e. the sacrifices).
From Lev 23, we learn that all the feasts are commanded assemblies, so we need to get together with others. They are also Sabbaths (except Passover). What do you do then to celebrate them? I follow the Acts 2:42 dictate: teach and learn biblical doctrine, pray, fellowship and eat food. Praise and worship was also part of the Levitical system and something that we can still do.
Each feast has its unique things we can do as Lev 23 teaches.
On Passover we do the Lord’s Supper and have a Passover Seder as Yeshua did and commanded.
On the Feast of Unleavened Bread, after deleavening our houses, we eat only unleavened bread and gather together on the first and last day as a Sabbath and commanded assembly.
On the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, we keep it as a Sabbath and gather together. We do a bread waving ceremony and do some other ceremonial practices relating to the day—things that aren’t commanded to do, but help us to focus on the meaning of the day.
On the Day of Trumpets, we blow shofars and teach about that. It’s also a Shabbat and has prophetic end times implications that we teach and study.
On the Day of Atonement, another Sabbath and day, we gather together, we fast as the Torah commands. Along with that, we repent of sins and focus on holiness issues and preparing to be the bride of Yeshua.
For the Feast of Tabernacles, we go somewhere and practice living out the millennium and hang out for seven days at a campout. The first day is a Sabbath. Often we will have meetings and activities that focus on the spiritual significance of that day.
The Eighth Day is the final biblical holiday of the year and falls immediately after the seven days of Tabernacles, hence its name.
The Bible says very little about what to do on these days except to rest and do no work if its a Sabbath and to meet with other believers. What we have done, along with following Acts 2:42, is to do activities that help us celebrate the day and focus on the meaning of it. There’s very little written in stone about how we can now celebrate YHVH’s feasts, but we can rest assured that he appreciates the baby steps we are taking to focus on him and our desire to meet with him on these days.
I have many videos on our YouTube channel about the feasts, and some of them talk about what to do on these days. Check them out at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5EzE5DQnrHfWWbczzkRo6IOnglxhbRfM.
Finally for those who criticize us for trying to keep the feasts as imperfectly as we are doing in this era, I have this to say:
- I am the richer spiritually for doing so.
- My understanding of and love for Yeshua and his word has deepened substantially because of it.
- The Father appreciates when his children obey him the best they can as imperfect as it may be.
- Finally, I tell them, “I like what I’m doing not very well better than what you’re not doing at all.”
Amein!
Good answer!
THANK YOU Natan. In even a simpler way, that is the conclusion I have come to in observing the feasts as best we can. Richer spiritually…ABSOLUTELY!
Thank you, my husband and I have no where to go to worship but on Shabbat and other Feast we do our best, now and then people come over. Shabbat is a day to rest and dwell on Spiritual things!