Living Water At The Feast Of Nations
Drinking Living Water at the Feast of Nations
John 7:37: On the last day of the feast, the great day (of the Lord), Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.The following is an excerpt from “The Torah Blessing” by Larry Huch p6 182-184Feast of Nations Sukkot (Tabernacles) is also called the “Feast of Nations”. On this day, G-d asked the Israelites to sacrifice seventy bulls (like the 70 languages/thunders the commandments were said to be given in under the cloud/chuppah/Sukkah at Sinai). That may seem strange in today’s world, but, there were seventy nations at that time (the mixed multitude that left Egypt with Israel contained all 70 nations) just as there were 70 descendents of Jacob, showing that members of all 70 nations would become part of Israel. Exodus 1:5 All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Exodus 24:1 Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Exodus 12:37 7And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth,about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38A MIXED MULTITUDE also went up with them (the Israelites), and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. 39And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.In Hebrew, the world “Salvation” is the word “Sozo” which means “Forgiveness.” but it also means “prosperity”, “healing”, ‘joy”, “happiness” and “peace”(and it is closely related the word Yahshuat “G-d saves” and the name “Yahshua”). What they were doing was making a sacrifice not just for the Jewish people but also for every nation on earth. Remember, G-d told Abraham that through Him, ALL nations would be blessed.In Jewish teaching, there is what is called the Messianic Period, a time when the Messiah will come, and all the nations on earth will recognize Him and gather on Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) at Jerusalem, where we will live under the blessing of the Messiah (He is King, in His Kingdom, by His Laws), and every area of our lives will be taken care of forever. Thus, beginning on Sukkot and going for seven days, all the priest in Jerusalem would gather together at the temple and divide into three different groups. Revelation 22 1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of G-d and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city;also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord G-d will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Zechariah 14:16 16Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts,there will be no rain on them. 18And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. One would go out the main gate. Another group would go out to gather the sacrifices for a blood offering. The next group would go down to a certain area off to the west of Jerusalem, where they would cut long branches off of willow trees. The third group would go with the High Priest to the pool of Shalom-the same pool where Jesus/Yahshua healed the blind man-and use a golden pitcher to gather its “Living Water.” (the same term used for Baptismal Water). Accompanying them would be an assistant carrying a pitcher of wine. At a certain moment, all three groups would head toward the gates of the temple. The Shofar (Ram’s horn) would blow, and the three groups would meet at exactly the same moment with the sacrifice (that covers sin, showing faith in the blood of the coming Messiah to erase sin), the trees (the tree of Life), the water (living water) and the wine (blood that seals a covenant). At the moment they all met, the Shofar was blown again. This would call forth a man who would play a flute-always a symbol of the Coming Messiah, who was also called “the pierced one” (and the Green Branch).The first group would be the ones with the (70) bulls-a sacrifice so ALL the world could be adopted into the family of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After the blood was all over the altar, they would remove the carcasses. Then would come the ones with the trees, and they would arrange the trees over the altar, angling them upward to make a tabernacle or a wedding canopy (Chuppah/Sukkah that finalized the engagement ceremony and contract given at Sinai). Thus the blood is shed and the canopy is built, symbolizing that the Messiah would come and the Bridegroom for ALL G-d’s People.The third priest would then come and pour the water onto that blood, symbolizing the Holy Spirit and an outpouring of Joy. Then the associate priest would pour wine onto the water and the blood, the symbol of a marriage covenant.Imagine how powerful it was for first-century Jew who were familiar with this ceremony when Yashua/Jesus went to a Wedding Feast in Canaa and turned water into fine wine. What better way could there have been for Yahshua/Jesus to announce that the Messiah had come? CALLING FORTH THE MESSIAH AND THE FEAST Now let’s fast-forward to the first century. It is the Feast of Tabernacles, and Yashua/Jesus is in the temple celebrating Sukkot (Tabernacles).Now unless you are familiar with the Jewish roots of your faith, how can you know what this passage really means? This was the final day of the feast (called the “Lord’s Day”) the day on which all the people got to come into the (inner court) of the temple (not just the Priests). On the Seventh Day, the priest would pour out water on the altar seven times, and they would all walk around the altar seven times, each time shouting, “Save Us!/Hosanna”. They were calling for their Messiah, (on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, at the place that usually on the priests could go, along with believers from all over the globe)!. Revelations 22:17The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.Yashua/Jesus stood up at the Sukkot celebration and said “I’m here! I’ve come to give you living water. When you taste Me, you’ll never thirst again.” What an amazing event. Jesus was right there with them. He watched them walk around the altar. He watched them pour “living water” on the altar. They started calling for the Messiah to come and bring His Kingdom (Him as King, We His Subjects, Living By HIS Law) on earth, and He said “Here I am!” Exodus 12:49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”In the Passsover we also see that G-d has made a way for those who wish to be grafted into Israel to be grafted in, by a circumcision of the flesh in former times, and now by a circumcision of the heart. But those who wish to live in the land (try to get the blessings) without the cost of Covenant-cutting away the flesh, will observe but not participate in the Wedding Feast. Like the Virgins who forgot the oil, and the man who didn’t change into white wedding garments after accepting the invitation.43And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45(No foreigner or hired servant may eat of it. 46It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and( you shall not break any of its bones. 47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”50All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. 51And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
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