CHRISTIANITY'S JEWISH ROOTS
Feast for the Soul: Celebrating
the Holy Harvest in Jerusalem
By Nena Benigno
CBN Correspondent
CBN.com
-- “I have posted watchmen on your walls O Jerusalem; they
will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves
no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her
the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6,7).
1. Pray that Israel, especially its spiritual capital of Jerusalem, will
enjoy a special time of peace during the Feast of Tabernacles celebration.
During this biblical holiday, hundreds of pilgrims from all over the world,
including evangelical Christians, come to celebrate with the Jews in Israel.
Pray that God will cup them in the palm of His hand and that no weapon formed
by the enemy will prosper against them. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6).
2. The Feast of Tabernacles is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in
the past and the future. God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Feast
once a year and to build “tabernacles,” or dwelling places, like
the makeshift tents they used to live in when they journeyed from Egypt to
the Promised Land. They are to live in these tents for seven days (Leviticus
23:42, 43).
- Pray that this tradition, still practiced in Israel, will not just be
a yearly ritual, but truly a reminder to all that life on earth is indeed
impermanent. Even our earthly “tents,” or bodies, are transient.
God meant our lives to be a pilgrimage to a “promised land,”
an eternal dwelling in His Kingdom.
- Pray that the Feast reminds all of us that we remain completely dependent
on God just as the Jews relied on Him for food, water, and all other provisions
on the desert journey. We should, therefore, travel light, not becoming
attached to material things that will be a burden to us on the way to His
Kingdom.
3. God commands that the Feast of Tabernacles be celebrated in the future,
after He returns to Israel and rules over the nations as King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. Every nation must send a representative to the Feast (Zechariah
14:6). Pray that this will deeply impress all in Israel to be in readiness
and anticipation for the Messiah’s return, when, once again, God will
“tabernacle,” or dwell, among His people as Immanuel, “God
with us.”
- Pray this will move Christians and churches everywhere to stand with
Israel and pray for the Prince of Peace to come and dwell in the hearts
of the people there, including Jews and Arabs, and to take His throne soon
in Jerusalem where He will establish peace over the whole earth.
- “And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions
for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into ploughshares and
their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:4).
4. The Feast of Tabernacles is also a time when the Jews in Israel pray for
rain to fall on the parched land.
- Pray that this year God will indeed send much rain to fill the Galilee
and other reservoirs and water the farms and orchards of Israel.
- Pray that God will also send spiritual rain, a mighty outpouring of the
Holy Spirit, upon the Christians and churches of Israel, bringing revival,
unity, faith, and empowerment to administer Christ’s healing, deliverance,
and other miracles that prove He is truly the Messiah.
- “On the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the
Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive …” (John
7:37-39a).
5. In addition, the Feast of Tabernacles is a harvest festival, a time to
thank God for the bounty of the land. Thus, it is also called “The Feast
of Ingathering,” or the gathering of the autumn harvest (Exodus 23:16).
- Pray that the farms of Israel will always yield abundant produce for
the people of Israel.
- Pray also that this year’s Feast will mark the start of a great
harvest of souls for God’s Kingdom in Israel, especially as we near
the final “ingathering” of the redeemed of the Lord as we near
the end of the age.
More Christianity's Jewish Roots
Inside Israel from CBN News
More Spiritual Life
Nena Benigno is the head writer of the Christian Broadcasting Network Asia and
scriptwriter of The 700 Club Asia.
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