 Five
days after the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths started. It was a
celebration that lasted seven days. |
  The
people were instructed to gather willow branches, and
The people left their homes and lived in booths made out of branches. Leafy dwellings were everywhere, even on top of the houses in the court of the temple. Everything pretty in the woods was used to decorate their booths. |
  This
is a weeping willow tree. It was easy to get branches off of the willow
and tie them together to make booths. |
  Everywhere
a person looked there were branches and flowers with people under them.
The city of Jerusalem looked like a pretty forest. (Leviticus 23:40)
As soon as the sun came up the priests sounded a long shrill blast on their silver trumpets. Then there was an echo of trumpets. The people shouted from their booths. Happy singing started the day. They quickly hurried to the court of the tabernacle.
|
 Every
day the people hurried to the court yard of the temple for there were so
many interesting things happening there. There was the reading of the
rolled up Bibles called scrolls.
In the evening they had a special l service which was brightened by hanging lamps in the court. The choir and band were set up for an antiphony effect. That means they had echo groups. After the band played, another band would echo the same tune. Then the audience sang. The people waved their palm branches and sang when it was their turn to echo. The people were thrilled with the colors, bright lights and the richest music that their musicians could provide. Nehemiah 8:17 & 18. |
 The
lights reminded them of the pillar of cloud that led them in the
wilderness. Inside that cloud was Jesus Himself.
One day Jesus was standing in the temple during a yearly Feast of Booths. The sun had just started peeking over the hill. There was so much light. He said in a big loud voice so all could hear, "I am the Light of the world." How could Jesus be light? This is to make you think and think. When you see how Jesus lived, you know that God is just like Him. |
I n
Exodus 13, the Bible tells us that the Lord went in front of the Israelites
in a pillar of cloud. By night it was a pillar of fire. During storms, it
was a shelter. It was like a big umbrella and a wind break. He cares about
everything that concerns us.
Imagine this nice warm pillar of cloud all lighted up because Jesus came
to visit and keep you warm and give you light to read your Bible. (Isaiah
4:5)
Jesus will do the same for those living during the final hours of this earths history. You can count on Him keeping His promise. |
 People
brought offerings to the temple and they brought food baskets to give to
poor people. They were full of joy and thanksgiving for all that God did
to make their gardens grow so many good foods. |
| In the evenings there were special dances done by the older men priests. The music was the best and the people visited and sang and rejoiced till by the end of the week everyone was tired. |
 Every
morning just as soon as the sun came up, the silver trumpets sounded
echoing each other from different hill tops. The people waved their palm
branches and shouted hosannas. They joined the daily morning procession to
the Brook Kedron. This was a special thing done to remember when
they received water out of the rock in the wilderness.
The priest was leading the people in singing Psalms 122 "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces." |
  The
priest led the procession. When he arrived at the Brook Kedron which was
about a mile away from the temple, he dipped from the flowing waters with
his gold pitcher. |
 The
procession back was full of music and all sang along. They waved palm
branches and rejoiced. |
 While
trumpets sounded from the steps of the temple the priest returned with the
water, holding it high on his shoulder keeping time with the music with
slow and measured steps. |
 He
took the pitcher of water to the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard. At
the altar were two silver basins. |
 AT
the same second, the fresh water from the Kedron and grape juice were
poured into their separate bowls. Each bowl drained into an underground
tube that joined into one tube and flowed back to the brook Kedron.
|
 If
children back then are like they are today, they must have run back to the
Kedron to watch the grape juice and water mix come out in the Brook Kedron. There were so many thing for the children to see and do.
|
 The
pipe dripped into the Brook Kedron. Then Brook Kedron flowed out into the
Dead Sea.
This display of holy water was a reminder of the water which came from the rock in the wilderness. Jesus is the Rock. The people understood this for they sang at this time Isaiah 12:2,3 "The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song," "therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." |
 Jesus
is the living water.
On the last day of the Feast of Booths, Jesus called out in a clear ringing voice. If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink. Then He said, "He that believes on Me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." |
  The
rock in the wilderness had been struck by Moses for the water to come out.
By making this announcement at this feast, Jesus was telling everyone
He as the ROCK was the one to be smitten. That means He said He
would be killed. He said this in front of everyone. But when He gave up
His life, the story of heavens love would flow out to the world. |
| When
soldiers speared His side to see if Jesus was dead on the cross the next
Passover season, blood and water flowed out freely. This event was acted
out every year up to that time. |
| When
He gave up His life, the story of heavens love would flow out to the world
just like the Brook Kedron flowed out to the Dead Sea.. "This gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world and then shall the end
come." |
  The
invitation of Jesus to the thirsty is still going out. It appeals to the
world. The fountain is open for all to drink of His Living Water. "If
any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." "Let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely." "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely."
Lets read our Bibles and pray to Jesus every day so we can have this living WATER. |
They were
celebrating the time in the wilderness when they lived in tents. It was
time to thank God for His care.
"Whosoever
drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the
water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life." Revelation 22:17; John 4:14