RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
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Rivers
The source of refreshment
The thirst quenching water we need
AS THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
APPROACHES
I CONSIDER THE
SOURCE
OF
WATER
[Water is always essential for
living]
AND
OF
LIGHT
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT
AWARE OF ANY LIGHTS
EXCEPT THE
LIGHTS
ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The Chanukkah Candles
are lit every year at
the Festival of Lights.
IN THE TIME WHEN JESUS WAS
HERE AMONG US,
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
CELEBRATED
THE
CHERISHED HERITAGE
OF ISRAEL'S
PROVISION
IN THE WILDERNESS
BY GOD
WATER
FROM
THE
ROCK
AND
LIGHT
TO
SHOW
THE
WAY
AS A LIGHTHOUSE GIVES LIGHT
TO SEA GOING SHIPS
SO GOD GAVE A PILLAR
OF LIGHT
BY DAY AND A PILLAR OF FIRE
BY NIGHT
TO LEAD THEM
GUIDE THEM
TO DIRECT THEM
THE ROCK IN THE WILDERNESS
WERE THE SOURCE
OF ENOUGH WATER
TO QUENCH THE THIRST
OF GOD'S PEOPLE.
JESUS IS PICTURED
IN THE
The Feast of Tabernacles
This feast had a threefold practice -
(1) It was considered as "the ingathering"
The Time of Harvest
(2) As the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) ithad relation to Living in the Wilderness.
Living in Tents, booths, to
symbolize their
memory of it.
(3) Feast of Jehovah - "Yhwh" which
had relation to the ultimate harvest
of the Messiah.
Looking to Messiah's coming.
SO LET US TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THIS
WAS ALL ABOUT .....
With 2.5 million people that came out of Egypt
with Moses, how much water ? was involved?
* THE JEWS CELEBRATED GOD'S
PROVISION OF WATER IN THE
WILDERNESS.....
a. This required 12 million gallons of
water daily.
* THE JEWS CELEBRATED GOD'S
PROVISION OF LIGHT ALONG THE
PATHWAY - A PILLAR OF CLOUD BY
DAY, AND A PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT.
a. When the Pillar of Light stopped -
the people stopped, and stayed.
When the Night came - there was
Light to protect and keep safe.
Each day for a week
* FOUR GIANT GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS
75 FEET TALL in the Court of the Women
and towered over the Temple grounds on
the Temple mount.
Each evening, they were lit.
Once lit, these lit the entire Temple area
with their light.
They had special "windows" that allowed
maximum light to flow from them, and
could be seen from any point in Jerusalem.
They were a fiery presentation of the
Shekinah Glory of God in the Tabernacle
Each day - after the morning sacrifice and
ceremonies, the festive meal, the entire afternoon
spent in meditation on the Law, and the evening
sacrifice, JUST AS DARKNESS FELL, the SPECIAL CEREMONY OF THE LIGHTING
OF THE
CANDLEABRA WAS HELD.
John 7. 10 - 11
Each day as the lights were lit, thousands of worshippers were
watching as priests ascended ladders to the four golden bowls, filled them with 10 gallons of oil each, and lit the oil soaked wicks, comprised of used priestly garments.
As the sky began to glow - a group of torch bearing
"chasadim" would dance before the people, and the
Levites would start playing with harps, flutes, cymbals,
trumpets, and "instruments without number" .
The Levitical Choir would begin to sing
the 15 DEGREE - or ASCENT PSALMS
(Psalm 120 - 134) as they stood on the
15 steps which led up from the Court of
the Women to the Court of the Men.
All of this not only looked BACK
to the Shekinah Glory in the past,
but LOOKED FORWARD
to the future Shekinah Glory
of God when Messiah would come
in His Kingdom.
On the very last day of
the FEAST OF TABERNACLES
AT DAYBREAK - Hundreds of worshippers in festive array
left that palm and willow leaf booths and proceeded to the Temple. Each worshipper carried the LUBLAH - the myrtle, willow and palm branches bound together - in his right hand, and in the other hand - the ethrog - or the "boughs of fruit"
Leviticus 23.40. At the first glimmer of sunlight, the priest on the pinnacle of the Temple signaled for THREE LONG TRUMPET BLASTS and the OPENING OF THE GATES.
At the opening of the gates,
(1) One group remained in the temple,
for preperations for the morning
sacrifice,
(2) One procession went to Motza in
the Kedron Valley, and gathered
branches which would be
used in the morning services.
(3) The most important group proceeded
to the Pool of Siloam which was
fed by the "living waters" of an
artesian spring.
To the sound of trumpets,
flutes,
and other instruments,
the procession to the Pool of Siloam
is followed by a pries bearing a golden pitcher.
As the priest dipped the pitcher into
the Pool of Siloam
they would chant the words
"Ho, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money,
come ye."
ISAIAH chapter 55.1
"Therefore with joy shall ye
draw water out of
the wells of
salvation."
ISAIAH CHAPTER 12. VERSE 3
They then return to
the Temple through the Water Gate.
These two processions reentered the temple
to THREE LONG BLASTS OF THE TRUMPETS
AT THE EXACT MOMENT
ANOTHER PRIEST
WAS READY
WITH THE MORNING
SACRIFICE.
(a)
To the sound of trumpet blasts
the group with the willow branches
drove them into the ground
so as to form a leafy canopy
over the BRAZEN ALTAR.
(b)
The priest with a pitcher of water
was joined in the Court of the Priests
by another priest with a pitcher of
wine (fruit of the vine- unfermented grapes)
for the Drink Offering.
They ascended the altar together,
joining the priest ready to
make the BURNT OFFERING.
(c)
As the people shouted "Raise thy hand"
the priests with the water and wine
pour both into long silver funnels which
lead into the Altar. This outpouring
of water, universally understood
by the Jews as symbolic of the prophesied
outpouring of the Holy Spir8t, was
the central object of
the entire day's ceremonies.
(d)
IMMEDIATELY the priests begin
to lead in the great
HALLEL - which consisted
of Psalms 113 - 118.
KJV - HOLY BIBLE - PSALMS 113 - 118
TO THE SOUND OF AN
ORCHESTRA OF FLUTES,
THE 400 PRIESTS WOULD
CHANT EACH VERSE
OF THE HALLEL -
Psalm 113 - 118
The people repeated the first line
of each Psalm, and shout
HALLELU JAH to every other
verse.
IN PSALM 118, the people would
the first verse,
"Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD,
then verse 25a
"Oh, give thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good,
His mercy endureth forever."
All of this would take place
in a building crescendo of Praise
as the people shook their "lulabh"
branches to the Lord as they
chanted these words.
AS THE PRIESTS MAKE THE CIRCUIT
OF THE ALTAR 7 TIMES
SINGING AGAIN
THE WORDS OF
PSALM 118.25
(having done one circuit around
the altar each of the
six days before)
THIS PICTURED THE END
OF THEIR WANDERINGS
IN THE WILDERNESS
WITH THE VICTORY
IN JERICHO
Symbolizing that Messiah
would be Victorious One Day
with all the Gentile nations
in the Millenial Kingdom.
FINALLY
BIBLE - KJV - PSALM 82
PSALM 82 was chanted
to trumpet blasts ending with
Psalm 82.8"Arise, O God,
judge the earth, for Thou
shalt inherit all nations."
"Therefore with joy shall ye
draw water out of
the wells of
salvation."
ISAIAH CHAPTER 12. VERSE 3
They then return to
the Temple through the Water Gate.
These two processions reentered the temple
to THREE LONG BLASTS OF THE TRUMPETS
AT THE EXACT MOMENT
ANOTHER PRIEST
WAS READY
WITH THE MORNING
SACRIFICE.
(a)
To the sound of trumpet blasts
the group with the willow branches
drove them into the ground
so as to form a leafy canopy
over the BRAZEN ALTAR.
(b)
The priest with a pitcher of water
was joined in the Court of the Priests
by another priest with a pitcher of
wine (fruit of the vine- unfermented grapes)
for the Drink Offering.
They ascended the altar together,
joining the priest ready to
make the BURNT OFFERING.
(c)
As the people shouted "Raise thy hand"
the priests with the water and wine
pour both into long silver funnels which
lead into the Altar. This outpouring
of water, universally understood
by the Jews as symbolic of the prophesied
outpouring of the Holy Spir8t, was
the central object of
the entire day's ceremonies.
(d)
IMMEDIATELY the priests begin
to lead in the great
HALLEL - which consisted
of Psalms 113 - 118.
KJV - HOLY BIBLE - PSALMS 113 - 118
TO THE SOUND OF AN
ORCHESTRA OF FLUTES,
THE 400 PRIESTS WOULD
CHANT EACH VERSE
OF THE HALLEL -
Psalm 113 - 118
The people repeated the first line
of each Psalm, and shout
HALLELU JAH to every other
verse.
IN PSALM 118, the people would
the first verse,
"Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD,
then verse 25a
"Oh, give thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good,
His mercy endureth forever."
All of this would take place
in a building crescendo of Praise
as the people shook their "lulabh"
branches to the Lord as they
chanted these words.
AS THE PRIESTS MAKE THE CIRCUIT
OF THE ALTAR 7 TIMES
SINGING AGAIN
THE WORDS OF
PSALM 118.25
(having done one circuit around
the altar each of the
six days before)
THIS PICTURED THE END
OF THEIR WANDERINGS
IN THE WILDERNESS
WITH THE VICTORY
IN JERICHO
Symbolizing that Messiah
would be Victorious One Day
with all the Gentile nations
in the Millenial Kingdom.
FINALLY
BIBLE - KJV - PSALM 82
PSALM 82 was chanted
to trumpet blasts ending with
Psalm 82.8"Arise, O God,
judge the earth, for Thou
shalt inherit all nations."
While all this has been
going on,
Jesus is now in Jerusalem.
going on,
Jesus is now in Jerusalem.
K J V The Bible - John Chapter
also up unto the Feast, not openly,
but as it were in secret.
Jesus arrived secretly at this Feast, while the
leaders are looking for Him. Meanwhile, the
people are ALL IN DISCUSSION …. just who
is this Jesus ?
* Some thought Jesus was a good man.
*Some thought he was a deceiver.
* Some thought he was a master-teacher.
* Some thought he was a prophet.
*Some accepted Him as their Messiah.]
SUDDENLY - THE LONE FIGURE OF CHRIST
STANDS UP AND CRIES OUT ….
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water."
(This spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on Him should
receive John 7. 37 - 39)
STANDS UP AND CRIES OUT ….
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water."
(This spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on Him should
receive John 7. 37 - 39)
THE EFFECT ON EVERYONE IS
INSTANTANEOUS.
Many of the people when they heard
this saying, said "Of a truth, this is
a Prophet." John 7. verse 40
Others said, "This is the Christ (Messiah)
But some said, "Shall Christ come out
of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said,
"That Christ cometh of the seed of David,
and out of the town of Bethlehem, where
David was?" John 7. verse 41
So there was a division among the
people because of him. John 7. verse 43.
And some of them would have taken
him; but no man laid hands on him.
John 7.verse 44.
so as we are about to celebrate CHRISTMAS
let us remember the very One who has
been born of the Seed of David, and has
indeed been born in Bethlehem.
BIBLE - KJV - MATTHEW 2.1 - 12 BIRTH OF JESUS
JESUS IS THE FOUNTAIN - hymnal.net
In my next post I will continue
in a discussion of Scripture
WITH CHANUKKAH - AND
JESUS AS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.