Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Lord’s coming is near

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
	Leviticus 23:33–34
On the Day of Atonement, the nation confessed their sin and afflicted their souls. The result? A party five days later at the Feast of Tabernacles (five being the number of grace). Every morning during the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests would divide into two processionals. One group would go directly east to the valley of Kidron and gather willow, palm, myrtle, and citrus branches to pass out to the people and to lay in the courtyard of the temple where sacrifices were made. The second group of priests would go south to the pool of Siloam, carrying a golden pitcher, which they would dip into the water. Both companies of priests—those carrying the branches and those carrying the water—would meet at the temple, where the water was poured out from the pitcher before the altar as a reminder of God’s provision of water for them during their wilderness wanderings. On the eighth day, the great day of the feast, the priests would go to the pool of Siloam, but they would return with an empty pitcher, acknowledging the fact that because they were now in the Promised Land, there was no longer need for the supernatural provision of water. And as they did, the priests would pray this prayer . . . Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. - Isaiah 44:2–4 Why would they read this passage? Because they understood that Isaiah 44 was a prophecy of the pouring out of the Spirit that could transpire only when Messiah came to their land. The year is approximately AD 32. On the great day of the feast, everyone watched as the processional returned from the pool of Siloam, poured out the empty pitcher, and prayed for Messiah to come. Then a young thirty-three-year-old rabbi from Galilee shouts out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. . . . out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38), thereby presenting Himself as Messiah and offering the living water, the rain of the Holy Spirit. But Jesus’ declaration was not yet complete . . . Every night during the Feast of Tabernacles, the celebration of illumination took place on the temple mount. In this celebration, four huge menorahs, with wicks made of priest’s robes which had been worn out, were lit, and shined so brightly that light could be seen one hundred miles away. At the end of the feast, the menorahs would be extinguished, not to be relit until the following year. John tells us that it was on the day after the Feast of Tabernacles, the day after the menorahs were extinguished, that Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)—the true Light which would never be extinguished. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Lord’s coming is near, gang. In the meantime, drink deeply of the water of His Spirit and illuminate your life, not with a pillar of fire or a huge menorah which was used and then extinguished, but by the presence and promises of the One who will never leave you nor forsake you as you walk daily with Him. Pastor Jon Courson