Bible Study

Alright. I know you're thinking I'm a closet preacher (who knows! Ha ha, just kidding!), but I just got home from Bible study. WOW. I was so touched, I cried. Along with Melba Cole, and Kathy Ferrin. God met us tonight, through the d.v.d. we watched. It was powerful. Tonight talked about the Feast of the Tabernacles. The first was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the Feast of Weeks, and tonight we reached this last feast. In the beginning of the book, there is a picture of the place of worship (the name has escaped me, Daddy). The women had their own court, the men had their own court apart from the women, and the priests had their court. In this picture, this court was at the top of the 15 stairs that represent the 15 Psalms of Ascent.

During this feast, there are all kinds of things taking place, one of which is the celebration of lights. Beth Moore painted a beautiful word~picture of the thousands of people lining the hills of Jerusalem in their tents, or booths. Inside all these booths, were glowing candles, which when the sun went down, illuminated everything around them. Can you imagine?!?!?!

During this feast, there was also the pouring out of water. The priests would descend from those top steps, and come down to the other courts to go to the Pool of Shaloam (totally guessing there on that spelling), where they would draw water out with a gold pitcher, then take it back to the tabernacle, where they would pour it out. The priests that did this, were the most pious of priests, or very dignified. When they had finished doing this ritual, they would shout, Hosanna, Hosanna! They would be shouting and praising God, in other words, they would be acting totally undignified! Do you ever want to act like that? Get up and shout, or fall down on your knees crying? Whether you're in church, or in your kitchen? Does He only talk to us in church?? No way!!!

Referring to the celebration of lights, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." And about the water being poured out as an offering to Him, check out what Scripture says in John 7:37&38. On the last and greatest day of the Feast ( of the Tabernacles, my wording only), Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Isn't that something?!?!?!

The thing that amazes me most about the Bible, is that there is not one thing that is insignificant. There is no talk of this celebration of lights, or of this pouring out of water anywhere that I've ever read. That doesn't mean it's not in there, just that I've never heard of it before. At least not in a way that would make me say, " Oh, yeah, I've heard that." God uses illustrations like this one in John 7 to make us understand that if we are thirsty, or if we are living a full, unsatisfied life, to go Him, that He will give us life! He is the only one that will satisfy us! This is kind of like being thirsty, but not being able to quench a thirst. He is streams of living water that will flow within us. Beautiful imagery, there.

O.k., well, now I've gotten that out of my system, I'm going to go do all the nights of homework for this week. Man, we had church tonight. Wish you all could have been there. If you have never done a Beth Moore Bible study, I strongly recommend her. She paints word pictures like no other.