Meat for the Hungry

Washington Monument - www.wikipedia.org Since our Nation’s 238 th Birthday approaches and we see activists and militants rising, I had thought to write about the coming persecution. However, in my study, the Lord showed me something I never knew. Reading the Sermon on the Mount passage in Matthew 5, because verses 11 and 12 deal with persecution, it suddenly occurred to me, I always saw these as separate people. In my mind, the poor in spirit, the mourner, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the peacemakers, and the persecuted, were each unique and distinct. I thought we just needed to find which mold we fit into and that was that. Because Matthew was set in a time before the crucifixion of Christ, I didn’t realize the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, etc. become this way by the power of His Holy Spirit. These are attributes of Christ; qualities we cannot sustain on our own.

The year is 5774 according to the Jewish calendar, and the month is Tishri.  From the 15 th to the 21 st of this month, Israel celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles, coinciding with our calendar for sundown September 18 th through sundown September 25, 2013. The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths (Sukkot) and the Feast of Ingathering is the seventh and final feast God gave to Israel in Leviticus 23. It is also the third and final feast to span a seven-day period. After the ingathering of their crops, this seven-day feast begins with a holy convocation or sacred assembly much like a Sabbath for they were to do no “customary” work. As commanded, on the first day of the feast, Israel would take the harvested items and rejoice before the Lord. What a merry time for the Children of Israel. In fact, they refer to this feast as the “season of our joy”. Together they praise God for His bountiful creation and supply. Matthew Henry quotes Psalm 24:1 and comm...