The Feast of Sukkot was instituted by the Lord so that the descendants of the Children of Israel would always remember that Yehoah Elohim imposed on the Children of Israel to live in huts after having freed them from slavery in Egypt!
But this feast of Sukkot is also given as a warning to us who are living so near the end times!
Paul is encouraging us in chapter 10 of his first epistle to the Corinthians to meditate seriously about all the events experienced by the Children of Israel while they were traveling in the the Sinai and its vicinity so as not to fall like they did on our way to the new world.
It means that there are great similarities between the living conditions and attitudes of the 12 tribes of Israel during their way to the Land of Canaan while crossing the desert of Sinai and our way of living as so-called believers today. Indeed, we are living in a spiritual desert symbolized by the physical desert of Sinai in which the Children of Israel lived at the time of Moses. Let us read what Paul writes in I Corinthians, chapter 10, verses 1 to 6:
“1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them Elohim was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. "
Today's believers have been freed from the grip of sin after having crossed the waters of baptism just as the Children of Israel saw the Egyptian yoke disappear after crossing the Red Sea and left Egypt. The Egyptian army, including the pharaoh, were engulfed by the waters of the sea just like our old carnal self, our old man who held us in bondage, is dying in the waters of baptism.
Babylon the Great, or in other words
the wilderness of the Sea!
But after crossing the waters of baptism, the logic of similarity dictates that we should find ourselves in a desert symbolized by the Sinai. So what is this desert? Let's try to find out thanks to the Bible!
Let's first read the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 21, verses 1 to 10:
" 1 The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea.
As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously,
And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it.
4 My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me.
5 Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes,
Anoint the shield!
6 For thus has Yehoah said to me: “Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.”
7 And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen, A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels, And he listened earnestly with great care.
8 Then he cried, “A lion, my Yehoah! I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime; I have sat at my post every night.
9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”
10 Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from Yehoah of hosts, The Elohim of Israel, I have declared to you. "
We have just read in this prophecy that it is a threat intended for the wilderness of the sea and a little later, the prophecy of Isaiah reveals that this wilderness of the sea designates Babylon whose destruction will not take long. So there is a wilderness that might designate Babylon.
In chapter 14 of the book of Isaiah, we have the explanation that the king of Babylon is implicitly Satan, the fallen brilliant star also known as Lucifer (who carries the light in Latin). Let us read verses 4 and 12 to 17 of this chapter:
" 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased!!…
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of Elohim;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ "
This prophecy very briefly traces the whole story of the one who became Satan the Devil by his rebellion after his creation as an archangel carrying light until his destructive revolt when he thought of himself that he could be compared with his Lord and even sit at His place. By the way, this rebellion of the Devil led to the complete destruction of what was wonderfully created by Elohim and it explains why the earth became without form, and void with darkness on the face of the deep (“tohu and bohu” in Genesis 1, verse 2). This explains why Satan is also in the Garden of Eden and he will seduce Eve so that human beings will lose direct access to eternal life.
Since then, Satan the Devil has had only one goal:
Destroy what Elohim has made so that it will become
a spiritual as well as a physical desert!
Let’s read how John sees it in his vision, in the book of Revelation, chapter 12, verses 16-17 and chapter 13, verse 1, having in mind that the dragon is none other than Satan the Devil as indicated in verses 7 to 9 of the same chapter:
" 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of Elohim and have the testimony of Yeshuah Christ.
Chapter 13: 1 Then he stood on the sand of the sea.”
So here is Satan at the head of his empire symbolized by the sand of the sea, in other words the desert of the sea. It is out of this empire that the beast described at the beginning of chapter 13 of the book of Revelation will emerge.
As we can read a little later in chapter 17 of the Revelation, the beast that emerges from the sea will first of all be reluctantly ridden by Babylon the Great, the great prostitute. This Babylon whose identity caused a great surprise to John (read on this subject the article on the identity of Babylon the great in the part dedicated to Prophecy in this website). Remember that Babylon the Great was and will be the cause of the deaths of many saints and witnesses of our Lord! This is the reason why we can consider it reigning over the spiritual desert in which we are living today. The believers in Elohim will be guided and taught in this desert by chosen men. Let us read how Yeshuah, shortly before his death, prayed for us to his Father on this subject in John 17: 11-16:
“11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
Note that Yeshuah Christ, before this last Passover, was also in the world. He then left the world but we are still in the world. We live there as in the desert crossed by the children of Israel after they left Egypt. What they experienced and how they experienced it in the Sinai has been written in details in the Bible so that we can learn from it today about how to behave in a spiritually speaking similar desert. And that’s what we’re going to discuss now.
Get out of slavery in Egypt at the time of Passover and reach the Promised Land at the time of the feast of Sukkoth!
So let's go back to the Children of Israel! They came out of Egypt from the house of bondage; a few days after Passover, during the days of unleavened bread. Like Yeshuah Christ, they are no longer part of this world in which they have suffered for so many years and they have become free but in a desert.
After crossing this desert and solemnly agreeing to follow Yehoah, their first King of Israel, the Children of Israel will reach the borders of the Promised Land shortly before the feast of Sukkoth, a year and a half later. To convince ourselves, let's read Numbers, chapter 13, verses 1-2 and 18 to 20:
“1 And Yehoah spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them. ….
18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. "
The time of the harvest of the first grapes tells us that the visit of the spies took place shortly before Sukkoth, when the grapes are in full harvest.
The question we will now have to ask ourselves:
Will we have the same attitude as the one of the Children of Israel when we will reach the threshold of entry into the New World promised by the Lord Yehoah and His Son? Shall we despise this new Kingdom about to be given to us by letting our carnal nature dominates us and by no longer trusting the omnipotence of Elohim. Don’t forget that He will soon give us the order to flee from Babylon the Great (Revelation 18, verses 4 to 8:
" 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and Elohim has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is Yehoah Elohim who judges her."
When Elohim will invite us to flee and go out of Babylon the great to run towards this new world of freedom, will we, like the Children of Israel, let ourselves be guided by the discouraging words of most of the spies who will scare us and will we lose confidence in the omnipotence of our Father? Will we prefer to stay in “Egypt”, the symbol of slavery? Meditate well by reading more about the behaviour of the Children of Israel when they were crossing the desert and learn the right lesson: Try to enter the Promised Land at the time of Sukkoth and do not try to stay in this dreadful desert to die!
For the Children of Israel: Spectacular miracles
but no Holy Spirit;
the ten commandments entrusted in writing!
There is a big difference between the Children of Israel and the true Christians of today: Aside from Moses and the elders at the head of the people, no one received the Holy Spirit. On this subject, we read Numbers, chapter 11, verses 16-17 and 25-26:
“16 So Yehoah said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone....
25 Then Yehoah came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. "
So very few are those who received the Holy Spirit from the Lord at that time, on the other hand all the Children of Israel together had the privilege of witnessing very spectacular and incredible miracles manifesting without any possible doubt the omnipotence of Yehoah, their Lord. These are the miracles that Nehemiah recalls in his chapter 9, verses 9 to 15:
“9 “You (editor’s note: Yehoah) saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea. 10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants, And against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 And You divided the sea before them, So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And their persecutors You threw into the deep, As a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.
13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant.
15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them. "
Our Lord Yehoah showed his almighty power by miracles intended to strike the physical senses of His people. The extraordinary way by which Yehoah pronounced the Ten Commandments to them prompted respectful fear among all the Children of Israel. Let's read it in Exodus 20, verses 18 to 20:
“18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die.”
20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for Elohim has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” "
Paul, at the end of his epistle to the Hebrews in chapter 12 and verses 18 to 29, reminds us of these events and confirms that even Moses was appalled! But Paul also warns us and asks us to be careful in drawing lessons from the past:
" 18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living Elohim, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to Elohim the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Yeshuah the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve Elohim acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our Elohim is a consuming fire. "
The lesson from the past that we must learn here is that the Children of Israel, as soon as they received the Ten Commandments in the spectacular manner that we know, hastened to forget them and their Savior. Let's read how Asaph tells us about it in Psalm 78, verses 10-11 and 42-43:
"10 They did not keep the covenant of Elohim; They refused to walk in His law,
11 And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them....
42 They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He worked His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan;"
The Children of Israel have such a short memory that they no longer even believe in the power of Yehoah!
Today, we no longer have the opportunity to see miracles as spectacular as the plagues of Egypt, as the crossing of the Red Sea with the engulfing of Pharaoh's army or as the gift of the Ten Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai from the voice of the Lord Himself. On the other hand, we have the option to receive the Holy Spirit in general after our baptism and this Holy Spirit makes fruit in our body especially faith! (Galatians 5:22, noting that the word translated as faithfulness is more precisely faith).
Moses, a visible man in charge but with a veil on his face!
Yeshuah Christ, the invisible Lord who removed the veil!
Moses, the leader of the Children of Israel, was easily conspicuous, but his glory, although fleeting, forced him to wear a veil so as not to frighten his people too much. Let us read about this topic what Paul wrote in II Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 7 to 14:
" 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. "
Indeed, today's believers, thanks to the Holy Spirit which we have spoken of above, are not separated by any veil from the glory of their Lord Yeshuah; Let us read the continuation of the verses of Paul, verses 15 to 18:
“15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. "
What was missing to the Children of Israel
And what were their unacceptable sins?
Here is a brief list of what the Children of Israel were missing and of their unacceptable sins. We will also make the diagnosis in order to find ways for us today to avoid suffering from the same problems.
Lack of joy.
One of the striking character about the Children of Israel is their lack of joy during their stay in the desert. They soon forgot the joy that gripped them after the crossing of the Red Sea. Instead of this joy that should have been in place since they were part of a nation with at its center, their living Elohim who moves with them, we find bitterness almost at every step of their journey.
In Mara, barely three days after the crossing of the Red Sea, the first murmurs are heard in Exodus 15: 23-24:
“23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”"
Instead of cheerfully putting their trust in Yehoah and asking like Moses did with the water, the people pitch up and get angry with Moses who is innocent.
A month later, they once again grumble against Moses and Aaron, read in Exodus 16, verses 1 to 4:
" 1 And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of Yehoah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then Yehoah said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not."
The children of Israel forgot that they were the ones who cried out for help to Yehoah to free them from the Egyptian cruel slavery and it was still they who freely decided to follow Moses after the Passover! Instead of blaming themselves, they turn against Moses and Aaron, who answered them as written in verses 7 and 8:
"... 7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of Elohim; for He hears your complaints against Yehoah. But what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when Yehoah gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for Yehoah hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against Yehoah.”
And it’s an endless series of sadness coming from the Children of Israel always complaining, as we still read Exodus 17, verses 1 to 3:
“1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of Yehoah, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”
So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt Yehoah?” 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
On the other hand, let's observe the exemplary attitude of Moses, when helped by Hour and Aaron, he contributed heroically to the victory during the fight between the armies of the Children of Israel against Amalec, victory given of course by Yehoah . Let us read this event in Exodus 17, verses 8 to 16:
“8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Then Yehoah said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, Yehoah-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because Yehoah has sworn: Yehoah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Put in a painful situation due in part to his old age, Moses, contrary to the traditional attitude of the Children of Israel, does not start to murmur against his Lord because the fight lasts too long. On the contrary, Moses is fighting against his weakness and his helpers looked for ways to help him to be able to continue to do what Yehoah expected from him: To have his hands raised. They had a wonderful team work and unlike the Children of Israel, they did not give up!
It is up to us to do the same and to follow with perseverance Paul's advice in all circumstances: “Rejoice always! " (I Thessalonians 5:16)
Refusal to obey.
Another repeated flaw among the Children of Israel is their refusal to obey the clear and precise orders of both Yehoah and Moses. This persistent disobedience takes place sometimes with seemingly unimportant little instructions like this one with the manna that we will read in Exodus 16: 16-20:
" 16 This is the thing which Yehoah has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”
17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. 19 And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” 20 Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.”
But this disobedience also took place during the scandalous transgression of one of the most important commandment pronounced so powerfully by the Lord as mentioned earlier in Exodus 20: 1 to 6:
" 1 And Elohim spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am Yehoah your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yehoah your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
But less than two months later, let's read how the Children of Israel will disobey in the most outrageous way in Acts 7, verses 39 to 43:
" 39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then Elohim turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’"
Lack of memory!
Another big defect that we find with the Children of Israel in every ordeal sent by the Lord to test their spiritual value is their lack of memory.
At each difficulty and despite the frequently and strongly demonstration of the presence of Yehoah, the Children of Israel hastened to forget the reason for which they had left Egypt. They had an attitude opposite to that of faith in their Elohim, an attitude of abandonment, wishing even to go back to Egypt, to the reign of Satan, to the slavery that they had vomited!
Today, we could have a similar behaviour as the Children of Israel each time we are not looking in the direction that Yehoah is indicating us to follow! We should never abandon the narrow path leading us to the Kingdom of the Lord at each difficulty that arises. We should never go back and submit ourselves again to the reign of Satan ... instead we should always ask for the help from our Father in the skies in order to overcome any ordeal or even accept a punishment because of any sin we could have committed.
This lack of memory can make us miss eternal life in the world to come symbolized by the missed entry of the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, as we can read in Numbers 14, verses 1 to 4:
“1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has Yehoah brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
The vanity.
Vanity is also another burden we can find for the Children of Israel. Vanity is found for people
Having more faith in themselves than in the Lord!
Vanity was indeed causing a negative behavior of the Children of Israel who, on the threshold of this long-awaited Promised Land of Canaan, made their mind and decided to make a U-turn to go back to Egypt or the wilderness. And Yehoah will satisfy their wish and He will make them wander in the wilderness until the last of them will die some 38 years later. Let us read the dialogue between Yehoah and Moses on this subject in Numbers 14, verses 11 and 20 to 25:
" 11 Then Yehoah said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? ...
20 Then Yehoah said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yehoah— 22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”
Let us see how vanity and pride is working against the Children of Israel. In fact, being afraid by the apparent power of the giant people living in the country, the Children of Israel are putting their faith only in their weakness and they forgot completely the almighty power of Elohim who was planning to fight for them and open their way in the conquest of the Promised Land!
This is the vanity of Israel:
Rely only on themselves and on their own strength! Reject the idea of the existence of an Almighty Lord capable of infinitely more than their own proud and so negligible strength!
The Children of Israel are comparing their enemy and the threat that exists in the Promised Land with themselves. Our so-called "advanced" society of today has the same attitude when facing huge climate changes or pandemic sickness and trying to solve problems with their very limited power! Today’s mankind is so pride that they cannot accept the existence of an Almighty Elohim.
This kind of attitude and blindness is threatening our future and if we are facing a danger able to destroy the earth, our pride will impeach us to ask for help from the Almighty Creator and we will miss miserably the happiness. For the children of Israel, the access to the Promised Land will be forbidden and only the next generation will be allowed to receive it under the leadership of Joshua.
It is interesting to note that this next generation will not enter in the season of the feast of Sukkot, in the seventh month of the year, but at Passover, in the first month of the year. This is what is written in Joshua 4, verses 19 and in chapter 5, verses 10 to 12:
" 19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho....
10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. "
The children of the second generation will enter the country with faith in their Elohim as we can read in Joshua 6, verses 1 to 5 and 16 to 20:
“1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And Yehoah said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”….
16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for Yehoah has given you the city! 17 Now the city shall be doomed by Yehoah to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to Yehoah; they shall come into the treasury of Yehoah.”
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. "
Here we don’t see any vanity; These Israelites know that Yehoah is walking with them and is Almighty. Yehoah will also have them participating to the victory at the critical moment.
What lessons should we learn from these events
now that we are at the end times?
Let us not forget as we wrote at the beginning that all these historical events have been kept preciously for our teaching. So how are we going to use them for our own good?
Are we so different from the Children of Israel? To find out the answer to these questions, just place yourself in front of a mirror and look at yourself carefully. A mirror which is particularly suitable for this purpose is the Bible as James is explaining, in his epistle chapter 1, verses 23 to 25:
" 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
Utmost important : A lack of Faith!
Obviously today our life in the western world cannot be compared with the living conditions existing in the wilderness for the Children of Israel; we don’t have to walk three days to find water and we don’t have to wait weeks for meat.
But one of the great defects of our society is to refuse any significant reduction of the standard of living! This way of behaving and thinking has a lot of influence on the Christians. They are often ready to obey Yehoah Elohim for little things such as observance of the day of rest, the Sabbath, or other holy days, they are ready to follow the rules about clean food and maybe without too much reluctancy they are also ready to pay their dime. But compliance with these laws is not always done with love and zeal; we love the Lord only with our lips and as long as it does not affect our material and mental comfort!
Isaiah describes this attitude in chapter 29, verses 9 to 16:
"9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For Yehoah has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”
And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”
12 Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.”And he says, “I am not literate.”
13 Therefore Yehoah said:
“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from Yehoah,
And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? "
Please, be careful and do not repeat the big mistakes made by the Children of Israel! Do not be overcome by little difficulties in life that could inspire you to go back and put yourself under the authority of the Prince of this world, the Devil. This attitude would be guided by a total lack of faith. If we already are ready to render ourselves while facing very small difficulties, what will happen when we will have to overcome much more serious situations like those described by Paul in the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 35 to 40:
“35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection (editor’s note: this is the first resurrection described in Revelation 20: 4-6). 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 Elohim having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
Christians today are like fighter in the territory of an enemy; be very careful, because part of the enemy is our own carnal nature! This is why, Paul continues with his encouragement, in Hebrews 12, verses 1 to 3:
"1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Yeshuah, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. "
Unlike the Children of Israel, be happy!
Lack of joy and happiness is often seen on the face of people today and it was the same for the Children of Israel. We find a lot of reasons to complain to each other as the Children of Israel did 3500 years ago. Paul encourages believers to always rejoice and be happy in his first epistle to the Thessalonians, in chapter 5, verse16!
Paul also expresses his joy in chapter 4 of his epistle to the Philippians:
" 1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim; 7 and the peace of Elohim, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the Elohim of peace will be with you.
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to Elohim. 19 And my Elohim shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our Elohim and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of our Lord Yeshuah Christ be with you all. Amen. "
Joy must dwell in us because, when we are invited to leave the Great Babylon, those who will not do so with joy will be driven back to its wilderness and slavery
to undergo the law the Devil!
Let's read in Isaiah 48, verse 20:
" Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing,
Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “Yehoah has redeemed His servant Jacob!” "
Unlike the Children of Israel, be obedient and eliminate any spirit of rebellion!
Our selfishness pushes us to disobey our Lord either through negligence or by rebellion. Negligence is when we put in our minds that our Father is not very interested by what we do or do not. You might think that He does not care so much if we take His laws lightly. We too often think that Yehoah is too far to see all our bad deeds. But look seriously tot what He says in Jeremiah, chapter 23, verses 23 and 24:
" 23 “Am I an Elohim near at hand,” says Yehoah, “And not an Elohim afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says Yehoah;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says Yehoah. "
We might also make reasoning inspired by the world around us to convince ourselves that what is written in the Bible was valid in the past but today, it is left to our judgment. We think that we are like Elohim able to decide when a law is good or not!
Nothing has changed under the sun, what has been is what will be and we have forgotten how the Children of Israel had the same way of thinking in the wilderness for their miserable loss.
Unlike the Children of Israel, Persevere!
A particularly serious and glaring defect in the case of believers of our time is the complete lack of perseverance. This flaw is particularly serious today because we are living in a critical time when the promises made to Abraham are about to come true. In a similar way to the children of Israel when they were on the threshold of the promised land, we are on the threshold of the Spiritual Kingdom of our Savior. The majority of men will rebel and refuse to go forward towards this Promised Kingdom for the same reason the children of Israel refused to go on about 3500 years ago, namely the fear of the coming power of the Beast and therefore a lack of confidence in the power of our Father.
To try to overcome this lack of perseverance, we must keep our Father's spiritual kingdom in sight and not be distracted by anything else. Let’s demonstrate the spirit of freedom, the total freedom that our Creator gives us. Don't be afraid of losing your job and keep your own beliefs based on morality and honesty. Fight against your selfishness so that your heart does not become a stone but remains sensitive to do good to your neighbor. Paul encourages us not to harm even our hateful opponent. David never laid hands on his King Saul even at the most critical time when Saul wanted to assassinate him!
Do not try to only look nice to others but rather have in mind these fantastic words of our Lord, in Matthew, chapter 6, verses 31 to 34:
"31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. "
It’s time to remember that Yehoah kept safely one or two million people in the Sinai desert known to be unlivable and it is writtent that even the shoes of the Children of Israel did not wear and they had the miraculous manna every day, except the Sabbath.
Yeshuah Christ confirms to us that His followers have a privileged place since his first advent:
" But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. "
(Matthew 13:16-17)
Don’t let these marvels pass away from you and be ready to live what is symbolized by the Feast of Sukkoth, the feast of the huts.
But never forget the teachings left for us and don’t repeat the mistakes made by the Children of Israel in order not to miss your entry with the Lord Yeshuah into the millennium!