THIS JESUS LIGHT OF MINE (2 OF 9)
by Jeff Strite
This Jesus Light of Mine (2 of 9)
Series: The Great I Am
Jeff Strite
John 8:12
Back in the Old Testament, we read that the Israelites had been in Egypt for 400 years, much of that time as slaves. Finally, when the time was right, God sent Moses to lead the people out of their slavery... into freedom. And for the next 40 years, the Israelites wandered in the desert, being led by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. And during those 40 years, the Israelites had lived in tents. But ultimately, they came out of the wilderness into the Promised Land, and God gave them fields they hadn't planted, wells they hadn't dug, and cities they hadn't built.
In the Law, God created a special festival for Israelites to observe so that they would remember what they'd been through during those 40 years. It was called the Feast of the Tabernacles. For 7 days in the month October the Israelites were required to come to Jerusalem and live in tents (another name for tabernacles). And they still do that today.
By the time of Jesus, this Feast of Tabernacles had gotten to be quite an elaborate affair. According to the Mishnah - which is a Jewish commentary on the Law (Sukkah 5:2) - ''At the close of the first Holyday'' (of the Feast of the Tabernacles) the priests would descend from the Court of the Israelites down into the Court of Women. In that court. four huge candelabras were placed, each ''with four golden bowls at their tops and four ladders to each one.'' The Talmud says that each were fifty cubits in height
(Sukkah 52b - http://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Papers/John7-9.3.pdf)
Essentially, these candelabras were 75 feet tall!!!! Each of them had 4 bowls at the top filled with 10 gallons of oil. And each night during the festival, these were set ablaze at Sundown and burned so brightly that it lit up the entire city.
This ritual was called the ''Illumination Of The Temple.''
Now, this wasn't a solemn occasion. This was literally a festival. ...
Series: The Great I Am
Jeff Strite
John 8:12
Back in the Old Testament, we read that the Israelites had been in Egypt for 400 years, much of that time as slaves. Finally, when the time was right, God sent Moses to lead the people out of their slavery... into freedom. And for the next 40 years, the Israelites wandered in the desert, being led by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. And during those 40 years, the Israelites had lived in tents. But ultimately, they came out of the wilderness into the Promised Land, and God gave them fields they hadn't planted, wells they hadn't dug, and cities they hadn't built.
In the Law, God created a special festival for Israelites to observe so that they would remember what they'd been through during those 40 years. It was called the Feast of the Tabernacles. For 7 days in the month October the Israelites were required to come to Jerusalem and live in tents (another name for tabernacles). And they still do that today.
By the time of Jesus, this Feast of Tabernacles had gotten to be quite an elaborate affair. According to the Mishnah - which is a Jewish commentary on the Law (Sukkah 5:2) - ''At the close of the first Holyday'' (of the Feast of the Tabernacles) the priests would descend from the Court of the Israelites down into the Court of Women. In that court. four huge candelabras were placed, each ''with four golden bowls at their tops and four ladders to each one.'' The Talmud says that each were fifty cubits in height
(Sukkah 52b - http://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Papers/John7-9.3.pdf)
Essentially, these candelabras were 75 feet tall!!!! Each of them had 4 bowls at the top filled with 10 gallons of oil. And each night during the festival, these were set ablaze at Sundown and burned so brightly that it lit up the entire city.
This ritual was called the ''Illumination Of The Temple.''
Now, this wasn't a solemn occasion. This was literally a festival. ...
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