God has been organizing Feasts for centuries, and He knows perfectly what must be done in preparation. Some of us have been doing so for several decades, and likewise we should know the process pretty well. Some of us are newer to this preparation process; some of us might have just lost sight of what we should be doing. Regardless of our situation, God expects us to prepare. We need to realize that NOW is the time to start preparing to have a great Feast. Not just after the spring holy days or after the Feast Planner comes out or a month before the Feast, but now.
Being commanded to keep the Feast and to rejoice should be enough reason to begin planning for this year’s Feast.
“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath” (Leviticus 23:39). God commands us to keep a Feast unto the Eternal. It is God’s festival, not ours. He provides it for us as a wonderful blessing, but it is His and must be kept at the time and in the manner He prescribes.
“And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month” (verse 41).
Strong’s Concordance defines statute as: “a law, a commandment.” We are required by command to keep God’s festival. The word forever is defined “everlasting, perpetual, evermore.” Forever includes this year.
Here are some biblical principles we can look at to inspire us to be planning the Feast right now.
Second Tithe
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 read, “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.”
Anciently, Israel’s economy was based on agriculture. When the fall harvest occurred, one 10th of the increase was set aside for use at God’s festival.
Today, most of us are paid our increase weekly, biweekly or monthly. We should be setting aside a tithe (one 10th) of our increase as we receive it. This requires planning and time to prepare. In years past, some of God’s Family have waited until a few weeks before the Feast and tried to scrape together the funds necessary to keep the Feast. This is not keeping God’s law by the letter or the spirit.
Since most of us receive our increase each week or each month, that is when we should set aside this tithe. Not just before the Feast. The simplest way to accomplish this is to open a separate account for second tithes.
If you don’t have an income, start to set aside some savings, as you are able, each week just as if it was second tithe.
By setting aside second tithe each pay period, we keep thinking about the Feast. We can use that exercise as a reminder every payday that we are keeping God’s commandments and working toward the Millennium when all mankind will learn these same laws.
By tithing correctly, we will help ensure a great Feast for ourselves and we will be learning how to teach this law to others during the Millennium.
The practice of paying our second tithe can reinforce the spiritual nature of God’s law. This can be a stimulus for spiritual planning as well as physical.
Each pay period, as we set aside our tithe, we are reminded to be praying for the festival department’s success in dealing with the necessary agents at the Feast sites. Such prayers will enhance the Feast for everyone.
By thinking about our last Feast, we can be considering how to help others have a better Feast. We can be praying for God to provide us with service opportunities.
Since the Feast represents a time when we will be in the Kingdom of God, we can use tithing and planning ahead to keep us seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
God Plans Ahead
Here is another reason to be planning now for this year’s Feast: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
We are to become like God. He plans things far in advance. He spends the time and work necessary to succeed at His plan. He uses trials to help shape and mold our lives. Planning ahead for the Feast also helps shape us; it makes us more like God, but without the pain of a trial, and it will reduce stress and problems when the Feast actually arrives.
You can probably still remember this past Feast quite well. In a few more months that memory will have dimmed a bit. So now you can be taking into consideration the things that will improve the Feast by strengthening any weak spots you may have encountered last year.
It would be a good idea to start a list—write down things you want or need to do before the Feast this year; things that you want to be different. Some things would not be practical to do now, but other portions of the planning can begin now.
The entire family should be included in this process. Each person will have had a different perspective of the most recent Feast and, therefore, different suggestions for the next one.
Compile a list of arrangements you need to make and when to make them. When do you inform your employer you need the time off? For some of us, it should be as soon as possible, while for others it may be better to wait until the month before. Whatever your situation, write it down.
Review the list from time to time—each time you put aside your tithe, perhaps. Again, make this a family activity—include everyone. Check off what has been accomplished, add things as they come to mind, and be prepared to do the things still undone.
If we begin now to prepare for this year’s Feast, this will help us have an even better Feast than the one just past. It will make the whole process easier, less stressful. We will be mentally, spiritually and financially ready to rejoice at the Feast.
It will also be a demonstration to God that we do want to please Him and that we are keeping His commandments. Remember, 1 John 5:3 says keeping His commands is the love of God.
If we spend the time from now to the Feast proving to God that we love Him by keeping His commandments, including the Feast commandments, what will He do at the Feast to prove His love toward us?
God’s plan has been in motion since the events recorded in the book of Genesis. God plans ahead. We know that He drafted a 7,000-year plan and is following through with it.
We need to learn to be like Him. These things will demonstrate to God that we do, indeed, have the love of God, and He will, indeed, elevate our Feast to the best ever.
Don’t delay—plan now for the Feast 2015 . God is!