Part 2: Where is the love for UNITY?

Psalm 133:1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

Again, this is wonderful to see – the happiness, contentment, harmony and beauty which is present when His people meet before Him in the unity of Spirit, with the purpose of humbly worshipping Him. This is a shadow of things to come – a type of our eternal destiny – and it gives God great pleasure to see us meet TOGETHER before Him in this humble and joyful manner – in this age today!

Psalm 133:2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.

This unity we have before God is compared to the sweet-smelling perfume used in God’s sacred consecration of the High Priest, with the Holy Oil representing His Holy Spirit, spreading out to cover everything. That’s how God views this unity.

Psalm 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.

This refreshing dew comes down, spreads out and gives life to all it touches – life forevermore! All these things are described in the context of His people gathering together to worship Him in unity and peace. Psalm 133 is saying that we are SANCTIFIED in our unity – when we meet before Him in this way, at the one time. This is what God wants and this is what is important to Him.

Followers of the Redeemer by name or practice?

We are all followers of our Redeemer; we are of the same spiritual family, fellow heirs of the same spiritual inheritance – and God wants us to worship Him in the beauty of Holiness, as it states in four places in the Old Testament. The Festivals are family reunions organised by the Father, to eat and rejoice together before Him! These are God’s Holydays and Sabbaths – and no-one else can call HIS people together, other than those whom God has passed that authority to! No-one else can legitimately take that authority to themselves!

So the question is this: Are we keeping God’s Sabbath and festivals on the correct authorised days of God? We will endeavour to answer these questions as simply as possible.

Leviticus 23:3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

Are we keeping the Sabbath on the correct day today? When Jesus walked the earth, He kept the same Sabbath as the Jews did. The Jews have kept the same seventh day Sabbath ever since. So in Jerusalem today, we know which day is God’s Sabbath. There is dispute on this issue within the Christian fraternity today.

What about God’s appointed times

In verse 4 of Leviticus 23, it begins the section on God’s festivals (appointment times), beginning with Passover:

Leviticus 23:4 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which YOU shall proclaim at their appointed times.

Who is YOU? Who did God authorise to proclaim the Holydays? YOU – IS the constituted authority in Israel. It began with Moses and we will see two other groups becoming involved. The priesthood and the Assembly of Elders! After describing all the feasts, it says this in verse 44:

Leviticus 23:44 So MOSES declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD

God initially worked through Moses. But they were the feasts of the LORD – not the feasts of Moses! So what were these feasts all about? At this time, the Sabbath was primarily about REST – and the feasts were about REDEMPTION. Fleeing Egypt after the death angel had passed over them.

What about the years of the wilderness and harvest festivals?

Although we understand there is a linkage of the Holydays to the Harvest festivals – that came later. For forty years, when the Israelites were wandering in the Wilderness, there were no harvests – they ate Manna from Heaven. The months were identified by numbers. First month or seventh month! The Israelites did NOT rely on finding new ears of barley to determine when the year began in God’s calendar.

Appointed times clearly stated

Now, the timing of the Holydays and festivals are clearly given to us in the bible. For example, we know that the Day of Trumpets is on the first day of the seventh month. ALL the Holydays, except Pentecost, are clearly given to us in this manner. But separate to that, the Bible DOES NOT tell us which day IS the first of the month and which month IS the seventh of the year! THAT is the issue! We need a calendar to tell us these things!

God clearly mandates the authority

And there is no doubt that God preserved the vital knowledge of the Rules governing the Calendar through this constituted authority in Israel which I mentioned previously, beginning with Moses. There was NO OTHER AUTHORITY!

Numbers 10:1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.

Numbers 10:8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

So the priests, Aaron’s descendants, were fully involved with the authorised calendar because they were the ones who were to proclaim those days, including the beginning of the months.

In addition to this, in Numbers 11, Moses set up, under God’s authority, a judiciary of 70 elders of Israel who were given the Spirit of God to administer the law of God. An elder was described as one having age, experience, and the knowledge and wisdom of God’s ways. However, it was always the priesthood that had the judicial authority for Tabernacle and Temple rituals and proclamations. And these two bodies, the priesthood and the Assembly of Elders, always had to work together.

NEXT>> PART 3!!