Yad Hashmona is ‘n Moshav gebou deur Skandinawiese Christene waar Jode in Israel wat tot geloof in Yeshua gekom het kon kom bly in ‘n gemeenskapsopset.
Oor die jare heen het Christen vrywilligers, meestal jongmense, van regoor die wêreld kom dien en hand bysit om te help om van die Moshav ‘n sukses te maak.
Op hul beurt weer het die Moshav aan vrywilligers kos en verblyf en die belewenis van ‘n leeftyd verskaf!
Van besondere betekenis was die busrit, so een keer per maand, na ‘n Bybelse besienswaardigheid.
Per die geleentheid waaraan ek kon meedoen in 2004 was die uitstappie na die Judese Wildernis, na ‘n koppie waar ‘n skaapwagter sy skape al in die ronde in ‘n spiraalvorm na bo al om die koppie laat wei het.
Die toergids het dit gebruik om ons met nuwe oë na Psalm 23 se, ‘Hy lei my op die paaie van geregtigheid…’ te laat kyk.
Paaie, in die Hebreeus, kan ook sirkels of siklusse beteken. M.a.w. siklusse van geregtigheid. Ek kon nie anders as om dadelik aan God se Feeste te dink nie.
In Levitikus 23 en elders is die Hebreeuse woord wat as Feeste vertaal word ‘mo’adim’ wat ook vaste afsprake kan beteken.
Maar in Eksodus 23 is dit Chageem wat sirkels of siklusse beteken!
Is dit moontlik dat Dawid in Psalm 23 die Feeste siklus in gedagte gehad het?
Mens weet nie, maar dit sou my glad nie verbaas as dit so was nie!
Net soos die skape keer op keer aan dieselfde kant van die koppie omgewei kom, elke keer net effe nader aan die bopunt, kom ons ook elke jaar by dieselfde feeste ‘omgewei’ hopelik ook elke keer effe nader aan ons Vader se hart.
Die uitdaging elke jaar is om die tipe weiding waarmee Abba ons met hierdie jaar se siklus wil voed korrek te identifiseer en in te neem.
Want opsies is daar baaaaaie!
So het die feeste byvoorbeeld verskeie aspekte en toepassingsvlakke wat elk vir ons ‘n ander invalshoek op Hom en Sy wandel met ons gee.
Die feeste het bv elk ‘n kosmologiese aspek daarin dat elkeen gekoppel is aan ‘n fase van die maan. Hulle het ‘n landboukundige aspek daarin dat elkeen gekoppel is aan ‘n bepaalde deel van die plant- en oessiklus in Israel. Hulle het ‘n meteriologiese aspek daarin dat hul gekoppel is aan die begin en einde van die reënseisoen. Hulle het ‘n Tempel offerstelsel aspek daarin dat met elke fees bepaalde offers in die Tempel gebring moes word. Hulle het ‘n geografiese aspek daarin dat die feeste in Jerusalem gehou moes word.
Die feeste is tegelykertyd kommemoratief (terugkykend), intyds (van toepassing op die hier en nou) en profeties (repetisies vir wat kom).
Terugkykend roep dit Abba se heilshandelinge met Israel asook die Messias se heilshandelinge in tyd en ruimte in herinnering.
Intyds gee dit leiding aan individuele gelowiges en die gemeenskap van gelowiges tussen Yeshua se twee komste.
En vooruitskouend leer dit ons oor die toekoms van fisiese Israel, die Messias, individuele gelowiges, die geloofsgemeenskap, ongelowiges en die fisiese skepping.
En op elkeen hiervan is daar (ten minste) ‘n kosmologiese, landboukundige, offerstelsel, metereologiese en geografiese invalshoek!!!!
En dan is die helfte nog nie eens vertel nie!
Volgende week is dit Nuwe Maan en daarmee saam die begin van 3 weke waarin feeste 5, 6 en 7 van die jaarlikse 7 feeste siklus gevier word: die Fees van Basuingeklank (Yom Teruah), die Fees van die Groot Versoendag (Yom Kippur) en die Fees van Tabernakels (Sukkot).
Dit is 3 weke waarin ons die Koning se toestemming het om so bietjie met ons koppe in die wolke te leef, dromers te wees en dalk selfs so bietjie ‘too heavenly minded for any earthly use’ te wees want hierdie is die seisoen wat handel oor die voleinding van alle dinge.
‘n Seisoen waarin ons daaraan dink dat fisiese Israel as volk tot bekering sal kom, Jesus weer sal kom en Sy duisendjarige vrederyk inlei, ons verander sal word om soos Hy te wees en die skepping nie meer sal kreun onder die las van die sondeval nie.
In ‘n wêreld waar gewaarsku word oor ‘n derde wêreldoorlog, die ineenstorting van die ekonomiese stelsel en die uitrol van totalitarisme oral om ons kan ek my beswaarlik ‘n meer tydige en broodnodige seisoen as dié van Sukkot 2024 indink!
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