THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL FOR CHRISTIANS: A REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE CHRISTIANS MUST KEEP THE FEASTS

In recent years, many sincere Christians have become interested in the feasts of Israel. Some simply want to understand the Old Testament better. Others have gone further and concluded that believers today are obligated to observe Passover, Tabernacles, the Day of Atonement, and the other festivals given to Israel.

If you fall into that second group, Dr. Eitan Bar’s The Feasts of Israel for Christians is worth reading because it presents a much healthier perspective than many books promoting mandatory feast keeping.

One of the greatest strengths of Bar’s book is that he consistently points the reader to Jesus Christ. The feasts are not presented as an end in themselves but as signposts directing us to the Messiah. Passover finds its fulfillment in Christ our Passover Lamb. Firstfruits points to His resurrection. Pentecost reminds us of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The remaining feasts likewise anticipate God’s redemptive work. This Christ-centered emphasis reflects the teaching of the New Testament, where the shadows give way to the substance found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17).

Another commendable feature is Bar’s respect for the Jewish background of the Bible without insisting that Christians become culturally Jewish. The New Testament never asks Gentile believers to adopt Israel’s covenant identity.

In fact, when the apostles met in Jerusalem to determine whether Gentiles should be required to keep the Law of Moses, they deliberately refused to place that burden upon them (Acts 15:1-29). This is an important distinction that many modern movements overlook.

Perhaps the most valuable contribution of the book is what it does not say. Bar never argues that observing the feasts makes one more spiritual. He does not suggest that churches are incomplete if they do not celebrate the biblical festivals. He does not teach that Christians who worship on Sunday instead of celebrating Israel’s calendar are living in disobedience.

Instead, he presents the feasts as beautiful pictures of God’s plan of redemption. They enrich our understanding of Christ without becoming a measure of our faithfulness.

This approach harmonizes well with the apostle Paul’s instruction. Paul warned believers not to allow anyone to judge them regarding festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths because these were shadows pointing to Christ (Colossians 2:16-17).

He also taught that one believer may esteem one day above another while another esteems every day alike, and each should be fully convinced in his own mind without condemning the other (Romans 14:5-6). Those passages are difficult to reconcile with the claim that feast keeping is a binding obligation for every Christian.

That does not mean the feasts have no value today. They are rich with biblical truth. Studying them deepens our appreciation of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Churches may choose to teach about Passover or explain the symbolism of Tabernacles. The problem arises only when appreciation becomes obligation and freedom becomes law.

There is also an important theological principle at stake. The feasts belonged to the covenant God made with Israel through Moses. The New Testament teaches that believers are under the New Covenant established through the blood of Christ (Hebrews 8:6-13).

We honor the Old Testament by understanding it through the lens of its fulfillment in Jesus, not by attempting to place ourselves back under the covenant to which those ceremonies belonged.

No book is perfect, and readers may disagree with some of Bar’s prophetic interpretations, especially regarding the future significance of the fall feasts. Those discussions, however, are secondary to his central message. His primary concern is that Christians see Christ as the fulfillment of the feasts rather than viewing the feasts as continuing obligations.

For believers wrestling with claims that Christians must observe the feasts to be fully obedient, this book offers a refreshing corrective. It encourages appreciation without legalism, learning without bondage, and reverence for Israel’s Scriptures without confusing the Old Covenant with the New.

The feasts remain a marvelous testimony to God’s wisdom, but their greatest purpose is fulfilled when they lead us to the One of whom they always spoke. In Christ the shadows have found their substance, and in Him the believer possesses everything the feasts anticipated.

BDD