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Chapter 49—“If Any Man Thirst, Let Him Come!”
This chapter is based on
John 7:1-15
;
37-39
.
Three times a year the Jews were required to assemble at
Jerusalem for religious purposes. The Feast of Tabernacles was
the closing gathering of the year. From the valleys and plains of
Palestine the harvest had been gathered. The olive berries had been
picked. The palm had yielded her store. The purple clusters of the
vine had been trodden in the wine press.
The feast continued for seven days, and for its celebration the
inhabitants of Palestine, with many from other lands, came to
Jerusalem. Old and young, rich and poor, all brought some gift
as a tribute of thanksgiving to Him who had crowned the year with
His goodness. Everything that could give expression to the universal
joy was brought from the woods; the city bore the appearance of a
beautiful forest.
The feast was not only the harvest thanksgiving but the memorial
of God’s care over Israel in the wilderness. In commemoration of
their tent life the Israelites during the feast dwelt in tabernacles of
green boughs erected in the streets, in the courts of the temple, or
on the housetops. The hills and valleys surrounding Jerusalem were
dotted with these leafy dwellings. With sacred song and thanksgiving
the worshipers celebrated this occasion.
A little before the feast was the Day of Atonement, when the
people were declared to be at peace with Heaven. “O give thanks
unto the Lord; ... for His mercy endureth for ever” (
Psalm 106:1
)
rose triumphantly, while all kinds of music accompanied the united
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singing.
The temple was the center of the universal joy. On either side of
the white marble steps of the sacred building, the choir of Levites
led the service of song. The melody was caught up by voices near
and far, till the encircling hills were vocal with praise.
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