At these yearly assemblies the hearts of old and young would be encouraged in the service of God, while the association of the people from the different quarters of the land would strengthen the ties that bound them to God and to one another. Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a Feast of 541 Tabernacles--a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised for bringing us out from the world, and from the darkness of error, into the precious light of His grace and truth. With those who lived at a distance from the tabernacle, more than a month of every year must have been occupied in attendance upon the annual feasts. This example of devotion to God should emphasize the importance of religious worship and the necessity of subordinating our selfish, worldly interests to those that are spiritual and eternal. We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by the sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. In our intercourse as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He who shuts himself up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should. We are all children of one Father, dependent upon one another for happiness. The claims of God and of humanity are upon us. It is the proper cultivation of the social elements of our nature that brings us into sympathy with our brethren and affords us happiness in our efforts to bless others.

De, der boede langt fra tabernaklet, må have benyttet over en måned hvert år til de årlige fester. Denne store troskab over for Gud bør være en kraftig påmindelse til os om, hvor stor betydning gudstjenesten har, og hvor vigtigt det er, at vi lader de åndelige og evige interesser komme i første række og vore egenkærlige, verdslige interesser i anden række. Vi lider et tab, når vi undlader at samles for at styrke og opmuntre hinanden til at tjene Gud. Hans ords sandheder står ikke længer klart for os, og vi ser ikke deres betydning. Vort hjerte påvirkes ikke længer af denne helliggørende indflydelse og modtager ikke mere lys og varme, og vor åndelighed aftager. I vor forbindelse med vore medkristne lider vi et stort tab, fordi vi ikke har sympati for hinanden. Det menneske, der isolerer sig selv, udfylder ikke den plads, Gud havde tiltænkt det. Vi er alle børn af den samme fader, og vor lykke er afhængig af andre mennesker. Vi er både forpligtede over for Gud og over for menneskeheden. Det er ved at udvikle vor selskabelighed på den rette måde, at vi fatter interesse for vore medmennesker og finder glæde i at være til velsignelse for andre.