God's Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holy Days

by Barney Kasdan

The Biblical Holy Days teach us about the nature of God and his plan for mankind. Includes historical background, traditional Jewish observance, New Testament relevance, and prophetic significance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Christian Living, Theology, Faith

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Barney Kasdan is leader of Kehilat Ariel, a thriving Messianic congregation located in San Diego. He holds degrees from Biola University (B.A.) and Talbot Theological Seminar (M.Div.). He also completed a year of post-graduate study at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. Mr. Kasdan is the author if the popular book God’s Appointed Times.

Reviews

[Aubrie]

I was challenged by dear Sabbath-loving friends to look into the Biblical significance of the Jewish holidays, and they pointed me towards this book. I was put off by the very 80's cover design, but after the first chapter I was hooked.

This is a very simple, well balanced, and well supported read on Jewish feasts for the Messianic Jew or contemporary Christian who is seeking more understanding for rich tradition and a fuller grasp of our roots. Kasdan gives suggestions for celebrating and taking advantage of these appropriate opportunities to remember God's provision in a tangible way that many churches would do well to incorporate.

[Jennifer Fertig]

Ask my family. They will tell you that I often will wish aloud I could be Jewish and go to synagogue. Me, a Southern Baptist-raised girl, more than 20 years now a reformed, “evangelical” (worried to use this term now) Presbyterian, with a heart for the Jews, and a husband with a love and longing for the Catholic Church. Pretty great, right!? If you’re laughing, you get it. The cool thing I’m continuing to realize (and we all must) is that there’s no perfect church this side of eternity, but God’s word is perfection and we are His. His word is beauty, joy, wisdom, yep, simply perfect.
So, I can’t stop raving about this book though. Throughout my reading it, I was struck over and over how it seems like this should be taught in every Christian church and home. We need our history explained as Kasdan does here, guiding us to an understanding (with the obvious understanding coming from the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit). I am a Gentile believer in Yeshua, Jesus, as our Messiah, and am in awe that we are adopted and grafted into the family of God. This book helps Jews and Gentiles alike see this very beauty of our being in His family. These God-given holy days and the joy they do, can, or could bring to our lives are here for His children. We are all born with desires for significance, security, and purpose. Don’t we want the truth that these holy days can offer and remind us of to be upheld and experienced in our families for generations to come? If knowing God more is your goal in this life, and if being conformed to the image of the Son of God is what you see as your purpose in this world, then I am sure you’d be taken by this book. If those are not your goals or purpose, then read it and see what you think. ;) You won’t be disappointed. It’s straight-forward, plain-spoken, and good. I also read Barney Kasdan’s other book, God’s Appointed Customs, which is equally as great.
Each chapter gives the following: The Historical Background (including the scriptural references from the Torah), Traditional Jewish Observance, New Testament Observance, The Prophetic Fulfillment, A Practical Guide for Believers in Messiah, and then Recipes and Crafts.
In his introduction he states, “These (holy) days, as with any other biblical custom, are not meant to lead us into legalistic bondage. Messiah Yeshua is our total sufficiency when it comes to our spiritual standing before God.” So, if you think this is all about tradition, customs, and rituals, well, you’re not wrong, but they are not meant to lead you in a life of legalism. They are here to point you to Christ. Beautiful. Just can’t stop raving. ;)
See also...Discovery: God’s Answers to Our Deepest Questions by Will Wyatt.

[Jean Graham]

The author is the chief rabbi of Kehilat Ariel, a major Messianic Jewish congregation which he founded in San Diego in 1981. The congregation welcomes all believers in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), whether Jew or Gentile, both new and seasoned believers; as well as anyone interested in learning more about the history and culture of Judaism and the relationship between traditional Jewish belief and custom and the New Covenant presented in the New Testament. To this end, Rabbi Kasdan penned this little book in 1993. It discusses the Sabbath, Passover, the first and second feasts of First Fruits, the Jewish New Year, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, Hanukkah, and Purim (each section is also identified by the traditional Hebrew name). Relevant Scripture passages from both Old and New Testaments are provided, along with the historical background of each celebration and its meaning for both believers in traditional Judaism and those who accept Yeshua as Messiah in terms of fulfilled prophecy and belief and practice for today.


Although the issue of Yeshua and whether or not he was the promised Messiah has always been a bone of contention between Jews and Christians, the presentation is done in a completely irenic way and is very clear and concise. Volumes have been written by both Jewish and Gentile scholars on each of the subjects which here the author condenses into just a few pages, clearly in the hope that the book will serve as a springboard to further study and reflection. To this end, a basic bibliography is provided. As an additional bonus, most sections contain recipes for foods associated with each of the celebrations and sheet music for many of the songs that are sung.

The author has written a companion volume entitled “Gods Appointed Customs” explaining the nature and purpose of such customs as circumcision, ritual immersion, prayer shawls, and many other Jewish practices, and their relevance to Messianic belief.

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Nicole]

Finally! A book that covers each of the following areas for each of the Jewish feasts/ Holy days: historical context, traditional Jewish observations, New Testament context, prophetic correlations, and points for believers in the Messiah.
Its concise and I plan to refer back to it often

[Lauren Carlton]

What a beautiful way to describe the Lords feasts, and a thorough evaluation of the scripture in both the New and Old Testament, and the importance, and prophecy behind Gods anointed times.

[Stephen Johns]

Informative. Opened my mind and heart to my Jewish brethren.

[Debbie]

"God's Appointed Times" is a Bible background type book, but it's also for those who believe Yeshua is the Messiah who wish to celebrate these Feasts. The book covered Sabbath, Passover, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, Hanukkah, and Purim.

This book quoted some of the Bible verses in the Old Testament where God commands the people about these feasts and holy days. He gave the details about how observant Jews celebrate these feasts today. I liked how he explained the meaning behind each act, so it wasn't just meaningless ritual. He then pointed out places in the New Testament that referred to these Feasts, and he suggests how these Feasts are fulfilled in Yeshua, the Messiah. Finally, he suggested ways to modify the modern Feast celebrations to suit Messianic followers and included a couple recipes, songs, and related crafts.

The information given for the Spring Feasts is much what I've heard before, though I liked how he said Sabbath was for remembering that God is our Creator and our rest is in Him. However, the author believes that the Fall Feasts are related to Yeshua's birth as well as His Second Coming. I see how they will be fulfilled in the the Second Coming, but there are several reasons why I'm not convinced they also mark Jesus' birth.

If you are interested in celebrating these feasts as a way to celebrate what Yeshua has done for us, then this book is very useful. However, if you're mainly interested in the mentions of the feasts in the Bible and how Yeshua fulfills the feasts, I think I'd recommend "The Feasts of the Lord" by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal, instead.

[Elizabeth]

This has been a very good book for learning the Jewish festivals, as well as why and how they were and are celebrated. As a protestant, I did not know much about Jewish festivals, but they are the foundation of many of our own and so integral in understanding the Biblical times and customs, both in the Old Testament and the New. It is written by a Messianic Jew, which makes its message particularly applicable to protestants.

[Mary Louise]

I thought this was a great book if you are a Christian who is interested in starting to celebrate the Lord's festivals like I am. It is easy to read, and makes good practical suggestions for observing the Feasts.

[Brit]

The book is easy to read and gives a high level view of Jewish holidays.

[Summer Hurst]

Appointed Times

A great book teaching about the Creator and Savior’s Holy days, well written but thankfully not too long most will learn from it

[Jerry Graham]

A great overview of the Biblical holidays.

[Janice]

Read it, live it, have it as a reference!