In biblical terms, "feasters" refers to individuals or groups who participate in feasts, which are significant events often marked by communal meals, celebrations, and religious observances. Feasting holds a prominent place in the biblical narrative, serving both as a symbol of divine blessing and as a potential occasion for moral and spiritual testing.

Old Testament Context

Feasting in the Old Testament is frequently associated with religious festivals and offerings. The Israelites were commanded to observe several feasts, such as the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). These feasts were times of joy, remembrance, and thanksgiving to God for His provision and deliverance. For instance, in Deuteronomy 16:14-15 , the Israelites are instructed to rejoice during the Feast of Tabernacles: "And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your son and daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. For seven days you shall celebrate the feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete."

Feasting also appears in narratives involving personal and communal celebrations. For example, in Genesis 21:8 , Abraham holds a great feast on the day Isaac is weaned, marking a significant milestone in his family. Similarly, in 1 Samuel 25:36 , Nabal is described as holding a feast "like that of a king," highlighting the opulence and potential excess associated with such gatherings.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, feasting continues to play a role in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus often used the setting of a feast to teach important spiritual truths. One notable example is the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14:15-24 , where Jesus illustrates the kingdom of God as a banquet to which many are invited, but only those who respond to the invitation will partake.

The Last Supper, a pivotal event in the New Testament, is a feast that Jesus shares with His disciples. During this meal, Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper, a sacrament commemorating His sacrifice. In Matthew 26:26-28 , Jesus says, "Take and eat; this is My body... Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Moral and Spiritual Implications

While feasting is often associated with joy and celebration, the Bible also warns against the dangers of excess and indulgence. Proverbs 23:20-21 cautions, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags." This warning highlights the potential for feasting to lead to moral decay if not conducted with moderation and gratitude.

The Apostle Paul addresses the issue of feasting in the context of Christian liberty and community in 1 Corinthians 10:31 : "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." This exhortation underscores the importance of maintaining a focus on God's glory, even in the context of feasting.

Eschatological Significance

Feasting also carries eschatological significance in the Bible, symbolizing the ultimate celebration and fellowship with God in the age to come. Revelation 19:9 speaks of the "wedding supper of the Lamb," a future feast celebrating the union of Christ and His Church: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb." This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of the hope and joy that await believers in eternity.

The Friend of Publicans and Sinners
... What a witness this hostile criticism is to Christ's genial identification of Himself
with homely feasters! (b) It sets forth the highest type of manhood. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the friend of publicans and.htm

Death, the Friend
... a scene of wild revelry, and there at his feet lie, stark and stiff, corpses in
their gay clothing and with garlands on their brows, and feasters and musicians ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/death the friend.htm

Stichera for Great Thursday.
... And the soul's true service paid,. And the table of the feasters. As an altar stood
displayed. CHRIST is now our mighty pascha,. Eaten for our mystic bread: ...
/.../neale/hymns of the eastern church/stichera for great thursday.htm

Of Other Confessors.
... When they heard this the greater number of the feasters moaned and bewailed
themselves, and tore out handfuls of hair from their heads. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xiii of other confessors.htm

The Myths are not to be Taken Literally.
... Eris (discord) from the marriage; nor that Eris on her part, thus dishonoured,
contrived an occasion of quarrelling and discord among the feasters; nor that ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter ii the myths are not.htm

Hollow Laughter, Solid Joy
... No human joys wait to still conscience, which sits at the banquet like
the skeleton that Egyptian feasters set at their tables. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/hollow laughter solid joy.htm

'The Whole Family'
... will be disclosed new depths of blessing and power in the old Christ, and new draughts
of joy and strength in the old wine which will make the feasters say, in ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the whole family.htm

The Judgment of Drunkards and Mockers
... every life thus turned to the perishable will come the crash of the destroying storm,
the mutterings of which might reach the ears of the feasters, if they ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the judgment of drunkards and.htm

On Public Diversions
... On this side were the mourners bewailing the loss of their goods, and the necessities
of their families; on the other, the feasters delighting themselves with ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 140 on public diversions.htm

The Meek and Lowly One
... Ye harlots, ye drunkards, ye feasters, ye wedding guests, ye may all come; "This
man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." He is "meek and lowly in heart ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the meek and lowly one.htm

Feasters (3 Occurrences)
...Feasters (3 Occurrences). Proverbs 28:7 He who keeps the law is a wise son, but
he who keeps company with feasters puts shame on his father. (BBE). ...
/f/feasters.htm - 7k

Loud-voiced (6 Occurrences)
... are taken away as prisoners into strange countries for need of knowledge: and their
rulers are wasted for need of food, and their loud-voiced feasters are dry ...
/l/loud-voiced.htm - 8k

Masses (20 Occurrences)
... are taken away as prisoners into strange countries for need of knowledge: and their
rulers are wasted for need of food, and their loud-voiced feasters are dry ...
/m/masses.htm - 12k

Feasted (6 Occurrences)

/f/feasted.htm - 8k

Feasting (39 Occurrences)

/f/feasting.htm - 19k

Nobility (5 Occurrences)
... the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her
glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go ...
/n/nobility.htm - 8k

Jerusalem's (7 Occurrences)
... the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her
glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go ...
/j/jerusalem's.htm - 8k

Jubilant (13 Occurrences)
... the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her
glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go ...
/j/jubilant.htm - 9k

Throat (13 Occurrences)
... the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her
glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go ...
/t/throat.htm - 11k

Revelers (4 Occurrences)
... the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her
glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go ...
/r/revelers.htm - 7k

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