Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Succot)
On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 23: 39-43)
In 2006, the feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, is from sunset of 6 October to sunset of 14 October. Tabernacle means dwelling place, or to dwell with. Temple and Tabernacle are used interchangeably.
This feast, following the final harvest of the year, is a happy occasion, with much rejoicing for the abundant provisions the Lord gives to His children. The Israelites were required to leave the comfort of their homes, and dwell in tabernacles/booths for seven days to remember how their ancestors lived in the wilderness under God’s provision after He delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Zechariah 14: 16-19 says that in the Millennium, all nations will go to Jerusalem for this feast or incur God’s wrath.
Today, most families build a “succah” (booth) in their back yards or on their balconies. Decorating the succah is a tradition much like decorating a Christmas tree. Besides individual booths, many congregations build a community succah. This is so much fun! Several of the men from the congregation get together several days before the feast (for there is to be no labor on the first day of the feast), and build the temporary structure, which often looks like a large gazebo, then we gather branches from our yards (my contributions are pink and purple crape myrtle and fig branches), along with ribbons, beads, pomegranates, palm branches, and various decorations. And then, we feast on wonderful foods we have prepared for the occasion! Of course there is also singing and dancing as we worship our Father and praise Him for all He has done. It is sort-of like a Jewish Thanksgiving.
In the New Testament, Succot was a major celebration. It was often referred to simply as “The Feast” with elaborate ceremonies incorporating water and light, with water being poured continuously on the Temple Mount for seven days. The water came from the pool of Siloam (which means one who will be or has been sent) and came from the Gihon Spring where Zechariah 14 declares:
“Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him… On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and His name one.” (vs.5-9)
It was during this feast Jesus proclaimed His promise of living water.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-38)
Messiah was most likely born around the time of this feast according to historians. It was a time when God chose to dwell, or tabernacle, with His people as God and as Man. Before that, His Tabernacle was in the Holy of Holies, and today, we are the temple, or Tabernacle where the Spirit of the Lord dwells, and through which flow rivers of living water. When He returns, He will forever be our Tabernacle.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. .. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (Revelation 21: 3 & 22).
In 2006, the feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, is from sunset of 6 October to sunset of 14 October. Tabernacle means dwelling place, or to dwell with. Temple and Tabernacle are used interchangeably.
This feast, following the final harvest of the year, is a happy occasion, with much rejoicing for the abundant provisions the Lord gives to His children. The Israelites were required to leave the comfort of their homes, and dwell in tabernacles/booths for seven days to remember how their ancestors lived in the wilderness under God’s provision after He delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Zechariah 14: 16-19 says that in the Millennium, all nations will go to Jerusalem for this feast or incur God’s wrath.
Today, most families build a “succah” (booth) in their back yards or on their balconies. Decorating the succah is a tradition much like decorating a Christmas tree. Besides individual booths, many congregations build a community succah. This is so much fun! Several of the men from the congregation get together several days before the feast (for there is to be no labor on the first day of the feast), and build the temporary structure, which often looks like a large gazebo, then we gather branches from our yards (my contributions are pink and purple crape myrtle and fig branches), along with ribbons, beads, pomegranates, palm branches, and various decorations. And then, we feast on wonderful foods we have prepared for the occasion! Of course there is also singing and dancing as we worship our Father and praise Him for all He has done. It is sort-of like a Jewish Thanksgiving.
In the New Testament, Succot was a major celebration. It was often referred to simply as “The Feast” with elaborate ceremonies incorporating water and light, with water being poured continuously on the Temple Mount for seven days. The water came from the pool of Siloam (which means one who will be or has been sent) and came from the Gihon Spring where Zechariah 14 declares:
“Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him… On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and His name one.” (vs.5-9)
It was during this feast Jesus proclaimed His promise of living water.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-38)
Messiah was most likely born around the time of this feast according to historians. It was a time when God chose to dwell, or tabernacle, with His people as God and as Man. Before that, His Tabernacle was in the Holy of Holies, and today, we are the temple, or Tabernacle where the Spirit of the Lord dwells, and through which flow rivers of living water. When He returns, He will forever be our Tabernacle.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. .. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (Revelation 21: 3 & 22).
posted by Shirley @ 6:30 PM
3 Comments:
At 10:51 AM,
Raul Mosley said…
I don't know if you do the movie thing, but I'd be interested in hearing your take on the new Esther movie should you happen to see it. :)
At 2:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
i would so love to be able to be a part of an event like this. what a Perfect Way to bring people together and nurture the bonds of family, friends and community. like camping out! i've not been able to do much of this myself but have heard about and seen the kind of bonding that activity produces for families. The Feast of Booths...a/k/a The Feast of Bonding for God's People!
At 2:19 AM,
Anonymous said…
HiShirley ,
Have you heard of the four great lights that were set ablaze in the evening of the feast of tabernacles .Check Barcleys commentry on this John Chapter 8:12 onwards because of which Jesus uses it and says to people gatehred there" I am the light of the world" ..
PHILIP
Post a Comment
<< Home