The Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths), today known as Sukkot, is a Jewish feast that God commanded to be celebrated forever in Leviticus 23: 39-43. For Jewish people it is a time of looking back and a time of looking forward. God commanded them to construct temporary shelters to remember God's provision for them when they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. This Feast also looks forward to a time when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
God Provides
Just as God provided for the Israelites so also does He provide for us today. He provides for our needs, but most importantly he provides a way of escape from the punishment of sin by the cross and resurrection of His Son. Every day should be a day of celebration, of feasting, when we realize how God watches over and cares for us, His children.
Flocking to Jerusalem
During this feast men were commanded to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. Many thousands of people would attend this celebration in Jerusalem. This feast is highly symbolic, for just as people flocked to Jerusalem for this feast, so to at the end of the age, will the nations come to Jerusalem when God establishes His kingdom.
The Tabernacle - the Center of Everything
Tabernacle literally means dwelling. The Tabernacle of the Lord was constructed by the Israelites according to God's instructions. This holy tabernacle went with the Israelites on their wilderness journey. It was instructed to be placed in the center of their group. This was symbolic in that it meant that God should be the center of our lives. Everything should move around Him. Everything depends on Him. As Paul reminds us in Acts 17:28,
"for in Him we live and move and have our being"
Jesus Our High Priest
This feast takes place five days after the Day of Atonement for the people. When the tabernacle was constructed it had three parts. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to pour out the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat for the sins of the people. Now, because Jesus is our high priest, we have no need for animal sacrifice. His blood, shed for the atonement of our sins, was shed once for all.
Living Waters
In John 1:14 John tells us that "the word became flesh and dwelt among us". The word translated dwelt means tabernacle, literally, to dwell in a tent. In John chapter 7, Jesus teaches in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of the feast, in John 7:37-39, Jesus promises that living waters will flow from the hearts of those who believe in Him. These living waters are symbolic of the Holy Spirit which lives in those who call Him Savior. With the advent of the Holy Spirit we are now quite literally the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.
God's Kingdom
In Revelation 21:3 we read that God, when His kingdom is established, will dwell among His people and that we will be His and He will be our God. In Zechariah 14: 16-21 Zechariah says that in that day all the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In Zechariah 14: 8 the prophet says in that day that living waters will flow from Jerusalem and the Lord will be King over all the Earth (Zechariah 14:9). This kingdom of God on Earth is described in Revelation 20:4-6. (Please note that some people believe that this Earthly kingdom is purely symbolic, while others believe it to be literal.)
God Dwells In Us
“I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16 (b)
We thank you Father that you sent your Son to walk with us. We praise you Father that you are our God and that we are Your people. We praise you for the Holy Spirit that lives in us. We praise you for your provisions for us. We praise you God for dwelling with us.
In your Son's name, Amen
Enjoy the hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, here.
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