Feast of Tabernacles
Leviticus 23:23-33
April 10, 2022
As I was preparing for today’s message, I had this great AHA moment. It was one of those moments when you read the scripture and things simply fall into place and you get a grin when you see how God is working in the moment.
Hopefully, you’ll see that by the end of worship.
Today we’re looking at the last of the 7 feasts of Israel. It’s actually called by one of the 3 names - - - Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Booths, or Feast of Ingathering. In Hebrew it’s called Sukkot, which means booths.
So, let’s do a quick recap of where we’ve been over the past 6 weeks.
There were 7 feasts commanded by God for the Israelites. The feasts are typically broken down into three main seasons.
The Spring feasts are – Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits. They all occur in a few days period - - and coincide with the barley harvest and were fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming.
The 4th feast was the Feast of Weeks, which we call Pentecost. It coincided with the completion of the wheat harvest and. We also see that during the feast when people were in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the church age began.
The final three feasts – the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths - occur in the Fall, and they’ll be fulfilled in full by Jesus at His second coming.
The primary instructions for the observance of the Feast of Booths, like those for the other feasts, is found in Leviticus 23 - - -
33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord.
35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.
36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord.
On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.
39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land,
you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees,
branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 23:33-36, 39-43
So, that’s the Feast of Booths. Have you noticed how many days in these feasts and holy days are to be Sabbaths to the Lord. Days when no work is to occur. Instead the people are to intentionally draw closer to God on those days. There’s a really nice rhythm to the Jewish calendar as they look forward not just to a day off, but to time spent with God.
The final 3 feasts all occurred in the same month. Rosh Hashonah was on Tishri 1, Yom Kippur on the 10th, and the Feast of Booths on the 15th of Tishri. It lasted for 7 days, with the 1st and last days being Sabbaths - no work permitted.
There are 3 passages describing this feast. I just read from Leviticus 23, and we see how the sacrifices were to be structured in Numbers 29, and more in Deuteronomy 31.
The Feast of Tabernacles was one of 3 feasts which were pilgrim feasts. Three times during the year, all Jewish males were required to appear before the Lord in the Temple. The Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles were all pilgrim feasts because of the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
This feast is also called ingathering because this feast occurs at the time of the final harvests of the year, it’s the harvest of the vines.
The people were supposed to build booths or shelters made from branches. They did this as a remembrance of how they lived in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt - - - an prior to their entering Israel.
When I was growing up and went to Hebrew School, the temple would always construct a booth built out of palm branches and willow trees and we would go in there. Families were to make one and spend time in there giving thanks to God, or eating meals, and maybe even sleeping in them.
This was to be a celebration. It was a feast the people would look forward to. It was not like the 2 holidays right before it, when the people fasted and prayed to be inscribed and sealed in the book of life for another year. This was a time of rejoicing and preparing for the winter months.
As I was preparing for today’s message, I read that the Jews also did something which I didn’t know about, which is really going to strike you when you think about what Jesus later said.
Jerusalem generally receives about 20 inches of rain per year. Booths occurs before the winter rainy season. The people hoped and prayed for rain, and they performed ceremonies as they prayed for rain. This part is not in the Bible, but it’s what became tradition and it’s important because Jesus used this to proclaim who He is to the people.
Each morning during the feast there would be a pouring of water, which was a symbolic prayer for rain. The high priest, along with a group of worshipers, would go to the Pool of Siloam. He would take a golden pitcher and dip it into the pool. Then he would take it back to the temple.
The high priest with the water from the Pool of Siloam would enter the southern gate of the temple. It was known as the Water Gate because of this ceremony. As he entered, three blasts of the silver trumpets sounded from the Temple, and the priests recited Isaiah 12:3: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
The high priest went to the altar in the Inner Court of the Temple and they would pour the water so that it flowed over the altar, along with wine from another bowl. They would blow the trumpets again and that would start their earnest prayers for rain. There was a great deal of rejoicing at this ceremony.
Here’s how the Talmud describes it in one sentence - - - He who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life. That was the type of celebration they had.
Then in the evenings, they would have a light ceremony in the Temple. On the second evening, people crowded into the outer court and in the center of the court were 4 very tall lampstands. These were lit, and the light would shine throughout Jerusalem.
The they would sing psalms and have a celebration. This celebration was repeated every night from the second night until the seventh night. This ceremony reminded people of God’s power and glory when Solomon dedicated the temple. This comes from Isaiah 43 - - -
1 Then God led me to the gate, the gate facing east.
2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of His coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east,
5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. – Isaiah 43:1-2, 4-5
Again the Talmud tells us - - -
. . . “There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illumined by the light of the place of the water-drawing. Men of piety and good deeds used to dance before them with lighted torches in their hands, and sing songs and praises. And Levites without number with harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and other musical instruments were there.” (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sukkah 51a and 51b)
I know this is a lot of background information and I’m almost done with it, but it’s really important, because we see Jesus in this celebration.
The last day of the feast was also called the greatest day of the feast. On the 7th and final day of the feast, the Temple water pouring ritual concluded with a great celebration. On the other six days, the silver trumpets gave three blasts; but on this day, they gave three sets of seven blasts.
On the other six days, the priests made one trip around the altar; but on this day, they made seven trips, as they marched around the altar, and sang the Hosanna verse, Psalm 118:25, as the people waved palm branches.
So, that’s where we’re at with this final feast of Booths. Now, let’s see where Jesus fits in . . . and for me this was that AHA moment, because John 7-8 are directly linked to the Feast of Booths. Listen to what John tells us - - - -
The gospel of John gives us an amazing picture of what Jesus was doing. John 7 tells us - -
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. - John 7:1-2
So, we see what’s happening . . . it’s the feast of booths and Jesus initially isn’t going to go to Jerusalem because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him. He was challenged by His brothers to reveal Himself, because they didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah. Now, if we jump down to verses 37-38, John now tells us - - -
37 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.
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
It was the last day of the feast, and they bring more water and do more parading around the altar. There’s a greater celebration on that day. More people are present celebrating the end of the harvest season and preparing for winter . . . and then Jesus is there with everyone and makes this statement, really it’s an offer for us. Come to Jesus and drink in the living waters. It’s an offer to embrace the H.S.
It’s like what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 - -
28 Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
Jesus makes this proclamation on the last day, which is the great day. People are surrounding Him and in essence He’s telling them . . .
You know that water that the High Priest is getting and pouring on the altar? Let me tell you something . . . that’s not ever going to satisfy you. You need to come to me and drink in the living water I’m offering you. That’s going to sustain you, it’s going to fill you, it’s going to change who you are and then you will make a difference in the world because that living water will pour out of you and into others and the world will never be the same again because you drank from my living water.
Isn’t that cool how Jesus did that?
So, Jesus is still in Jerusalem. He spent the night there and John continues the story in chapter 8. The Jews are challenging Jesus and He makes another outlandish statement in their eyes, telling the people - - -
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12
Do you hear this one now? What tradition did they do during this feast? They lit up the entire city of Jerusalem. Now, what’s Jesus telling them? I am the light of the world! Follow me, believe in me and you will never walk in darkness.
He’s going directly against what the people believe. It’s so cool to see what Jesus is doing and how He’s shaking their world.
We see it in the prophecy that comes from the OT prophet, Zechariah - - -
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.
7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
8 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.
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. - Zechariah 14:6-9
This passage is talking about living water which will come from Jerusalem when Christ returns. Living waters will pour forth, as Jesus lights the world.
Remember Jesus’ claims about being the living water that He made? Now we see the final fulfillment of those words as living water flows from Jerusalem. That occurs as a result of Jesus, the Messiah from the line of David, taking His throne and ruling over all the earth.
Then we can jump to the end . . . in Revelation 22, the last chapter of the Bible, John wrote ---
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
In this passage we see there will no longer be a need for light, because the One who is the light of the world will light the world, God will be the only light that is needed.
In addition, the water of life will flow from where? From the throne of God and of the Lamb.
There will be the leaves for the healing of the nations. All these images come from Jesus as they related to the feast of Booths.
He is our Messiah. He rode into town on that first Palm Sunday knowing what laid ahead of Him. He knew His death was coming . . . yet, He came for me and you to offer us His light and His living water to fill us and change us.
It’s an everyday call from Jesus to turn to Him, knowing there is nothing so big and so terrible that He can’t forgive us. He does, otherwise His death was futile.
He calls us to drink in the living water so we will be changed and then we can go into the world and be that very change and show the world Jesus is the Messiah!
