Sukkot - The Feast Of Tabernacles Series

Feasts of Israel

Sukkot

The Feast of Tabernacles

Introduction

As we have been studying the biblical fall feast of Israel, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, and then last week, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, that we’ll be looking at today has both an historical significance, and a prophetical fulfillment.

The feast begins on the fifteenth day of the month of Tishrei, five days after Yom Kippur, and lasts for seven days, actually eight days when we include the day of solemn rest on the day following the end of the feast.

The Hebrew word or title for this feast is “Sukkot” is translated as "booth" or "tabernacle," and its Latin counterpart means “tent” or “hut.” It is the name of the temporary dwelling where farmers would live during the harvest, connecting it to the agricultural significance of the holiday found in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 23:14-16; 34:22-23). It is also intended as a reminder of the type of dwellings the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43).

To celebrate this feast, the Jewish people today will build temporary shelters for the duration of the feast to remember both of these events, and throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside, and many people sleep there as well.

What this reveals is the duel purpose or reason for the celebration.

The first was to celebrate the harvest.

Since the feast occurs at the end of the harvest season, it is also known as the Feast of Ingathering. In contrast to the somber mood of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this was a time of great rejoicing as the people celebrated the final ingathering of the harvest that God had provided during the year. That is why the feast is also known as “The Season of Our Joy”.

We see this in Leviticus 23:40b where it says, “You shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.” (Leviticus 23:40b NKJV)

In the first part of verse 40 we see the physical symbol of this celebration.

“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook.” (Leviticus 23:40a NKJV)

The people were to bring specific fruits, mostly a etrog, a large yellowish citrus fruit, kind of like a lemon, and then they would bind palm, willow, and myrtle branches and wave them before the Lord at the appropriate time.

The second purpose of this feast was to celebrate how God provided provision and shelter for them for the 40 years they wandered the wilderness after their Egyptian bondage before they were able to enter the Promised Land. This is also why it was a joyous occasion.

“You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:42-43 NKJV)

Now, there is an interesting Scripture about this time in the future and how it relates to the God’s supernatural provision and shelter.

It is the time of the reign of the Messiah that Isaiah calls beautiful, and for all those who are left in Jerusalem whom the Lord has cleansed, look at what it says.

“Then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.” (Isaiah 4:5-6 NKJV)

Note how the same was present for the children of Israel there in the wilderness.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” (Exodus 13:20-22 NKJV)

And so, not only did the people construct temporary dwellings, or booths, but the Lord Himself became for them a tabernacle, a covering, both day and night providing refuge and shelter.

And so, we can see the great joy that this feast should bring to our hearts as we remember God’s provision, protection, refuge, and shelter.

The one part of this celebration that is missing, however, are the sacrifices and offerings that were a part of these seven days back in the time of Jesus and before. These are listed out in the book of Numbers 29:12-38.