israeli holidays
Sukkot
The Feast of Tabernacles
Introduction
As we have been studying Israel’s biblical fall festival, 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, which we will be looking for today has both historical significance and prophetic fulfillment.
The festival begins on the fifteenth day of the month of Tishrei, five days after Yom Kippur, and lasts for seven days, actually eight days when including the solemn day of rest on the day following the end of the festival.
The Hebrew word or title for this holiday is “Sukkot” which translates as “booth” or “tabernacle”, and its Latin counterpart means “tent” or “hut”. It is the name of the temporary dwelling where the farmers would live during the harvest, relating 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 inhabited during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43).
To celebrate this holiday, the Jewish people today will build temporary shelters for the duration of the holiday to remember both events, and during the holiday, meals are eaten inside and many people sleep there as well.
What this reveals is the dual purpose or reason for the celebration.
The first was to celebrate the harvest.
Since the festival occurs at the end of the harvest season, it is also known as the Harvest Festival. In contrast to the somber mood of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this was a time of great rejoicing as people celebrated the final gathering of the harvest that God had provided for the year. That is why the holiday 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 NIV)
In the first part of verse 40 we see the physical symbol of this celebration.
“And you shall take for yourselves the first day of the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook.” (Leviticus 23:40a NIV)
People had to bring specific fruits, mainly an etrog, a large yellowish citrus fruit, similar to a lemon, and then tied palm branches, willow and myrtle. and wave them before the Lord at the appropriate time.
The second purpose of this holiday was to celebrate how God provided provision and shelter for them during the 40 years they wandered in the desert after their captivity in Egypt before they were able to enter the Promised Land. So it was also a joyous occasion.
“You will dwell in tabernacles seven days. Every native of Israel shall dwell in tabernacles, so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in tabernacles when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 23:42-43 NIV)
Now, there is an interesting Scripture about this time in the future and how it relates to God’s supernatural provision and refuge.
It is the time of the reign of the Messiah that Isaiah calls beautiful, and for all those left in Jerusalem whom the Lord has cleansed, look what he says.
“Then the Lord will create over every dwelling place on Mount Zion, and over its assemblies, cloud and smoke by day, and brightness of flames of fire by night. Because over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade from the heat of the day, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.” (Isaiah 4:5-6 NIV)
Notice how the same was present to the children of Israel there in the desert.
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might go by day and by night. He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” (Exodus 13:20-22 NIV)
And so the people not only built temporary dwellings, or huts, but the Lord Himself became for them a tabernacle, a covering, providing them with shelter day and night. and shelter.
And so, we can see the great joy that this holiday should bring to our hearts as we remember God’s provision, protection, refuge and shelter.
One part of this celebration is missing, however, the sacrifices and offerings that were part of these seven days in the time of Jesus and before. These are listed in the book of Numbers 29:12-38.
Additional elements of the tabernacles
As with many of the other holidays, the Jews also developed other traditions related to the celebration of this holiday, which were not prescribed by God in the Bible, but arose from oral tradition at the time of Jesus.
Two of these practices have special significance for the coming of the Messiah and the proclamations of Jesus.
The first was a water-drawing ceremony in which water was drawn from the Siloam Pool during each of these festival days.
It began in the morning while the morning sacrifice was being prepared. . A special procession made its way from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam. A priest carrying a golden pitcher headed it. Then he filled the pitcher with water. They then returned to the Temple, passing through the Water Gate, where it was poured onto the sacrificial altar.
On the last day of the Feast, also known as the Great Feast Day, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” (John 7:37-38 NIV)
The Apostle John then explained what Jesus said, saying: “But this he said about the Spirit, which those who believe in him should receive; because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:39 NIV)
The second tradition that was part of the Feast of Tabernacles was when the worshipers went to the Court of the Women, where there were four very tall candelabra. They are said to have been between 75 and 150 feet tall.
These were lit every night and since the Temple was on Mount Zion, which was above the city, everyone could see them as they lit up the sky.
It says that the next day Jesus entered the Temple where the scribes and Pharisees confronted him, wanting him to pronounce judgment on the woman caught in adultery. After saying that the person without sin should cast the first stone, and since no one did, then he told the woman that he did not condemn her, Jesus made this proclamation.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV)
More references to Jesus and the Feast
So what we see is that Jesus is connecting this feast with himself, the Messiah, which is seen in several other scriptures.
In fact, the apostle John makes this observation regarding Jesus. He begins his gospel by saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it.” (John 1:1-5 NIV)
And so this title “the Word” is a title for God the Creator, and the light that gives life. But how do we know that this is talking about Jesus, and how does it relate to this feast, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles?
This is seen in verse 14. It says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV)
So this title, “The Word,” is a title of God, and John makes it clear that this title referred to Jesus. Now the key to this understanding of how Jesus then relates to and is a fulfillment of this Feast of Tabernacles is found in the Greek word for “dwelt.” It literally means “tabernacle.” And so the Word, Jesus, dwelt among us!
And so, this festival was not only to be a reminder of past miracles, God’s provision and protection, but it was also to point to the coming Messiah, who in the same way would be our refuge and rest.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)
But this feast also looks forward to the future coming of the Messiah and how this will be the only feast to be kept during His 1,000 year reign on earth.
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On Judgment Day, God will erect the house, or tabernacle, of David as He brings His people back to earth forever.
“In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and repair its damages; I will raise its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old. (Amos 9:11 NIV)
And we see this fulfillment in the coming of the Messiah to rule and reign for 1,000 years.
Which may very well be why this party will be the only party kept during this time. This is found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah, chapter 14.
“And the Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day it will be: “The Lord is one”, and his name is one.” (Zechariah 14:9 NIV)
Now, the word “one” used here in how God is one, and His name is one, is the Hebrew word, “echad.” It is the same word that is used for God in the Shema, or account, where it says: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV)
The word “one” in both passages is the same and means a compound unity, that is, many that form one, which is seen in the Scriptures that describe who God is, that is, the Trinity.
But going back to our text in Zechariah, he goes on to say how this feast will be kept during these days.
“And it shall come to pass that all that are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16 NIV)
Now, last week I ended with a sneak peek that the feasts were actually a shadow of things to come from what the writer of Hebrews said, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come.” (Hebrews 10:1a NIV)
And so, the shadow of good things to come is how the Messiah will fulfill these feasts.
A Shadow of the Coming Messiah
As I mentioned earlier, these parties point to something bigger. Remember, Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the Law, of which the festivals were a part, but to fulfill it.
Jesus not only recognized and attended this and other feasts in his…