October 2001

Sukkot begins the evening

of October 1, 2001

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

The Biblical Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) begins on October 1, 2001 and continues through October 9, 2001. This feast is referred to many times in both the Tenach (Old Testament) and the Brit Hadasha (New Testament). We’d like to share some of these references with you so that you can enjoy the richness of what is possibly the most significant and prophetic Messianic feast.

The shelters or booths that Jacob made for his livestock upon his return to the land of Canaan following his reunion with his brother Esau, are called Succot in Hebrew. This was the Hebrew custom of the time. There were no such things as "mangers." When Mary (Miriam), the mother of the Messiah, gave birth to her son, it was probably in a Sukkah or booth, a temporary dwelling, a place where animals were sheltered. How appropriate that the LAMB OF GOD should first dwell in a lowly Sukkah: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) The birth of Yeshua in a sukkah points to the very real possibility that the Messiah may have been born at this season of the year.

The Feast of Ingathering, another name for Sukkot, the final of the three required feasts, was agricultural in nature. The people brought the first fruits of their harvest to the great Temple in Jerusalem, the rich in silver or golden baskets, the poor in baskets of reeds. Great rejoicing and thanksgiving to God accompanied this harvest celebration. (The Pilgrims based their thanksgiving celebration on it.) This was the final time of the year when all the male Israelites had to appear before the Lord in the Temple. It was a MOED or appointed time.

The seventh month is the holiest month on the Jewish calendar (7 being the holiest number). The months are numbered from the first (Biblical) month which begins at Passover. A seven day feast in the seventh month was and continues to be a holy convocation and special time to meet with God.

Booths are temporary dwellings, like huts made of branches or pieces of wood. They are usually enclosed on three sides, with lattice, or cloth or twigs and sometimes with plywood. The roof is covered with branches and must allow visibility of the stars at night. Building a sukkah, then eating and sleeping in it, is the ultimate Jewish camping experience!

Why did God instruct us to dwell in booths? We had been slaves for over four hundred years and had helped build massive structures called pyramids. The God who set us free instructed us to dwell in booths which would last only a few weeks or months. While the Egyptians built monuments to their gods, the God of Israel desired to dwell with His people. He also wanted His people to forever look back to their wilderness wanderings, and to the God who led them out of bondage.

The sukkah has many other layers of meaning as well. First of all, it represents protection as it reminds God’s people of the Glory Clouds that protected the children of Israel from the elements as they wandered for forty years in the desert. Next, it represents the faithfulness of God in providing food and clothing for His children on their way to the Promised Land. The sukkah, frail and temporary in nature, is a reminder of the brevity of man’s life here on earth, which is like a sojourn under God’s wings. The sukkah points to the God who tabernacles with His people.

Dwelling in a sukkah teaches us that material things are not the real source of joy. God is. He chose to call the time when His children leave the comforts of their homes to dwell in booths the "Season of our rejoicing." This reinforces the fact that our joy is not dependent on our possessions. Joy springs from a relationship with the living God!

The sukkah is an "equalizer." For seven days each year, both rich and poor live in flimsy dwellings. This reminds us that we are all equal in the sight of God. Finally, the sukkah is a picture of the future time when all people will dwell under the bounty of the Lord, and He shall reign over all the earth.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is read in synagogues during Sukkot because it speaks of the futility of pursuing pleasure as opposed to the wisdom of fearing God and living for Him. Build a sukkah instead of a castle. Trust in God instead of man. After the collapse of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, we are more convinced than ever that one is safer in a makeshift, flimsy sukkah with God than in a fortress without Him. He is our security. Our lives are hidden in Him. We are ALL just passing through. The things that really count are the ETERNAL ones.

God COMMANDS his people to rejoice at Sukkot! This joy is to be shared with others. Sukkot is an inclusive, prophetic, universal, international FEAST OF THE LORD.

This is a wonderful promise to claim for Jerusalem this Sukkot! Jerusalem will stand because God says so. This city is still the favorite of the Lord and the place He has chosen as His habitation. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and prosper (Psalm 122:6).

During the Millennial reign of the Messiah, all nations will celebrate Sukkot! There will be a massive aliyah, a going up to Zion to celebrate the Feast of all Feasts. It would seem like a good idea to begin preparing now, especially for Christians who know nothing about Sukkot. This is the destiny of all believers! Tabernacles is not only for the Jewish people. It is for ALL God’s people.

"The feast" mentioned in John 7 is the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, since this is the only one of the Levitical feasts known by this title. (In Hebrew, Sukkot is referred to simply as Ha Hag, the Feast). The great day of the feast refers to the final and seventh day, "Hoshana Rabba," the day of the great hosanna. On this special day, Yeshua stated that He was the source of living water. This occurred simultaneously with a water-drawing ceremony in which water was poured out upon the altar, symbolic of both the rain necessary for Israel’s harvest and the pouring out of God’s Spirit. Great rejoicing accompanied this ceremony, based on the verse from Isaiah 12:3 that says: "With joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation."

We have only scratched the surface with this "teaching" on Sukkot. For those of you who would like to continue to study Sukkot, we highly recommend The Fall Feasts of Israel by Mitch Glaser. It contains sixty pages on Sukkot as will as an indepth study on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Rosh HaShanah (the New Year). This is an excellent reference book that is easy to read.

We are also privileged to offer you the work of Shoshana Silver. Shoshana is a Messianic believer who resides in Haifa, Israel. Her love of Scripture, Jewish history and Israeli dance are passionately expressed in visual form. She recently had four of her original paintings reproduced as greeting cards. Each card has a theme of prayer, praise or worship. They are printed in Israel, and are blank on the inside for your personal communication. They are also suitable for framing.

When the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God, He will dwell with His children in a marvelous new way. The Bible tells us that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more pain, no more death, no more sorrow. That will surely be the culmination of Sukkot, the "season of our rejoicing." We can look forward to JOY, JOY, JOY in the presence of our Lord.