“‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”
Lev 23:39-43 NIV
Right now, we are studying the Feast of Tabernacles, or “Sukkot.” During this time, we have a beautiful picture of the unity of the saints – the true Church coming forth. We see a matching fulfillment of this in Acts, where the people gathered together as one accord in one room, sharing everything in common amongst each other.
On this occasion, every Israelite had to leave their dwelling place and assemble together in little humble booths. The “booths” were usually huts that were assembled fairly quickly, and were used for eating in during all the days of the feast.
They all had one common purpose in mind – to keep the feast of the Lord in its season, and to celebrate the ingathering of the fruit, wheat, wines and oils. It was truly a glorious ingathering! During this feast, God’s people were commanded to “REJOICE!”
If any would fear the enemy would attack their homes or take their properties during their time of absence, God promised in obedience of honoring Tabernacles they would be protected. If we could see the glory of the Feast of Tabernacles, we would not have fear of someone “taking our stuff.” Jehovah-Jireh – He provides! Our only safeguard rests in obedience to the Lord and a willingness to follow in the path which He chooses for us.
God designed 7 feasts, outlined in Leviticus 23, His own holy days with specific instructions given for their observance. By honoring and giving distinctiveness to these divine appointments, we align ourselves with the desires of God, allowing the spiritual opportunities of His blessings and benefits to be made manifest. This facilitates the restoration of all that God has promised us as found in the book of Joel.
God has a pattern that unlocks His promises and brings us into His presence. The Day of Atonement reveals the necessity of prayer, consecration and dedication to position yourself through repentance for restoration. Sukkot completes this by rejoicing in the Lord and bringing in His benefits!
“Sukkot” is a season of joy – it corresponds to the fruit harvest. It is the time of celebration for the blessings of the Lord. Sukkot is the last harvest of the year, so it is where you receive sustenance and provision for the coming year from the Lord. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as “the Feast of Ingathering” – the final harvest.
From a spiritual perspective, Sukkot corresponds to the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven (Yom Kippur- Day of Atonement) and also recalls God’s miraculous provision and care after the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Lev 23:43) Prophetically, “Sukkot” anticipates the coming kingdom of Jesus wherein all the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the festival (Zech 14:16).
Today, Sukkot is a time for remembering God’s sheltering presence and provision for us for the start of the New Year. In knowledge of the “work” – the price that Jesus paid for us as the High Priest of the New Covenant, we now have access to the heavenly Temple of God (Heb 4:16). It’s a time of unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, of receiving the blessings that God puts upon unity with fellow believers!
In Biblical times, Sukkot was considered the most important of all the holidays, referred to simply as “the Feast” (1 Kings 12:32) It was a time of many sacrifices and giving, in honor of God’s great provisions (Numbers 29:12-40).
This is the season we are COMMANDED to REJOICE for the BLESSING of God’s provision and care for our lives! It is literally “party time” – a great time of Thanksgiving to God!
After the time of righteous preparation; after the time of corporate fasting, prayer and giving, after the Day of Atonement – during the Feast of Tabernacles, God is poised to pour out upon you a blessing you do not have room to receive! May you be blessed by His provision and experience UNITY during this season of Tabernacles!
Partake with us in celebrating this Holy time- So how do you prepare your heart to be intimate with God?
1. Make the time holy, by setting this time apart from your regular routine
2. Confession and repentance matching your actions
3. Sacrifice- an offering unto the Lord in honor of Him!
