Feast of Sukkot

SUKKOT ("FEAST OF TABERNACLES") BEGINS AT SUNDOWN WEDNESDAY

"On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a sabbath on the first day and a sabbath on the eighth day. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths (Hebrew: sukkot) for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am YHVH your God" (Leviticus 23:39-43).

Sukkot is plural for sukkah, which most often in the Scriptures refers to a small, rude, temporary shelter, far removed from the large tents or meeting halls which its English equivalent "Tabernacles" might nowadays bring to mind in some Christian circles. Nor is this Hebrew word used for the "Tabernacle" in which the Levites ministered to the LORD in the wilderness. In ancient times, sukkot were used as sheds for cattle (Genesis 33:17), as guard shacks for watchmen over vineyards (Isaiah 1:8), as thrown-up overnight shelters for warriors in the field (II Samuel 11:11). Jonah built for himself a sukkah outside Nineveh (Jonah 4:5) from which to observe what God might do to that city. In Psalm 27:5 David trusts that God will hide him in His sukkah in the "evil day". As part of an annual fall "ingathering" festival after she had entered the land and was living in nice constructed houses (Exodus 23:16), Israel, was called to rejoice (see Scripture passage above) and feast before the Lord for seven days, resting on the first and eighth days-but for that occasion she was also called to build and spend time in sukkot. They were to be decorated with leafy, fruitful boughs of foliage, and bright fragrant fruit-to bring to mind how when she was out in the desert moving from place to place in temporary dwellings, God had nevertheless provided life and beauty.

Today, we still build these tiny shelters during this festival. As we rejoice in thanksgiving before the Lord for His provision and sustenance, we remind ourselves that we are nevertheless still abiding in temporary dwellings-that, as goes the old American spiritual, "this world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' thru"-that "if our earthly house, this tent-this sukkah-is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavenlies!" (II Corinthians 5:1). Yet while we are here, this same LORD who accompanied Israel through the desert will be with us all the way. It is significant that during this season, many Jews read through the book of Ecclesiastes-that strange, poetic, unflinching examination of those passing "vanities" which we are tempted to attach our eyes and affections to during our journey through this earthly passage.

And finally-this is the season when Messianic Jews celebrate the coming into the world of the Holy One, Yeshua, in Beit Lehem ("House of Bread"-Bethlehem)-He Who Himself took on human flesh to "tabernacle" among us!

PLEASE PRAY:

*That Israelis discover that in order truly to "rejoice before the LORD for seven days", they must come first into relationship with the One who came that their "joy might be full".

*For God's presence to be in the "sukkot" of Messianic believers where many will have their devotions during this week. Many will also invite their neighbors to pay a visit there.

*For safety and a great blessing over all the believers from the Nations who are coming up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast this week. Pray that they release what God would have them release-and receive what He would have them receive while they are here. Pray for understanding and graciousness on behalf of Israelis to welcome and be thankful for their presence here at this time.

*Many Jews follow a mystical Jewish tradition which demands hospitality, because the spirits of various Patriarchs are said to sometimes arrive as visitors (ushpazin) to the sukkot of the faithful during this season (This is in some ways not unlike the admonition to early Messianic believers, that they "not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

PLEASE PRAY that the awakening and convicting Holy Spirit of Yeshua (whom the Patriarchs themselves longed to see) will visit many Jews in their sukkot throughout the world this week!

portions from the Israel prayer list