Sukkot

Tonight we begin celebrating Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Booths),
which completes the cycle of the Biblical Fall Feasts.

Sukkot begins at sunset tonight and lasts for seven days until nightfall on
October 20.

This is one of three pilgrimage festivals called Shelosh Regalim in which the
Jewish people were to go up to the Temple in Jerusalem on a national scale.
The other two are Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Feast of Weeks).
(Deuteronomy 16; Exodus 23: 14-17)

One of the names of Sukkot is the Festival of the Nations. In Israel,
people from all nations of the earth gather in Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot.

According to the prophet Zechariah, this holiday has a prophetic dimension
that is yet to be fulfilled. When Messiah returns and establishes His
Kingdom, all the nations will be required to keep this holiday by coming
up to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot.

“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go
up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). If any of the peoples of the earth do
not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will
have no rain.” (Zechariah 14: 16-17)

In that day, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) will become Israel’s sukkah (tabernacle).
His presence will shelter Israel and she will no longer be oppressed by the nations

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Booths)

Leviticus 22:26-23:44, Numbers 29:12-16, Zechariah 14:1-24, Revelation 7:1-10

The first day of Sukkot is a Sabbath and most forms of work are prohibited.

The next six days of the holiday are called Chol HaMoed. During these days
the workload is reduced and here in Israel many people take the week off as vacation.

After the somber, introspective time of Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShanah)
and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot is a joyous celebration of
renewed relationship with God following atonement for sin.

During this festive season, we recall how God’s faithfulness provided for our
ancestors as they wandered the Sinai Desert wilderness for 40 years before
entering the Promised Land of Israel.

“You shall dwell in Sukkot for seven days... So that your future generations
shall know that I had the children of Israel live in Sukkot when I brought them
out of Egypt....” (Leviticus 23:42-43)

At Sukkot we remember God’s kindness and mercy in leading and guiding
Israel by day with a pillar of cloud and protecting them by night with a pillar
of fire, and for providing them with daily manna. Just as Israel dwelt in
temporary shelters called sukkot in Hebrew (sukkah is singular), so are we
to dwell in sukkot for this entire week.

Most people in Israel and Jewish people around the world build a temporary
hut or shelter with a covering of branches or palm leaves. For seven days and
nights, we eat in the sukkah and consider it our dwelling; some even live in
the sukkah entirely for the duration of the festival.

Arba Minim: The Four Species

“You shall take for yourselves on the first day [of the festival] the splendid
fruit of a tree (etrog), palms of dates (lulav), the branch of the thickly
leafed tree (hadas), and willows (aravot) of the brook...” (Leviticus 23:40)

Another observance carried out each day of Sukkot, except Shabbat, is the
Four Species (Arbah Minim): an etrog (citron), a lulav (Palm frond), three
hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs). They are bound
together is such a way that they can be held together easily.

The lulav, hadassim and aravot are first taken up with the right hand and then
the etrog is taken with the left hand. A blessing is recited over the Four Species:

“Blessed are You, God… who has sanctified us with His commandments
and commanded us to take the lulav.”

Facing towards the east where the Temple in Jerusalem once stood, the Four
Species are then shaken in all six directions: right, left, forward, up, down
and backward.

Rabbinic tradition explains that the Four Species represent the various
personalities that make up the community of Israel. They are held together
and a blessing is recited over them to bless the unity of all people, which is
emphasized on Sukkot.

The Season of our Joy

“You shall rejoice before the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:40)

One of the names for Sukkot is Zeman Simchateinu (The Season of our Joy).
In Scripture, in fact, the word joy appears several times in connection with Sukkot.

“Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants
and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows
who live in your towns. … For the Lord your God will bless you in all your
harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”
(Deuteronomy 16: 13-15)

Since Sukkot is also a harvest festival, we can well imagine that there is
great reason for joy. Indeed, one of the other names for the holiday is the
Feast of Ingathering.

“…Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather
in your crops from the field.” (Exodus 23: 16)

The joy of this holiday is so singular and complete that many rabbinic
texts just refer to it as hachag (the festival).

During ancient times, every day of The Festival, except Shabbat, was
characterized by music, song and dancing.

Even today, Jewish people gather near the Western (Wailing) Wall to dance,
sing and rejoice before the Lord. People fill the synagogues and streets with
singing and dancing with tremendous joy until the wee hours of the morning.

This in is partial fulfillment of prophecy. The Prophets tell us that a day
will come when the exiles of Israel return to Zion, her streets will be filled
with the sounds of joyful melodies; and sorrow will disappear.

“The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11)

The Water Libation Ceremony

“With joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3)

During Temple times, a special Water Libation (offering) ceremony
took place every day of Sukkot.

Every day, the priests along with a procession would go down to the Pool of
Shiloach (Siloam), which was fed by the Gihon Spring, the original source
of Jerusalem’s water. At the pool of natural running water, they would fill a
golden flask.

The water was then brought back to the altar in the Temple to accompany the
morning sacrifice. This pouring of the water on the altar is called in Hebrew
nishuch hamayim.

This water offering ceremony not only celebrates the hope of winter
rains in Israel, but also symbolizes the future Messianic Redemption
when the Spirit of God (symbolized by the water) is poured out upon the
nation of Israel.

Yeshua on the Final Day of Sukkot: Hoshana Rabah

“I wash my hands in purity and circle around Your altar, O Lord.” (Psalm 26:6)

The seventh and final day of sukkot, called Hoshana Rabah (Great Salvation),
is marked by special synagogue services.

In commemoration of the priests circling the altar with palm branches in their
hands once every day of Sukkot, and seven times on the seventh day, on this
day, seven hoshanot (circuits) are made around the synagogue.

On this final day of Sukkot, probably during the water ceremony,
Yeshua (Jesus) stood up and proclaimed Himself to be the source of
Living Water. He invited all who were thirsty to come and drink, the
water representing the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh).

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a
loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from
within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in
Him were later to receive.” (John 7:37-39)

Sukkot in the End-Times and the New Jerusalem

“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle….” (Zechariah 14:1)

The Haftorah for Sukkot contains a graphic apocalyptic vision of the
destruction of all the nations which attack Jerusalem.

The judgment on the nations is characterized by earthquakes, plagues, heavy
darkness, and signs of nuclear destruction, all manifesting God’s personal
intervention on behalf of Israel.

The eyes of the world will be opened and all the nations will see that Israel
is the apple of God’s eye. Woe to those who dare to touch her.

The Lord declares through the Prophet Zechariah, “It will happen in that day,
that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who
burden themselves with it will be severely wounded….” (Zechariah 12:3)

In those days, all nations will be required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Those who refuse will be cursed with lack of
rain. (Zechariah 14:16-19)


Today, many Christians from the nations come every year to Jerusalem to
celebrate Sukkot together with Israel in a beautiful foreshadowing of what will
take place after the Lord returns and establishes His Messianic reign on earth.

God’s Timeline

“The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His
Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

While the spring feasts were fulfilled by the death and resurrection of
Yeshua (Jesus), the fall feasts will be fulfilled with His second coming.

Some believe that when Yeshua returns as Messiah King, he will be hailed by
the blast of the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/ Rosh HaShanah).
His people will recognize Him as their Messiah and mourn nationally, perhaps
on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

“I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have
pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and
will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12: 10)

Then, on Sukkot, on the Feast of Tabernacles, God will finally ‘tabernacle’
with His people and dwell among us, establishing His Messianic Kingdom
of righteousness.

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell
(tabernacle) with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3)

Sukkot reminds us that God has not forgotten Israel.

Scripture seems to suggest that this is a fabulous time for the nations to
remember God’s people and stand with them.

As we look forward to the prophetic fulfillment of God establishing His Kingdom
of Righteousness on earth.

portions taken from Messianic teaching on Sukkot.