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From: Eddie Chumney
To : heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: The Feast of Tabernacles (Part 1 of 2)
From the Book:
The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
by
Eddie Chumney
http://www.hebroots.org/eddiesbooks.htm
SUKKOT:
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
(Part 1 of 2)
"On the fifteenth of this
seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord"
(Leviticus [Vayikra]) 23:34 NAS). You shall celebrate the Feast of
Booths seven days after you have gathered in [the ingathering,
KJV] from your threshing floor and your wine vat
(Deuteronomy [Devarim] 16:13 NAS).
Sukkot, usually translated as
"Tabernacles," or the festival of "Booths," occurs for
seven days, from Tishrei 15 to 21. There is therefore a quick transition from
the high holidays, with their somber mood of repentance and
judgment, to a holiday of rejoicing and celebration, for
which the people are commanded to build a hut [sukkah; plural,
sukkot) and make it their home. The Torah identifies the sukkah
(booth) with the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived in
the wilderness after they left Egypt on their way to the Promised
Land (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:42).
From Yom Kippur to Sukkot
Not coincidentally, the same time
period marks the beginning of the construction of God's sukkah,
the mishkan, the sanctuary in the desert (Exodus [Shemot]
25:8-9). In Exodus 25:9, the word tabernacle is the word mishkan in
Hebrew. According to tradition, Moses (Moshe) again
ascended Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights to receive the second
set of tablets and descended on Yom Kippur, carrying them as a
sign of God's forgiveness of Israel for the sin of the golden
calf, and as a symbol of the lasting covenant between God and
Israel (Exodus [Shemot] 24:12-18; 34:1-2; 27-28). The
following day Moses (Moshe) relayed God's instructions for
building the mishkan -- a dwelling place. Material for this
portable structure was collected during the days before Sukkot, and work was begun on it (the mishkan or tabernacle)
(Exodus [Shemot] 35; 36:1-7).
Why was the mishkan built? The Torah
says, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among
them" (Exodus [Shemot] 25:8); to establish the relationship between
God and Israel, God would dwell amidst the people. Therefore the mishkan, the tabernacle in the wilderness, was instructed to be
built by God for Him so He could dwell with His people.
The Sukkah and the Clouds of Glory
The Sukkah reminds us of the clouds of
glory that surrounded Israel during their wandering through
the desert on the way to the Promised Land. Everybody then saw
the special Divine
protection that God bestowed upon Israel
during those difficult years. As it is written in Exodus
(Shemot) 13:21, "And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of
cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by
night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by
night" (NAS).
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
God desired that the tabernacle in
the wilderness be built because He wanted to dwell with His
people
(Exodus [Shemot] 29:44-45). Spiritually speaking, this physical
tabernacle was given by God to teach and instruct us that He
desires
to live and dwell with His people by means of the Holy Spirit
(Ruach
HaKodesh) (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1). The clouds
represent the believers in Yeshua (Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 1:7).
Sukkot: Names, Themes, and Idioms
1. The Season of Our Joy
2. The Festival of Ingathering
3. The Feast of the Nations
4. The Festival of Dedication
5. The Festival of Lights
Understanding Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
completes the sacred festivals of the seventh month. In contrast to the
somber tone of Rosh HaShanah and the Day of Atonement, the
third feast of Tishrei was a time of joy. Israel had passed through
the season of repentance and redemption.
Sukkot is called the "Season of Our
Joy." One reason Sukkot was a time of joy was that after the season of
repentance (Teshuvah) and the redemption of Yom Kippur came
the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven and the joy of
walking with God, knowing God, and being obedient to God. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the days in the wilderness of Sinai after
coming out of Egypt (Mitzayim). According to all natural
laws, they (the Israelites) should have perished, but were instead
divinely protected by God. Prophetically, Sukkot is the festival
that teaches on the Messianic Kingdom and the joy of that
Kingdom.
As mentioned earlier in these teachings,
the Hebrew word chag comes from the Hebrew root word chagag,
which means "to move in a circle, to march in a sacred procession,
to celebrate or dance." The joy of Sukkot was so great that it
became known as "The Feast." In non-Jewish circles, Sukkot is known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The word tabernacle refers
to a temporary dwelling place, which is the purpose of the sukkah.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
The sukkah or booth, symbolizes man's
need to depend upon God for his provision of food, water, and
shelter.
This is true in the spiritual realm as well. The booth is the
physical
body, which is a temporary dwelling place for our souls and
spirits (1
Corinthians 6:19-20). We need the food that the Word of God
provides
(Matthew 6:11; 4:4; John 6:33-35); the cleansing, rinsing, and
washing
that the Word of God brings to our lives (Ephesians 5:26); and
the
shelter of God's protection over our lives from the evil one
(Matthew
6:13; Psalm [Tehillim] 91). Our physical needs will be provided
for by
God if we seek Him spiritually (Matthew [Mattityahu] 6:31-33).
The observance of Sukkot described
in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:40-41 can be seen in Nehemiah
(Nechemiah) chapter 8. The temporary dwellings or booths are
described as a part of the festival. This is in remembrance
of when the children of Israel dwelled in booths during their
time in the wilderness (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:43).
Isaiah talked about the sukkah in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:4-6. The divine order declares that
after judgment, Yom Kippur (Isaiah 4:4) comes Sukkot (Isaiah
[Yeshayahu] 4:5-6). The command to rejoice at this time is
given in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:13-15.
A sukkah is a temporary
dwelling place. In First Kings (Melachim) 8:27 (NAS), at
the dedication of Solomon's temple during the festival of Sukkot, Solomon asks, "Will God indeed
dwell on the earth?"
The Scriptures say that Yeshua became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us (John
[Yochanan] 1:14). He came to earth at His first coming and
temporarily dwelt among men.
The Covering of the Sukkah
Sukkot is a remembrance of the time in
the wilderness when God protected, led, and sustained the
children of Israel in the wilderness. The wilderness experience
was a picture of the Millennium because there was a
supernatural environment for the people in the wilderness. The covering
was the cloud (Exodus [Shemot] 13:17-22; 14:16-20; 16:10;
19:1,9,16; 24:12-16;
40:1-2,35-38). This is known spiritually
as the immersion (baptism) into the cloud (1 Corinthians
10:1-2; Hebrews 6:1-2). The cloud was a covering shelter and
protection by day, and was a
pillar of fire by night. It was warmth,
light, and protection.
Spiritual Understanding (Halacha).
The cloud was seen as a chupah, a
wedding canopy. In Daniel 7:13 it is written, ".. .the Son
of man came
with the clouds of heaven...." This is also mentioned in
Revelation
1:7-8 and Jude 14. Here we see that the clouds are the believers
in
Messiah or the righteous (tzaddikim). The same can be seen in
Hebrews
12:1. Also look at Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 60:8 and Acts 1:9-12.
Remember; the cloud does not
only refer to the believers in the Messiah, but was also seen
as a chupah, a wedding canopy. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2, it
speaks of the branch of the Lord.
This is defined in Isaiah
(Yeshayahu) 11:1 as being Yeshua. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 11:1, the
Hebrew word netser is a masculine form translated as
"branch." In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2, the
Hebrew word translated as
branch is tzemach, which is neuter. We can see from this that a
marriage is being performed. This is very clear in Jeremiah
(Yermiyahu) 23:5-6; 33:15-16.
In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:5 it
is written, "...for upon all the glory shall be a defence
[chupah, or wedding canopy]." Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2-6 connects
the branch in verse 23 with the cloud in verses 5-6 and the
duty that is performed in the wilderness. Isaiah is
talking how this would happen during the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah
[Yeshayahu] 2:2-4; 4:2-3). Those written among the living in
Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) actually have their names written in
the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 20:12,15; 21:27;
Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Psalm [Tehillim] 69:28; Exodus
[Shemot] 32:31-33).
In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:2,
it speaks of the fruit of the earth and those who have escaped. Sukkot (Tabernacles) is known as the festival of ingathering
and the fruit harvest. In Revelation 7:9-17, we can
see those who have come through the great tribulation period
(the birthpangs of the Messiah or Chevlai shel Mashiach) and
who became believers in the Messiah during that time (Revelation
7:14). In Revelation 7:15, they "dwell" with them.
This Greek word, sk'enos, means "tabernacle, booth, shelter,
or
covering." This also appears in Revelation 21:3. This same
word,
sk'enos, which means "tabernacle" or "booth"
in Greek, is used to
speak of Yeshua during His first coming (John [Yochanan] 1:14).
Notice
the protection provided in Revelation 7:16, corresponding to
Isaiah
(Yeshayahu) 4:5-6, and the fountain of living waters in
Revelation
7:17 and 21:4. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 4:3, it is written "And
it shall
come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth
in
Jerusalem, shall be called holy..." (also see Zechariah
14:4,6-9,16-17,20-21). Those who are called "holiness unto
the Lord"
in Zechariah 14:20 are the same people in Isaiah 4:3 who are
called
holy.
The clouds in the
wilderness are called "the clouds of glory" and the wilderness
experience is a picture of the future Messianic age, the
Millennium. The sukkah was built to teach and understand the
thousand-year millennial reign of the Messiah, the Messianic
age, the Millennium, or the Athid Lavo in Hebrew eschatology.
Understanding the Meaning of Booths/Tabernacles
The Hebrew word for tabernacle is sukkah. It means "a booth, a hut, a covering, a pavilion or
tent." The Greek word for tabernacle is sk'en'e, which also means
"a tent, hut, or habitation."
With this in mind, let's look at the
context by which the word tabernacle is used in the New Covenant
(Brit Hadashah).
1. Yeshua tabernacled (sukkot) among us (John [Yochanan] 1:14).
2. Peter (Kefa) spoke about his body being a tabernacle (2
Peter[Kefa] 1:13-14).
3. The apostle Paul (Rav Sha'ul) told us that our earthly bodies
were earthly houses or tabernacles (2 Corinthians
5:1-5).
4. The tabernacle of Moses (Moshe) was a tent of habitation (Acts
7:44; Hebrews 9:2-8).
5. Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak), and Jacob (Ya'akov) lived
in tabernacles (tents) (Hebrews 11:8-9).
6. The tabernacle of David was a tent or dwelling place (Acts
15:16; Amos 9:11). This tabernacle was the temple of Solomon (1
Kings [Melachim] 5:2-5; 8:1-21).
7. Yeshua entered the temple on the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles)
(John [Yochanan] 7:2,27-29).
8. The Bible speaks of a heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews
8:1-2; Revelation 13:6; 15:5). This heavenly tabernacle will come to earth
(Revelation 21:1-3).
9. Yeshua was the true tabernacle of God (Hebrews 9:11).
So, the booth or sukkah was
a temporary dwelling place. Historically, it was to
remind the people of their exodus from Egypt (Mitzrayim) as
described in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:42-43. Prophetically, the sukkah
points toward the future to the Messianic age, the
Millennium. Spiritually, a sukkah is supposed to remind us that
we are but strangers and pilgrims on the earth, this being a
temporary dwelling place. So the believer in Messiah is but a
stranger and pilgrim on this earth (Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16;
Genesis [Bereishit] 23:3-4; 47:9; 1 Chronicles [Divery Hayamim]
29:10,15; Psalm (Tehillim) 39:12; 119:19; 1 Peter [Kefa] 1:17;
2:11).
To the believer in Yeshua, our earthly physical body is only a temporary tabernacle.
At the coming of Messiah, we will receive a new and
heavenly house, a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:39-44,51-57; 2 Corinthians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
The Festival of Ingathering
Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the fall
harvest festival. It begins on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month
of Tishrei and concludes on the twenty-second with Shemini
Atzeret/Simchat Torah, also called the eighth day, the
rejoicing in the Torah. Shemini Atzeret functions as the
conclusion of Sukkot, but it is also a separate festival (this will be
discussed in the following chapter).
Like the other pilgrimage
festivals, Sukkot [tabernacles] has an agricultural element. It marks the
time of the harvest, the final ingathering of produce
before the oncoming winter. Hence, it is also called Hag HaAsif, the
festival of Ingathering. As it is written, "You shall
celebrate the Festival of In-gathering, at the end of the year, when you
gather in your labors out of the field" (Exodus [Shemot]
23:16).
Sukkot is the time when the
produce of the field, orchard, and vineyard is gathered in. The
granaries, threshing floors, and wine and olive presses are full to
capacity. Weeks and months of toil and sweat put into the soil
have finally been amply rewarded. The farmer feels happy
and elated. No wonder Sukkot is "The Season of
Rejoicing." While all of the three pilgrimages are times of rejoicing, Sukkot
(Tabernacles) is specifically designated as Zeman simchatenu,
the season of our rejoicing.
Ushpizin
As part of Hachnasat Orechim, the
mitzvah of hospitality, there is a custom of inviting ushpizin,
symbolic guests, each day to join (the family) in the Sukkah. These
honorary guests are Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak),
Jacob (Ya'akov), Joseph (Yosef), Moses (Moshe), Aaron (Ahrahon),
and David. One is invited each day.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
As stated earlier; Sukkot (Tabernacles) is called the Feast of Ingathering. Yeshua told us
that
the harvest represents the end of the age (Olam Hazeh). This is
found
in (Matthew [Mattityahu] 13:39; Revelation 14:15; Joel [Yoel]
3:13).
The harvest refers more specifically to people who choose to
accept
the Messiah Yeshua into their hearts and lives (Matthew
[Mattityahu]
9:35-38; Luke 10:1-2; John [Yochanan] 4:35-38; Revelation
14:14-18).
God is gathering both Jews and non-Jews together to accept the
Messiah
Yeshua into their lives. Most of the people on earth have not
accepted
Yeshua into their lives and are in the valley of decision (Joel
[Yoel]
3:13-14). What is your decision? Will you accept the Messiah
Yeshua
into your life?
Jeremiah (Yermiyahu)
sorrowed for a people who were not a part of the harvest in Jeremiah
(Yermiyahu) 8:18-22. In Jeremiah 8:20 it is written,
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."
To those who do accept the Messiah, you will experience the real Sukkot (Tabernacles) during the Messianic age, the
Millennium. Both Jew and non-Jew will live in the Messianic Kingdom.
There will also be immortal people such as Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. There will be mortal people
as well who will live with them.
The mortal people who will
be there are the people who lived through the seven-year
tribulation period, the birthpangs of the Messiah, or the Chevlai
shel Mashiach, and who accepted
Yeshua into their hearts and
lives. What a joy it will be living with the Messiah
during the Messianic era!
The Feast of Dedication
King Solomon (Shlomo)
dedicated the temple (Beit HaMikdash) during Sukkot (Tabernacles)
(1 Kings 3). Therefore, this festival is also called the
Feast of Dedication. It was celebrated after the
Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:1-4).
The Feast of the Nations
Another name for the Feast
of Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the Feast of the Nations. Sukkot
(Tabernacles) will be celebrated by all the nations on earth during
the Messianic age, the Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-18). The
future observance of Sukkot by the nations of the world rests
upon Israel's election and mission. The universal concern of
God's plan for the Jewish people reaches back to the covenant
with Abraham (Avraham). In that agreement, God promised in
Genesis (Bereishit) 12:3, as it is written, "...all
families of the earth [shall] be blessed [through his seed]."
From Abraham (Avraham), God would raise up a people, Israel, to be a
blessing to the nations. That promise was fulfilled through Yeshua, the Messiah, as stated in Galatians 3:8,14,16,29.
A fascinating and mysterious
pattern emerges from the seemingly endless list of sacrifices
found in Numbers (Bamidbar) 29:12-35. During the week of Sukkot (Tabernacles), 70 bullocks
were offered on the altar.
The connection of the 70 bulls to the 70 nations is taken from
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 32:8; Genesis (Bereishit) 46:27;
and Exodus (Shemot) 1:1-5. Once again, the association of
the nations of the world to Sukkot (Tabernacles) is found in
Zechariah 14:16-19.
When Jacob (Ya'akov) and his
family went to Egypt (Mitzrayim), there were 70 people who
went, and it was there that they became a nation. The nations
of the world are associated with Sukkot (Tabernacles) in
First Kings (Melachim) 8:41-43 when Solomon dedicated the temple
(Beit HaMikdash) during Sukkot (Tabernacles). For this
reason, the festival is also called the Feast of the Nations.
Another fascinating thing
about the sacrifices during Sukkot (Tabernacles) is that when
the offerings are grouped or counted, their number always
remains divisible by seven. During the week, there are 182
sacrifices (70 bullocks, 14 rams, and 98 lambs; 7 divides into 182
exactly 26 times). Add to this the meal offerings, 336 tenths
of ephahs of flour (48 x 7) (Numbers [Bamidbar] 29:12-40). It is
no coincidence that this seven-day holiday, which takes place
at the height of the seventh month, had the perfect number,
seven, imprinted on its sacrifices.
Sukkot is a picture of the
Messianic Kingdom (thousand-year reign of the Messiah) as the
joy, and the number seven was connected to the sabbath,
which was also seen as a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. The sabbath (shabbat) falls on the seventh day of the week.
Although God is concerned
for the universal redemption of the nations, those nations who
do not turn to God will be judged. Either they will not receive
rain (Zechariah 14:1-9,16-18), or
rain will destroy them and
be a curse upon them (Ezekiel [Yechezekel] 38:22-23). This
is why the traditional Bible reading for the second day
of Sukkot is Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 38:14 to 39:16.
The Four Species (Arba Minim)
In Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:40, it
is written, "On the first day you shall take the product of
goodly trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafs trees, and
willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the L-rd your
God seven days."
The four species are also called
the Lulav and Etrog (the palm branches and citron). So,
"the product of goodly trees" is interpreted by the rabbis to refer
specifically to an etrog (citron), and the branches,
"boughs of leafy trees," and "willows of the brook"
have been interpreted as a lulav (palm branch), hadasim (myrtle), and
aravot (willows), respectively.
Whether or not Sukkot (Tabernacles) was regularly celebrated
during
the period of the first temple (Beit HaMikdash) is not clear.
After
the return from Babylon, Nehemiah (Nechemiah) wrote that from the
days
of Joshua's (Yehoshua) crossing into the land of Israel until his
own
day, the children of Israel had not built the huts of Sukkot
(Nehemiah
[Nechemiah] 8:17). But from Nehemiah's day forward, the festival
was
celebrated during the time of the second temple (Beit HaMikdash).
Each
celebrant brought an etrog or citron, the yellow citrus fruit
that is
about the same size as a lemon, but sweeter and spicier to serve
as
the "fruit of goodly trees" that is mentioned in
Leviticus (Vayikra)
23:40. Each brought as well the branches of a palm, of a myrtle,
and
of a willow. The three branches were held in the right hand and
the
etrog on the left, and they were brought together to be waved
east,
south, west, north, up, and down. Since the palm branch, or
lulav, was
the stiffest and the most prominent element of the four species,
the
whole ceremony was called the waving of the lulav.
The four plants are also used during the Sukkot holiday in making a hakafa (circuit) around the
congregation standing in the synagogue. The cantor leads the
procession, and each man who has
a lulav and etrog follows behind him.
During the procession, the cantor recites the Hoshanah prayers,
asking for blessings on the land and fruit of Israel.
Spiritual Application (Halacha).
As part of the Feast of Ingathering,
palm branches, myrtle branches, and willow branches are collected
and
held in the right hand (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:40). A fourth
entity,
the etrog, representing the Gentiles or non-Jewish believers, is
also
gathered. These four species are used in a ceremony for Sukkot
(Tabernacles). At the start of the ceremony, the etrog is upside
down.
The spiritual meaning is, before we came to God, we were in a
state of
being upside down. Through the ceremony, it is turned right side
up
and joined to the other three. This represents a marriage that is
taking place. After we are turned right side up and turn to God,
we
later are joined to Him in marriage.
In
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:14, the etrog also represents the
stranger; The stranger is the Gentile who has joined himself to
Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). This is symbolic of the great
congregation of non-Jewish believers in the Messiah Yeshua.
The Celebration of Water Pouring
(Simchat Beit HaShoevah)
Simchat Beit
HaShoevah, the rejoicing in the house of the water pouring, is a
ceremony included in the temple (Beit HaMikdash) services
not mentioned in the Torah, but given in the Mishnah (Succah
5). The water pouring became a focus of the joy that the Torah
commands for Sukkot. On no other festival were the
people commanded to be joyful, and as a result Sukkot
(Tabernacles) became known as "the season of our joy," just as
Passover (Pesach) is "the season of our freedom" and Shavout
(Pentecost) is "the season of the giving of the Torah."
It is written in the Mishah, that the ritual became elaborated into a colorful and
joyous, even riotous, celebration called Simchat Beit
HaShoevah, "the rejoicing at the house of the water-drawing."
This ceremony took place every day except for the first festival day
of Sukkot. The Talmud (in Sukkah 5:1a-b) describes this
ceremony in detail, including a portrait of venerable
sages juggling lighted torches and performing somersaults
as part of the celebration. The Talmud states, "He who
has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has
never seen rejoicing in his life." So, the water pouring ceremony
became the occasion for an outpouring of intense joy.
(End Part 1 of 2)
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