“On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord” (Lev. 23:34).
“….and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed” (Deut. 16:13)
The Seven Feasts of the LORD are prophetic pictures of the Messiah’s first and second coming. The Fall feasts are a prophetic picture of the second coming of the Messiah when He will establish His rule and reign over the earth.
“Sukkot” is the Hebrew word for Tabernacles which simply mean “booths.” A sukkot is a protective booth that the LORD commanded the children of Israel to build and live in temporarily for seven days from Tishrei 15 to Tishrei 21. This command was given by Moses when the Israelites were in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. (Lev. 23:42).
Sukkot is known by many different names and themes. Sukkot can be called:
- The Festival of Dedication
- The Festival of Ingathering
- The Feast of the Nations
- The Festival of Lights
- The Season Of Our Joy
This third Feast of the Hebrew year, Sukkot, is to be celebrated with great joy. Though many of us have had to endure considerable hardships this past year, in this season we must turn our focus upon the LORD and enter into Sukkot, His season of joy.
God commanded that a Tabernacle be built because He wanted to dwell with His people in a place of His choosing. Since we have just come through a time called Teshuvah where we were to search our souls and turn from old patterns and behaviors to prepare us for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (time of atonement), in this season we enter into a prophetic time of joy. What a beautiful picture of the LORD Jesus Christ who has forgiven our sins and calls us into a daily walk with Him.
The sukkot/booth in the wilderness symbolized God’s desire for man to be completely dependent upon Him. In turn the LORD sustained man with provision; food, water and shelter. How does this apply to us today? Daily, we are to be completely dependent upon the LORD by eating “spiritual” food, which is the Word of God. (John 6:33) Daily, we are to be cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word (Ep. 5:26). Jesus says that if we will seek His Kingdom first, He will add to us all our physical needs. (Mt. 6:33) Today, the booth is a picture of our physical bodies that house our spirits and our souls. “What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?” (I Co.6:19).
UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF TABERNACLES
- Yeshua tabernacled (sukkot) among us (John 1:14). 1
- Peter spoke about his body being a tabernalce (2 Peter 1:13-14).2
- The apostle Paul told us that our earthly bodies were earthly houses or tabernacles (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).3
- The tabernacle of Moses was a tent of habitation (Acts 7:44, Hebrews 9:2–8).4
- Abraham, Issac, and Jacob lived in tabernacles (tents) (Hebrews 11:8–9).5
- The tabernacle of David was a tent or dwelling place (Acts 15:16, Amos 9:11).6
- Yeshua entered the temple on the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) (John 7:2, 27–29).7
- 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).8
- Yeshua was the true Tabernacle of God (Hebrews 9:11).
DO NOT COME BEFORE THE LORD EMPTY-HANDED
At the Feast of Tabernacles, one is not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. Rather each one is to appear before the LORD with their gift. “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you” (Dt. 16:16-17). When we give, we are never to give grudgingly or of necessity: for God LOVES a cheerful giver. [To you, a cheerful giver], God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Co. 9:7-8). In all my years of celebrating the feasts of the LORD, I have never been diminished, as I have given my best offering unto the LORD. I have seen the opposite. I have seen supernatural and divine assistance given to me by simply obeying God’s command to bring my best to Him. May we remember that if we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. If we sow bountifully, we shall reap bountilly (2 Co. 9:6).
As we daily strive to enter into His presence, pleasing Him by our obedience, may we hear these words: “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the JOY of your LORD (Mt. 25:21).
