Sukkot Samaach! Happy Sukkot!

Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles

Right now our team is in Jerusalem celebrating the holiday of Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles.

This joyous time focuses on God's provision for Israel in the past and His plan for them in the future.

Leviticus 23:42-43 commands:
"Ye shall dwell in booths seven days;  all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths,
when I brought them out of the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God."

The people of Israel were called to remember the Lord's care for their ancestors in the wilderness as He led them from slavery in Egypt to follow Him to the land flowing with milk and honey. Through the process of remembering His gracious provision for them in the past, the Israelis were led to be thankful in their present situation and depend on God's faithful revelation to keep them on His pathway of mercy.

Sukkot was one of the three festivals where the people of Israel were invited to make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.

Deuteronomy 16:16 says: "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:"

In the passage surrounding this verse the nation was reminded to rejoice in their feast with the promise of the Lord's blessing in the harvest. They were to give out of thanksgiving as they were able, proportionate to how they had been blessed by the Almighty. What a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement this holiday must have been as the children of Israel communed with one another and their God.

The celebration of Sukkot will continue in the prophetic future of God's plan for His people.

Zechariah 14:16 speaks of a time in the future when men and women will make the journey to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. In I Corinthians 10 verses 1 through 13 Paul reminded those following the Lord to learn from the mistakes of those who were unfaithful and disobedient to Him in the wilderness wanderings. The apostle urged them that humility would guide them on their pathway of obedience and how God would strengthen them to overcome temptation. The proclamation of Revelation 21:3 is that the tabernacle/dwelling place of God is with men.

The celebration of Sukkot has and will continue to express God's desire to dwell among His people.

As we commemorate the holiday this year we are rejoicing in the blessings and the proofs of His presence and mercy in our midst!