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Sukkot The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated from the 15th till the 21st day of the seventh month, the month of Tishri. The Festival of Tabernacles was part of the autumn holiday cycle. This cycle began with the Festival of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, which fell on the 1st of Tishri and began a new agricultural year. It was a joyful feast; the shofar was blown and the New Year was announced. According to tradition, the sound of the shofar was also supposed to recall the day of final judgment. On the 10th of Tishri followed Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. On that day, everyone was obliged to humble themselves before God and repent of their sins. The Bible says that everyone who would not humble themself before God on this day, would be cut off from Israel. Yom Kippur is the saddest and most solemn holiday in Israel. (Leviticus 23:27‑32). But after the Day of Atonement, on the 15th of Tishri, we have another celebration, this time a joyful feast. If we follow the descriptions of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Bible, we can notice how the meaning of this feast has been changing. Each description gives it a slightly different meaning. The first description of the Sukkot feast is in Exodus 23:16. The holiday is not even named as the Feast of Tabernacles, it is simply called the End of the Year Harvest Festival, after the fields were harvested. We find that the harvest festival is deeply embedded in human culture, and it is clearly celebrated more widely, not only in Judaism. In the Bible Sukkot in its original form was to be a festival of harvest, feasting and rejoicing from the abundance of the crops. It did not even have a specific date, as we read in Exodus 34:22. Another description of this holiday is in Lev.23:34‑44. Here God is giving a name to this holiday and there is a detailed description of it. From there onwards it takes a more specific form and it has a specific date. The Lord commanded Israel to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles, Sukkot) from the 15th to the 21st of Tishri. On the first day of Sukkot, the 15th day of Tishri, was a Sabbath day of rest, it was forbidden to work and a holy assembly was held. After the seven days of this feast there was another day of Sabbath rest and a holy assembly to be held on the eighth day, the 22nd of Tishri, but it was no longer exactly Sukkot. In the Leviticus 23:34‑44 description we find out four elements of this feast:
The harvest festival—an element of joy The feast was a direct implementation of what God said to Moses in Exodus, and so it was a festival established after the end of harvest (Lev.23:39), and it was a joyful festival. There was feasting on the fruits of the harvest and rejoicing, cheering with palm branches, myrtle, and willow branches. So, the festival of Sukkot was first of all a feast of joy, when all Israel was to enjoy the harvest, to rest and feast before God (Lev.23:39‑41). Sukkot was a celebration of joy not only for those who did well, but also for the servants, for the Levites who had to be given a share from the harvest, for a passer‑by, for the poor, for the orphan and for the widow, who was left some of the crops on fields. (Deut.16:13‑15; 24:19). A holiday dedicated to the Lord When we read the description of the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, we notice two parts of the holiday. The description does not start with the harvest festival part, as we read in Leviticus 23:33‑36 (NKJV): "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, saying: the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it." It starts with the announcements and the information that the holiday is first of all dedicated to God, a holy assembly and service was called. A holy assembly in this case meant that every Jew had a duty to come for the feast to the place indicated by God. In the days of Samuel it was Shiloh, and from the time of King David it was Jerusalem. Every Jew was supposed to go to Jerusalem at least three times a year:
In Israel, celebrating was supposed not only to be fun, but every joyful event and feast had to be associated with worshiping God. Every Jew had to rejoice, he had to rest from his work, and was supposed to remember his God. In moments of joy, he would come to Jerusalem and give Him glory. From these Sukkot regulations there is also a lesson for our lives. God teaches us that when we celebrate, our celebration should be combined with giving glory to God. Today, when we have a holiday, we say it is time to do something for myself, sometimes for the family or for children. Spending time with our family is good and necessary. This element of rest and family celebration is included in the description of the holiday of Sukkot. But celebrating in Israel was always connected with the religious element, with giving glory to God. How can we do that today? How can we spend our holidays, time off work, so that we could on one hand, do something for ourselves, having this element of feast and joy, and on the other hand to remember God? Remembering God during our holidays in this laicized secular world can be challenging. In the context of Sukkot and spending our time for the glory of God we recall Deut.14:22‑29. This passage is not about Sukkot, it is about giving tithes to the Lord. Sukkot was in autumn after the gathering of crops and harvest, and at this time tithing was also separated. Deut.16:13 testifies that we can combine these descriptions. It says when you separate your tithing, you will take everything with you and you will go to the place chosen by God and you will be rejoicing, celebrating with your family. Of course, there were also sacrifices and offerings to be made. But tithing exclusively for Levites was to be done once every three years. However, two out of three years, tithing was intended for a kind of family trip. Note that this holiday was connected with giving glory to God. How did it look like in practice? We can learn from the story of Elkanah, the father of Samuel. We read about it in 1 Samuel 1:1‑9, Elkanah walked, with his family every year to give glory to God, to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was. Elkanah also brought sacrifices and had a feast with his family before the Lord, as we read in Deut.14:22‑29. How can we combine enjoying our holidays and giving glory to God? It seems that we have such possibilities. We can sing together or talk about God. That is why I like the concept of a convention or meeting, where there is time for day trips and fellowship, and there is time for God. Let us look for opportunities to worship God when we have free time. Perhaps this is what Sukkot teaches today. Offerings and sacrifices The description of the holiday of Sukkot from Leviticus 23 mentions offering sacrifices consecrated to the Lord, but it does not specify which were these sacrifices. (vv.36‑37). The details can be found in the next book, Numbers 29. This is another proof that the customs of Sukkot were not instituted at once, and that the customs of this feast were shaped over time before they took on a final form. In Numbers 29:12‑39 repeatedly includes the three offerings; the burnt offerings along with grain offerings and drink offerings. The kind of animal sacrifices Jews offered in general were:
What sacrifices were offered on the Feast of Tabernacles? 1) Burnt offerings: ‑ Calves—13 on the first day. 12 on the second day,…7 on the 7th day ‑ Rams—2 daily ‑ Lambs under one year old—14 daily 2) The sin offering: ‑ Goat—1 daily 3) Grain and drink offerings accompanied each burnt offering and sin offering. Living in tents—an element commemorating the history The feast of tabernacles was also held as a remembrance, so that the future generations would know that their ancestors lived in tents when they were brought out from Egypt by God. (Lev.23:42‑43) Should we commemorate anything in our lives? There are things we can commemorate by telling children and others stories of brothers and sisters, who gave their lives for the truth and the gospel. In order to commemorate something, it is worth doing something that will remind us of it. That is why the Jews bind commandments on their hands and nail them to the door of their houses. That is why God commanded to tell children of Israel what Passover means, that is why He ordered them to live in tents on the Feast of Sukkot. For this reason Jesus instituted a memorial of his death. We need to commemorate important things so we don’t forget who we are and what we believe. Another element: to learn the Law Another goal was an educational one. Every seven years, in the year of cancelling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, the Law was read to the people. (Deut.31:10‑13). Sukkot was to teach people the law, it was also the beginning of a new era. The prophetic meaning of the festival of Sukkot In Zechariah 14 we find a description of the invasion of Israel by all nations, and God’s dealings with the opponents of a newly gathered Israel. This seems to be the final victory over the opponents of God. In verse 9 (NRSV) we find that "The LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one," then in verse 11 it is said that "There shall be no more curse." (RSV) The prophecy ends with the record that people of all nations will be making pilgrimages to Jerusalem and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Why exactly this feast and not the Passover, or the Day of Atonement? Sukkot in its first meaning, as a harvest festival, at the time after the harvest, when you can take a break from work, it is associated with earthly joy, happiness, and feasting. Is it a state of abundance, peace, and joy? Simply the start of God’s kingdom? A similar description is in Micah 4:2‑4. The start of God’s kingdom is also the time for burnt offerings, and their meaning is giving glory to God. In the book of Hebrews it is written that the new temple needs better sacrifices. They will no longer be calves nor rams, but praises to God. Then will be the time when all people are looking for the word of the Lord, and the Lord teaches them His ways. Why then does Zechariah write that all people will keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, since the entire Kingdom of God will be in a condition as the Feast of Tabernacles? That might fulfil the role of commemoration. Just as the Jews lived in tents to commemorate their coming out of Egypt, the annual commemoration in God’s Kingdom, will be necessary to remember the history of sin and redemption. Is the Feast of Tabernacles within us? Is our life a time of happiness, joy, and rest? Probably not, we all have worries, troubles, stresses, and illnesses. Can we rest? But how to rest when I have nothing to live on, when I do not have a job. How to rest when my child is sick, how to rest when worries do not allow you to think about anything else? Let us remember the relief we can experience in prayer. When we are powerless, when we cannot see the way out of a situation, entrust your concerns to God. Entrust to God not only your requests, but also your plans and your desires. Sometimes people may tell you that earthly things are not to be prayed for, but do not believe them. How do we ask for understanding of spiritual things when we are worried about tomorrow? God wants us to entrust our desires to Him. I believe that our highest desire is to serve and glorify God. But how to sing hymns of praise when we have worries or bitterness in our heart? I am inspired by the words of Jacob’s vows, which he took in Bethel when he fled from his brother Esau. (Gen.28) When he had a dream about the ladder and the angels, he became scared and made a vow to God. Jacob said to God: Lord God, if you will bless me, if you will keep me, if I have something to eat and clothes to wear, and if you let me happily return to my father, I will praise you. I will give you a tithe from everything and I will worship you. Jacob asks God: I want to praise you, I want to tithe you, but I am asking your blessing so I can do it. But you, entrust your desires and your expectations to God. Tell him what the desires of your heart are. When you are scared in life, when you stand at crossroads tell Him what you want to do for Him and ask for His blessing and He can make you instruments of His glory. This is what I wish you and myself, that we may rest in God here on earth, that we may rest in faith so that we may live today in the Feast of Tabernacles and may already be His instruments of His Glory TS |
