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.com/chap9.html

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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Festivals of the Messiah" (230 pages), please make your check out to
me (Eddie Chumney) for $12 postage paid and send to:

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