FEAST OF TABERNACLES--SUKKOT--FEAST OF THE NATIONS--FEAST OF INGATHERING

 

Leviticus 23.41-43 a seven day Mo’ed or appointed time. Dwell in booths (sukkahs) or huts, tabernacle, tent. In Gen 33.17 Jacob built a sukkah for himself and another for his cattle. That was the reason the place was called Sukkot or “shelters”.

 

Lev 23 These are the feasts of the Lord. A tent is a temporary dwelling place. In Deut 16 and Ex 23.14 the people are told to appear three times a year in the place which the Lord will choose. The three feast of ascension are Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

 

During Passover the people bring an offering of barley, for Pentecost they bring wheat, and Tabernacles is a fall harvest of the grapes. It is an “ingathering” of the harvest at the end of the year. This feast is what our Thanksgiving is modeled after. We see in Matt 13.38-41 a harvest or ingathering at the end of the present age. In Rev 14.14-20 we see angels as reapers gathering in the grapes. The harvest is ripe and the grapes are being harvested and pressed in the winepress of God’s wrath. Rev 19 speaks of the Lord’s return and the great feast God is giving.

 

In Exodus we see the first Passover and the applying of blood to the doorpost. The people left Egypt and went into the wilderness. The Torah was first given at Pentecost when Moshe first went up the mountain. Then the people built the golden calf and Moses came down. After breaking the first set of commandments on the stone tablets Moshe went up the mountain again and made atonement for the people. This was the first Day of Atonement. After making atonement for the nation the people were told to make offerings to embellish the tabernacle in the wilderness. This they did and this was the first Feast of Tabernacles. God tabernacled with His people for 40 years in the wilderness. Ex 35

 

In the Millennial Kingdom (MK) it says in Zech 14.3-4; 16-19 that all the nations will celebrate Tabernacles after the great earthquake that splits the mount of Olives. Those which do not will receive no rain (blessings) if they do not come up to Jerusalem to celebrate. The Lord will smite them. Rev 21.3 shows us god dwelling with us. This earth and our bodies are temporary. Isaiah 51.6; 2 Corinthians 5.1. We have a house eternal in the heavens. The ultimate dwelling place. Our bodies are living sukkahs! A temporary dwelling place.

 

In John 2.19 the Lord says he will destroy the temple and raise it up in three days when speaking of His resurrection. 2 Peter 1.13-14 confirms our bodies are temporary tents. Peter was an eyewitness of Yeshua’s power. 2 Peter 1.16.

 

At the transfiguration on the mount Peter saw the coming kingdom. Mark 9 explains the transfiguration and Peter’s desire to build three sukkahs. It was the feast of Tabernacles and Peter may have understood that was when the kingdom would be established. That is what we need to understand.

 

Lev 23.39 talks about the 1^st and 8^th days of Sukkot. We are to rejoice for seven days. Our Lord loves a good party! In Josephus’ history he says that 2.5 million people would ascend to Jerusalem for Tabernacles! They took a myrtle branch, palm, and a willow, along with an etrog or citron, and waved them in the air. The myrtle symbolized rejoicing, the lulav or palm symbolized righteousness, the willow the Lord’s humility, and the etrog the Lord’s beauty. Waving symbolized that God is the king of the universe. Wave to N, S, E, W, Up, Down.

 

Solomon’s Temple was dedicated at Tabernacles (2 Chron 5 and 7.1-2). Fire came down and consumed the offering.

 

During this feast there is a water libation. It was a joyous ceremony which took place in the court of the women. In the court yard were four golden candle sticks that were 75 feet tall with golden bowls at the top. The linen of the priestly garments was used for wicks. The garments where torn in long strips. These strips would be the swaddling clothes that Jesus would be wrapped in at His birth. (Yeshua was born during the Feast of Tabernacles). Jerusalem was known as the “light of the world” during this Feast of Tabernacles as these candle sticks threw off great light. Jesus proclaimed He was the light of the world in John 8.12.

 

There in the court of the women where 15 steps leading up to the doors of the area leading to the place of sacrifice. These 15 steps where represented by the 15 psalms of ascension, Palms 120-134. During this festival the psalms of the Hallel were sung, Psalms 113-118. The women would hold up torches, priests would blow on shofars to honor and celebrate the water libation. This celebration took place all night and according to historians the priests got little sleep.

 

Another ceremony took place during the Feast of Tabernacles. Eight priests would go in an offer sacrifices, Eight would go out the water gate to the pool of Siloam to get water (means “Gently Flowing Waters”). This procession would begin at dawn. A golden decanter was used to bring the water back up to the temple and then the living water would be poured into a silver vase that had some wine in it. Silver represents redemption. Our Lord redeemed us through the water and the wine. The wine and water would then be poured over the sacrifice. The priests would pray for rain (blessing) for this was the fall and the winter rains bring spring crops. The song of Moses in Ex 15.1-2 was sung: The Lord is my salvation--salvation=Yeshua. Psalm 118 the voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacle of the righteous. On the 7^th day they would sing Isaiah 12...”therefore with joy will I draw water from the springs of yeshua.”

 

In Jesus’ day (John 37.7) He cried out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” This was during the water libation ceremony. Everything Yeshua did was prophetic.

 

Now at this time eight other priests would cut willow branches and groups of priests would parade through the temple waving the branches. This waving represented the wind of the spirit of God. All these events concluded at the area of the sacrifice in the temple.

 

Lev 23.36 on the 8^th day offer a fire offering. This Shabbat is Shemini Atzeret, the assembly of the 8^th day. Shabbat is the 7^th day…here the 8^th day becomes a new beginning. (Also called Simchat Torah (the joy of the law), begin again reading the Torah) 2 Peter 2.13.

 

Deut 31.10-12...the end of every 7^th year is a year of release. In the 7^th year all the people are to come to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Lord. The word Torah=teaching, teaching in righteousness. The teaching of God. Isaiah 2.1-5, Zech 14, describe a Year of Jubilee. 7x7 years = 49 years…at the beginning of the new year 50 begins the year of Jubilee (On the Day of Atonement it is proclaimed.) All nations will flow to Jerusalem in this future year of Jubilee! God’s teaching or Torah will go out from Jerusalem. In the MK the teaching will flow (Micah 4.1-2) as we learn righteousness from the Torah. Nehemiah 8.1-3 illustrates this. The people listened as “one man” at the water gate as Ezra read the Instruction.

 

The Feast of Trumpets was a two day feast based on the sighting of the new moon. It was called the one long day. In Nehemiah 8.13-15; 18 the people found out about Sukkot, dwelling in booths. It had been over 70 years since they had read the scroll. The eighth day of Sukkot also can represent circumcision. Yeshua was most likely born on the 1^st day of Sukkot and on the eighth day (Shemini Atzeret, new beginning) He was circumcised according to the Torah. Tabernacles is a shadow of the MK and what it will be like during the 1,000 years. The nations will be taught righteousness out of Torah. They will be rejoicing in Torah! Deut 33.1-4. Jesus always sat down and taught. In that day the nations will be taught.

Torah is to flow like water. Water comes from a high place and flows down to the low place. Rain is blessing in the Bible and the Torah rains down on us. During Tabernacles the priests pray for winter rains. The gentle rain that enables crops to grow. Ezek 34.26 Rain is blessing…Ps 72.6-8...He comes down as rain. Habakkuk 2.14...Hosea 6.3...Then shall we know Him. Joel 2.3...Messiah raining down…Deut 32.2...Torah rains down gently--gentle rain--teach us. Yeshua was the living Torah. A Jew without Torah is like a fish without water! We are one new man!

 

The Song of Solomon is about the feasts of the Lord. Song 2.10-11...arise my love…winter is past…you missed the rain (blessing)…you slept…you didn’t want to come out and work the harvest. My beloved is mine--she is not saying I belong to you…you go to work, I’ll call when I need you she (the church) is saying to the Lord…Song 3...yawn, Ok Lord where are you now? I could not find…goes out to the broad way (of destruction) looking for the Lord…She expresses love but did not want to go work with him (Hosea 5.6). Jeremiah 7.13, 29.13...Later in Song…I sleep, the word is almost “death” like sleep…He is pounding at the door…open my love and come out into the rain (blessings)…she has taken off her coat and doesn’t want to go out and work the harvest. When she finally opens the door he is gone! I called, but you did not listen…will seek early and not find…we need to be quick to respond. Isaiah 55, Hosea 10.12, John 7.37...”if any man thirst”…many believe but the rulers cursed the people. In Jeremiah 2.12-13

fountain of living water.

 

In John 8 Jesus had sat down to teach and the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery…they wanted to stone her…the law says to bring both parties (Lev 20.10), the man and woman. They knew they were caught in a lie. Deut 19.15-21 False witnesses were to be stoned. Stoning was outlawed by Romans, but the fact they stoned people indicated a break down in the society--mob rule and riots. What did Jesus write in the dirt? Jeremiah 17.13-14? Lev 20.10? There was a lack of living by Torah in the land…Hosea 8.8-12, and 4.6.

 

Leviticus 23...dwell in booths. John 1.14...to tabernacle…encamp as God in ancient times.

 

John Baptist was born during Passover. We can determine both his and Yeshua’s birth by using the order of the courses of priests established by King David in 1 Chronicles 24. The story in Luke 1.5-9 took place during Pentecost. Zachariah had to serve two weeks because his course fell during the holiday when he was working. Luke 1.10-11...a throng was there to celebrate Pentecost. We can determine J. Baptist’s birth was during Passover. Using this chart of the 48 courses of priests (with three weeks of feasts) we can determine that Jesus was born during Tabernacles.

 

When Yeshua was born the Inn was full because throngs were in Bethlehem to go to Jerusalem which was just down the road for the feast days. The swaddling clothes Jesus was wrapped in were the strips torn from the linen priestly garments. Our High Priest was dressed in His priestly robes! The shepherds in the field rejoiced with great joy, a command during Sukkot, as they watched their flocks and the angel announced. Luke 2 talks about the tax collection. This was a great time for Rome to collect as all the people were in one place!

 

Psalm 118 is about the coming of Messiah. Yeshua is in the tabernacle of the righteous. Save now! Save now! Baruck haba, b’shem Adonai, they cried out in the temple.

 

Then in Luke 2.21 we see Jesus circumcised on the 8^th day--Shemini Atzeret. He is circumcised and sheds His blood in the temple! Luke 2.22-24, Lev 12...bring a lamb, but if you cannot afford that then the poor bring a turtle dove…Mary brought the dove, but she was really bringing the lamb! The Lamb of God.