The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (In Hebrew known as Sukkot) teaches some important points about life. The tabernacle of mortal life is fragile, it requires sustaining and there is no protection but that of the power of the Heavens.
The Feast of Sukkot, (Succot, or Succoth), known in English as the feast of Tabernacles is about rejoicing under the Heavens, through a screen of palm fronds and leaves.
In the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (Levitics 23:39-40)
That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths (Sukkot), when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am He who Will Be your Mighty Ones. (Leviticus 23:43)
The rejoicing is clearly about deliverance out of bondage in slavery. In the Holy Land they had to bring an offering of the fruit of the land. So the memorial deliverance is about more than a mere absence of bondage, but also about the blessing of obtaining fruit in the Promised Land.
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he has given thee. (Deuteronomy 16:17)
The deliverance out of bondage to new life and also the sustaining of that life with the blessing of the fruit of the land, both came from the Creator. The land was fruitful because of the seasonal rain which only came from the Creator.
But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (Deut. 11:11-12)
In the sukkah all would become well and truly wet if it rained heavily! It requires faith to dwell without a roof and pray for rain. Jews would pour out water in prayer for the rains which would begin after Sukkot. The pouring out of water associated with the feast has been previously covered in another article:
Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand...Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:2,16,37-38)
Traditionally water from the Pool of Siloam was poured out before the Altar and the words from Isaiah 12 were sung. It reminded the nation that they had to place complete trust in Yahweh and the promise of salvation revealed by his name, “He will be who He will be”, and in the writings regularly read to them. Yahweh requires the faithful to acknowledge him before the people and trust in him, as he is the only source of salvation and life.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD Yahweh is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. (Isaiah 12:1-6) biblefocus.net/living-word/
The pouring out of water is associated with weakness and repentance,
They gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. (1Sam 7:6)
It is associated with the psalm quoted by our Lord at his death on the stake,
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Psa 22:13-14)
It is also associated with the blessing of the future
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: (Isaiah 44:3)
Two essentials of life are water and shelter. The Israelites in the wilderness had tents. Their ancestors were tent dwellers. We see them asked to make dwellings of leaves in the wilderness as a special situation for 8 days, when they must at the time have been living in water-resistant tents similar in specification to the Tabernacle. The palm or leaf structure is an illustration of mortality. As the leaves rapidly dry and wither, it points to the lesson of mortality.
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (2 Cor 5:4)
The Israelites knew tents. However the rapid withering of the leaves of the Sukkah may have taught them the lesson their fathers knew,
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)
Abraham lived in tents looking for a city. His descendants who lived in tents were taught by living in booths with no roof, or covering, to look up and seek the eternal tent whose builder and maker is God. Jews see the water as about the giving of life and the Sukkah about temporal nature of existence, pointing to the re-creation and perfection of the earth.
Hence, the true mission of the Sanctuary – or succah – is to re-create and perfect the earth. That’s why its architect had to be endowed with the same attributes the Almighty used to create the world.
And so on Succot we bring special vegetation – the Four Species – into the Synagogue/Temple, through whose vegetable roof we can see the stars.
And on the last day of the festival – Shmini Atzeret-Simhat Torah – we pray for God’s life-giving waters and take Torah scrolls out into the streets so that every human being may accept the yoke of the heavenly kingship. So we have come full circle advancing from the broken terua to the glorious redemption of the world. israelnationalnews
Only when the water of the Word of God is with-in the people is redemption of the world possible.
Christ is described as the word of life, and his life was poured out like water. In this life poured out according to the word, is redemption for all who partake of it, or, in plain terms, without image or symbol, all who hear and believe.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
The kingdom of Christ is the place of Tabernacles in the time of Christ, as when the disciples are given a glimpse into the kingdom in seeing Moses and Elijah, Peter calls for the making of tabernacles. These must have been Sukkot, as they did not have at hand the materials to make tents.
It came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. (Luke 9:33)
Which brings us to the Palm leaves and the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2 & 27:11). As the feast of Passover approached, they took palm fronds to make Y'shua king.
On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. (John 12:12-13)
Not only is the palm associated with the path of the King of Israel, it is associated with the righteous of his Kingdom, and their fruitfulness of blessing.
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; (Psalm 92:12-14)
The people of the kingdom are likened to palm trees in the house of Yahweh. It goes further. We see also that the temple of Ezekiel's prophecy, which is to be built in the future at Jerusalem, has palm trees in stone. This Temple cannot be like any before it - because it seems to have no roof – but the arches of palm tree fronds!
There were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees. (Ezekiel 40:16)
And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. (Eze 40:26)
Consider the power of a design that shows that all protection and power in the vast structure of the Temple Ezekiel was shown is given from the overshadowing Glory seen by the Israelites in a cloud by day and fire by night.
For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:38)
This Glory was seen at the time of the feast of Tabernacles as King Solomon, in the model of Messiah the peaceful King, opens the Temple in Jerusalem.
Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. (2 Chron. 7:1)
It came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. (1Kings 8:10-11)
The presence of Yahweh's Glory in cloud and fire is described as the defence of Zion and a covert from rain.
And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a Sukkah for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. (Isaiah 4:5-6)
Those who love their Creator may wish to fully understand this feast, as this feast of rejoicing will be kept by all in the kingdom which is soon to be established at Christ's return, as a memorial.
It shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)
