Feast of Tabernacles – Sukkot
“You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God”. (Lev 23:42-43)
Shalom from Jerusalem!
Yom Kippur has just passed and once again, the Feast of Tabernacles Sukkot is upon us. The Feast begins Wednesday evening at sunset and will last for seven days. Sukkot is a joyous holiday which commemorates the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt and God’s complete provision for them in the wilderness. Our fathers wandered in the desert for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land of Israel and during this time they had to live in small booths called Sukkas. Perhaps the Lord wanted us to remember that like the Sukka, life in our physical body is also temporary, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. The Lord also commanded the children of Israel to fully rejoicing before Him during this time
How wonderful to be commanded by God to rejoice in Him!
Each year at this time year perform an ancient blessing ceremony over the Jewish people during Sukkot. Every Jewish male was required by God to appear before Him in Jerusalem as it is written…
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God… at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you. (Jer 23:3-4)
Praying at the Western Wall in Sukkot
Another custom of Sukkot is the Water Libation Ceremony. During the second Temple period a Priest would take a golden water pitcher down to the pool of Siloam in the city of David and would carry it back to the Temple. Crowds of people would follow him dancing and singing “The Hellel”, (Ps.113-118) The highlight of this ceremony was when the High Priest would pour out this water onto the altar of the Temple. It became known as “Simcha Bet-Ha-sho-evah” (The rejoicing of the House of Drawing Water).
Now we can appreciate the Scripture in John’s gospel that was recorded on the day Yeshua was teaching in Jerusalem on the Feast of Sukkot.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Yeshua 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. But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive… (John 7:37-39)
Just at the moment of the pouring out of water, Yeshua made this bold proclamation to Jerusalem, ” I am the Messiah, do you truly want the living water of the spirit of God? If you truly want the living water, believe in me.”
“Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of Salvation (Is. 12:3 )
Why do we celebrate and keep the Feast of Tabernacles? Because it is written…
And 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. (Zech 14:16)
We will be hosting another group of Holocaust Survivors at Haus Schonegg from October 7-15. Would you please pray for our time together that our fellowship would be blessed and that we may have many opportunities to demonstrate His love to these beautiful souls who were chosen to survive…
Bradley with Survivors at a recent reunion of Haus Schonegg visitors
Thank you for your love and faithful support in Blessing the needy in Israel!
Hag Sameach!
Bradley and FZS staff
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