“Sukkot” is the Hebrew term referring to the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths in many English Bibles)

Many Christians today do not celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because they have been taught that it has been done away with. So today, let’s look to the Scriptures to learn more about the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and realize how relevant it remains today:

“Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and say, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Sukkot, forseven days to ADONAI. On the first day there is to be a holy convocation — you are to do no laborious work. For seven days you are to bring an offering by fire to ADONAI. The eighth day will be a holy convocation to you, and you are to bring an offering by fire to ADONAI. It is a solemn assembly—you should do no laborious work.” Leviticus 23:34-36

As we continue, I urge you to read your Bible carefully. Trust the Word of God and read to discover His Truth for yourself.

Prophecies from Zechariah, Jeremiah, and Isaiah

The prophet Zechariah foretells what will occur at the Mount of Olives when the LORD returns to rule.

“ADONAI will then be King over all the earth. In that day ADONAI will be Echad and His Name Echad.” Zechariah 14:9

“Echad” means One. The LORD our God, the LORD is One God. He alone will reign as King.

It will be a glorious time!

Now look at Zechariah 14:16:

“Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, ADONAI-TZVA’OT, and to celebrate Sukkot.” Zechariah 14:16

The nations along with Israel will celebrate Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles!) and celebrate our King! The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as Chag HaAsif, which means the “Feast of the Ingathering.” One day, we will all be gathered in the New Jerusalem. This is reason to rejoice!

“Therefore behold, days are coming,” says Adonai, “when they will no longer say: ‘As ADONAI lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.’ Rather, ‘As ADONAI lives, who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ So they will dwell in their own soil.” Jeremiah 23:7-8

“It will come about in that day,
ADONAI will thresh from the channel of the River to the Wadi of Egypt,
and you will be gathered one by one, Bnei-Yisrael.

“It will also come about in that day, a great shofar will be blown. Those perishing in the land of Assyria and the exiles in the land of Egypt will come and worship Adonai on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:12-13

Sukkot is about Rejoicing

Moshe (Moses) informed the people of the moedim, the “appointed times,” when they were to keep a holy appointment with the LORD. Sukkot is one of the moedim. We have the wonderful opportunity to spend a week in our sukkah (temporary dwellings) to celebrate and to grow closer to the LORD. In His Torah, the LORD specifically commands us to rejoice, or to be joyful, during this time:

“So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you are to keep the Feast of ADONAI for seven days. The first day is to be a Shabbat rest, and the eighth day will also be a Shabbat rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit of trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and rejoice before ADONAI your God for seven days. You are to celebrate it as a festival to ADONAI for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations—you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.  You are to live in sukkot for seven days. All the native-born in Israel are to live in sukkot,  so that your generations may know that I had Bnei-Yisrael to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am ADONAI your God.” Leviticus 23:39-43, emphasis added

When you celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, you are participating in something Biblical. God-honoring.

Don’t get me started on all these churches that host “trunk-or-treat” and whitewash the devil’s feast of halloween.

If you need something to celebrate this autumn, go with the Feast of Tabernacles and leave the pagans to their paganism.

The Feast of Tabernacles and the Birth of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)

No one can claim to know the exact date when our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) was born.

But I can assure you, it is highly unlikely that he was born on December 25.

You have probably heard that December 25th was chosen as “Christmas” because our Savior is the Light of the World, so it was somehow “fitting” to choose the darkest time of the year to celebrate the coming of our Emmanuel.

The problem is, this pattern of thinking conforms to the world and at worst, it is aligned with Constantine and the rule of Rome.

Let us be free of the cult of paganism and false religion.

We need not conform to the pattern of this world!

Let us always look to the Scriptures.

The Bible says the Word became flesh and dwelt – “tabernacled” with us

“And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Greek term “dwelt” more literally means “tabernacled,” hence the translation provided by the Tree of Life Version cited above.

This is an awesome picture of what our Savior came to do!

He left His glorious throne above to meet with us.

As I mentioned earlier, we have sacred appointments – the moedim – and He gave us the Feast of Tabernacles as an experience. That we would realize the magnificence of the fact He meets with us in the most humble of abodes.

You see, perhaps you have never built or even seen a sukkah. A sukkah is sort of like a tent. It is a temporary structure built for this occasion.

No Room in the Inn, but room in a . . . sukkah?

When there was no room at the inn . . . could it be that all of the hotels and motels of Bethlehem were taken because a busy pilgrimage feast . . . known as Sukkot . . . was going on?

Many who study the Hebrew Scriptures believe it very possible that the birth of our Messiah coincided with this pilgrimage feast of Sukkot. The shepherds were in the fields and the sheep in the pastures – it couldn’t have been too terribly cold yet . . . Sorry, closet Constantinians, the first Christmas definitely wasn’t in winter.

I don’t mean to offend anyone since I know Christmas is a beloved tradition for a lot of people.

But I do mean to point out Truth versus modern day tradition.

Could it be that the innkeeper had a sukkah, which provided the extra space available for Miriam and Yosef (Mary and Joseph)?

Our Messiah, our Prince of Peace, was born in the most humble of places. If you build a sukkah, you will see it fits that description.

A humble dwelling place.

Need more evidence?

The Hebrew word, sukkah, is translated as “stable” (Genesis 33:17).

Celebrate the Incarnation of our Messiah this Sukkot

Our wonderful Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) our LORD came to earth in a manner that demonstrated humility and the veracity of the Word. He never has contradicted His Word, and He never will.

On the contrary, the Word proves True every time, against any test.

This Sukkot, realize this amazing Truth. We currently dwell in temporary tabernacles of flesh, but one day, we will put on the eternal resurrected tabernacle because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh) and He will raise us up incorruptible.

My husband is an immigrant to the United States and didn’t really grow up with Christmas carols. So he is fascinated by our culture in that by the end of November every radio station is playing Christmas songs. He loves the fact that the secular stations even play songs that honor our Savior.

So he wishes that they played these songs all year!

He doesn’t just want Christmas in July, this man would love to play Christmas songs on our stereo all year if I let him.

Do you love those beautiful songs, too?

Well, no need to wait any longer. Get out your Joy to the World playlist because the LORD has come, and will return! Let heaven and nature sing!!

He has come to tabernacle with you, my friend.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Enjoy the feast, and invite your friends.

Perhaps someone will come to a saving relationship with Yeshua (Jesus) because of your faithful witness.

It was during the Feast of Tabernacles when Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) revealed Himself as the Living Water. If you’d like to study that topic, more in-depth, I invite you to check out my post on the Living Water at the Feast of Tabernacles: Exploring John 7.

Speaking of Living Water, notice that an offering by fire had been required during Sukkot. Now, the Holy Spirit fills those who call upon His Name with Living Water and the Fire of Pentecost. Let your life be that offering to Him, on fire for your Savior, and filled with the precious Holy Ghost. Chag Sameach Sukkot!

Are you celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles this year? We pray you have a wonderful time with your family and friends, celebrating the coming of Emmanuel, the One who gives us Living Water!

https://adonaishalom.com/index.php/2021/09/14/living-water-at-the-feast-of-tabernacles-exploring-john-7/

Parashat Eiqev/Eikev/Ekev (D’varim/Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25) 5782 B”H

7 species promised to the land of Israel

Today, let’s look at the 7 kinds or “species” promised to the land and people of Israel in Deuteronomy.

Moshe (Moses) continues to speak to the Israelites

Deuteronomy/D’varim 7:12-11:25 continues Moshe’s (Moses’) speech to the Israelites, reminding them of all the wonders of the LORD’s deliverance and encouraging them toward blessing as they continue toward the Promised Land. Contained within these verses are the revelation of the 7 species that would be part of the land of Israel.

This passage reiterates that Israel will see increase “little by little (Deuteronomy/D’varim 7:22) and that the duty of the people was to remain faithful to the God of Israel and His commands so that they would continually experience abundant provision and blessing.

People of the Promise

We know that the Israelites struggled to maintain a positive outlook. Many of them failed to look with the eyes of faith toward a better future. Many of them grumbled and complained. They had heard of a Promised Land, but would they grasp onto its promise? Would they themselves live to see that Promised Land? Would they walk as people of the Promise or would they continue to walk around in circles?

How many of us today know intellectually of God’s promises but fail to continually walk in His path, choosing instead to try our own routes only to wind up back where we started with feelings of unaccomplishment and frustration?

The life of faith can be challenging. But while we may break our own promises or have others do so to us, God is faithful and He will never break His promises to you.

For those who would trust in the God of Israel as people of the promise, 7 species or special “kinds” of provision awaited them in the Promised Land.

7 Promised Species in Israel

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word, “species,” I tend to think of animals.

We’re planning a zoo trip for the kiddos in the coming weeks, so I have lions, tigers, and bears on my mind. I have one child who says he has never seen a live penguin (not true, but he was very young last time we were at the zoo) and another who claims kangaroos don’t exist because he has never seen one (so I really hope this zoo has an Australia exhibit . . . a lesson on doubting Thomas might be better for him than the zoo, but I guess we will start with the zoo!)

Back to Israel’s 7 species.

In Deuteronomy/D’varim 8:8, Scripture is talking about agricultural species. God promises that the land of Israel will be a land of

1. wheat
2. barley
3. vines
4. figs
5. pomegranates
6. olive oil
7. honey

The LORD promises that “you will eat and be full, and you will bless ADONAI your God for the good land He has given you.” (Deuteronomy/D’varim 8:10).

The 7 species are still found in Israel today as the LORD continues to bless that Holy Land.

And notice, of course, that there are precisely 7 listed! That perfect number reminds us of the perfection of His provision.

Grains & Fruits

If we analyze the seven species, we see that they can be described as either grains or fruits. Grains are so essential for basic sustenance, providing the main ingredients for bread, etc. Fruits give us sweetness and joy! It has become traditional to eat these 7 species of food on celebratory holidays such as the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost/Shavu’ot).

So give thanks today for all of God’s gifts, especially the provision of life-sustaining food. As the autumn/fall Biblical feasts draw near, perhaps you want to incorporate some of these delicious items on your family’s table! Rejoice today, because Messiah Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) is Perfect in all of His ways and He died and rose again so that we may join Him in the heavenly banquet.

Thanks for reading this short teaching about the 7 species of the land of Israel. If this blessed you, please share or leave a comment below! Shalom!