The Feast of Booths

33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.

37 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, 38 besides the Lord’The s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.

39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord. – Leviticus 23:33-44 ESV

Five days after the Day of Atonement, on the 15th day of Tishri, the people of Israel were to celebrate the last of the seven feasts on Israel’s religious calendar. This feast goes by many names, including the Feast of Booths and the Feast of Tabernacles. Earlier in Israel’s history, it was known as the Festival of the Final Harvest (Exodus 23:16) or the Festival of Ingathering. Today it is known by its Hebrew name, Sukkot or Succoth, which can be translated as “booth” or “tabernacle,” and most often refers to a temporary shelter.

This seven-day-long festival came in the autumn, at the end of the harvest season, and was intended to be a time of thanksgiving and rejoicing. After months of laboring in the fields, orchards, and vineyards, the Israelites would have enjoyed the benefit of all their hard work. Their granaries would have been full. The threshing floors would have been busy. All the wine and olive presses would have been operating at full capacity. And it was at this time of fruitfulness and abundance that God called His people to spend seven days feasting and rejoicing in His presence.

“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.” – Deuteronomy 16:13-15 ESV

The Feast of Booths was one of three major holy days that required the Israelites to gather “at the place that the Lord will choose” (Deuteronomy 16:15 ESV). This is a reference not only to the Tabernacle but to the location within the land of Canaan where the Tabernacle would eventually reside. Once they conquered the land of Canaan, the Tabernacle would cease to be a temporary or portable structure. It would be set up as a permanent sanctuary to the Lord in the land that He had promised to His chosen people. After Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and began their conquest of the land, they erected the Tabernacle in Gilgal, there it remained for seven years. Later, it was relocated to Shiloh, where it remained until the period of the Judges. In time, it was moved to Nob and Gibeon and then, during the reign of King David, it was moved to its final location in Jerusalem.

During the Feast of Booths, the Israelites were commanded to leave their homes and live in temporary shelters built within sight of the Tabernacle. These “booths” were to be constructed “from magnificent trees—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams” (Leviticus 23:40 NLT). Gathered from the lush and leafy trees that filled the land, these branches were to be used to make temporary shelters in which the Israelites would reside during the seven days of the festival.

God provides an explanation for this rather strange housing arrangement.

“This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 23:43 NLT

One of the things God knew about His people was that they would be prone to self-sufficiency and forgetfulness. He would later remind them of their need to remember all that He had done for them.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” – Deuteronomy 8:2-5 NLT

He was leading them to “a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking” (Deuteronomy 8:8-9 NLT). And this fruitful land, “of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills” (Deuteronomy 8:7 NLT) could prove to be a problem for God’s people if they were not careful. That’s why God warned them:

“Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God…” – Deuteronomy 8:11-14 NLT

God knew that their success in the land would inflate their sense of self-worth and bolster their tendency toward self-sufficiency. And Moses reminded them that all the miraculous acts of provision and providence God did for them in the wilderness had been so they could never say in the future, “I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy” (Deuteronomy 8:17 NLT).

God wanted them to remember that He was their sole provider and protector. He was the one who gave them the land in the first place. It was He who caused the trees to bear fruit and the fields to yield grain. The rivers and streams that provided them with fresh water were gifts from Yahweh. Everything the Israelites would enjoy in the land of Canaan would be the result of God’s grace and mercy. And it is important to remember that this decree to celebrate the Feast of Booths came long before the people ever entered the land of Canaan. In fact, it would be more than four decades before the Israelites ever set foot in the promised land and enjoyed the fruits of its bounty.

But when they eventually did, God wanted them to be prepared to give Him thanks for all that He had done. Each day of the feast was to be marked by sacrifices and the book of Numbers provides the details concerning these elaborate and costly offerings. On the first day, they were to offer “thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old” (Numbers 29:13 ESV). These were to be accompanied by grain and drink offerings. On the second day, they were required to offer “twelve bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish” (Numbers 29:17 ESV). This pattern would continue over the next five days, with the number of bulls that were offered decreasing by one each day, until on the seventh day, they offered “seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish” (Numbers 29:32 ESV). In total, 70 bulls, 14 rams, 98 lambs, and 7 goats were to be sacrificed as burnt offerings to Yahweh.

It is important to note that this festival was inaugurated long before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. In a time when they were living in tents and still eating manna and quail provided for them by God, they were expected to celebrate this festival that marked God’s bountiful provision. In doing so, the Israelites would be looking back on their time as slaves in Egypt, but they would also be looking forward to the day when they would enjoy all the blessings of the land of promise. Their God was good, gracious, and faithful to keep His promises. During a time when they owned no land to till, had no houses in which to live, or possessed no vineyards from which to harvest fruit or grapes, they were still expected to honor God for His faithfulness and abundant provision.

As Moses would later remind them, God had been abundantly faithful to them.

“Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.” – Deuteronomy 8:15-16 NLT

In the months and years ahead, the Israelites would continue to learn of the faithfulness of God. He would guide them and provide for them all during their days in the wilderness. Their shoes and clothes would not wear out. Their stomachs would never be empty. Their need for water would never go unmet. God would provide. But He expected them to honor His provision by giving Him the honor He was due. Right now, they needed Him and they knew it. But the day would come when they entered the land and they grew fat and happy because of its abundant provision for all their needs. They would forget their past and place all their hope for the future in their own ability to provide for themselves. But these feasts were intended to serve as powerful reminders of God’s power and provision. That is why Moses told them, “Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful” (Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Something Worth Celebrating

9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

13 “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.” – Deuteronomy 16:9-17 ESV

Moses has been reminding the people of their obligation to offer the appropriate sacrifices at the appropriate time and place. Now, he is going to elaborate on the particular feasts and festivals at which these various offerings were to be made.

“All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose.” – Deuteronomy 15:19-20 NLT

There were seven annual feasts as prescribed by God. In the Spring of each year, the Israelites were to celebrate the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks. An additional four feasts were to be held in the Fall. These included the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. These annual events were, in part, commemorations or memorial celebrations, intended to help the Israelites retain the memory of God’s miraculous intervention in their lives. But they were also to be annual occasions when the Israelites could offer thanks to God for all that He had done in providing for their needs over the preceding year.

These feasts or festivals were closely tied to the annual spring and fall harvests and were timed to remind the Israelites of God’s faithful protection and provision. But, there is something even more significant about these annual celebrations that is often overlooked. They were intended to serve as prefigurement or foreshadowing of something or someone to come. The Messiah. Each of these annual feasts present a glimpse into the redemptive work of Jesus. And while the Israelites would not have recognized these signs, those of us on this side of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection are able to look back and see how the saving work of Jesus was foretold in this seven festivals.

One of the first things we should notice is the inclusive nature of these events. They were non-discriminatory and intended for everyone in the camp.

“Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you.…” – Deuteronomy 16:11 NLT

“This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns.” – Deuteronomy 16:14 NLT

No one was to be left out. The invitation to participate in the joy of the celebration was extended to all. It reminds me of the invitation offered by Jesus:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Notice how Jesus incorporated agricultural terms in his invitation. Just as the feasts were tied to the annual harvest and provided the people a much-needed respite from their work of providing for their basic needs, Jesus offered mankind rest from the back-braking work of trying to earn righteousness through self-effort. And this invitation was offered to every individual with no strings attached or restrictions based on ethnicity, gender, or social status.

And for all who accepted the gracious invitation of Jesus Christ, they became part of an all-inclusive family comprised of people from all walks of life. The apostle Paul describes them this way:

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. – Galatians 3:28-29 NLT

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. – Romans 10:12 ESV

The imagery associated with these annual events is closely tied to Jesus. From the unblemished Passover lamb to unleavened bread, these Old Testament types foreshadow the Messiah, the sinless Son of God. Leaven was a symbol of sin and the Israelites were to spend seven days purging any leaven from their homes. But Jesus came as the sinless Lamb of God who made possible forgiveness for sin – once and for all. 

At the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, the Israelites were instructed to build temporary shelters in which they were to live during the days of the festival. These structures were intended to remind them of their nomadic existence during the days of the exodus. But they are also a foreshadowing of something greater to come. With His arrival on earth, Jesus became Immanuel, literally “God with us.” He came to tabernacle among His people and to provide a means by which they could enjoy a permanent and eternal existence with God the Father. No more temporary shelters. No more wandering in the wilderness of sin. God has a permanent place of shelter and refuge planned for all those who place their faith in His Son.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. – Revelations 21:3 NLT

“I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – Ezekiel 37:27 NLT

These feasts were temporary occasions and the Israelites were required to observe them on an annual basis. But the sacrifice of Jesus was once-for-all, providing a permanent means of salvation for all who who accept His gracious invitation. No more feasts and festivals were necessary. No more sacrifices were required. There was no more need to remove the leaven of sin or to find the spotless lamb to offer as atonement for that sin. Jesus became the sole source of redemption. And the celebration of these annual feasts was one day replaced by a much more simple, yet highly significant event that would commemorate His death on man’s behalf. 

At the Feast of Passover, Jesus would gather with His disciples in the upper room and share the Passover meal with them. But during their celebration of that annual event, Jesus would institute another, much more important, celebration which would take its place: The Lord’s Supper.

…the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NLT

Moses said of the Feast of Tabernacles, “This festival will be a time of great joy for all” (Deuteronomy 16:15 NLT). But it is the sinless sacrifice of Jesus that provides true cause for joy and celebration. His death made man’s restoration with God possible. His sacrifice provides all who accept it with complete forgiveness from sin and the replacement of their guilty verdict with the announcement of their justification before God. And that is truly cause for celebration.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Don't Stay Thirsty, My Friend.

John 7:2, 11-52

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’" – John 7:37-38 NLT

It was the Feast of Tabernacles, or booths. This was an annual celebration that took place in Israel, commemorating God's atoning work in their lives. The booths were temporary shelters erected in the streets that were a visual reminder of God's providential care for His people during their wilderness wandering days after the Exodus. The festival took place from the fifteenth to the twenty-first or twenty-second day of the seventh month, which would place it some time during the month of October. There were daily sacrifices made, and thanks was expressed to God for the harvest. But it culminated in the ceremony of the outpouring of water, drawn from Siloam, in commemoration of the water that God had miraculously provided from the rock at Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7). It was also a reminder that God had future blessings reserved both for Israel and for the world. It was likely at this point in the celebration activities that Jesus made His statement to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! (John 7:37-38 NLT). All throughout the days of the festival, people had been arguing and debating as to who Jesus was. John tells us, "There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds" (John 7:12 NLT). Some were saying that He was a good man. Others claimed Him to be a fraud. None of them could figure out how He seemed to know so much when He was obviously uneducated. When Jesus claimed to be speaking on behalf of God and accused the crowd of trying to kill Him, they simply wrote it off to demon possession. The people were confused by Jesus. They simply saw Him as a nobody from Galilee. They had no idea that He had actually been born in Bethlehem and was a descendant of David, making Him the lawful and rightful heir to David's throne. None of this mattered to the religious leaders. They simply wanted Him out of the way, and were seeking to arrest Him. The sad reality was that very few, if any, believed in Him.

And while they would gladly drink the water from Siloam as part of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, they would refuse to drink from the one Source that could satisfy their spiritual thirst completely and eternally. He is offering them the very same thing He offered to the Samaritan woman at the well. "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life" (John 4:13-14 NLT). Living water. A permanent quenching of spiritual thirst – once and for all. But it required belief. It required coming to Jesus and accepting who He claimed to be. It required believing that He actually did come from God and spoke on His behalf, and what He spoke was truth. He was the Messiah. He did offer hope. He made available a way to restore men to a right relationship with God the Father. But they had to believe. They had to come. And they refused. Their thirst remained unquenched, their sins unforgiven, their relationship with God unrestored. All because they refused to believe.

Father, so many still refuse to believe today. They reject the fountain of living water for poor replacements that can never satisfy. But the sad truth is, many believers refuse to believe in Jesus today. They refuse to drink daily from that same fountain, turning to other sources to satisfy their needs. Keep us coming back to You. Keep us believing in You. Only You can satisfy our ongoing thirst. Amen.