TABERNACLES/SUKKOT/BOOTHS
Monday, Sept. 24 – 5:30 pm – Decorate the Sukkah
Monday, Sept. 24 – 7:00 pm – The Gathering
Saturday, Sept. 29 – 11 am – Sukkot Celebration
Monday, Oct. 1 – 7 pm – 8th Great Day Celebration
Sukkot is an annual reminder of God’s provision during Israel’s 40-year wilderness sojourn. It is also known as the “Feast of Ingathering,” because it was observed after all crops had been harvested and gathered.
Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field (Ex. 23:16).
“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year” (Ex. 34:22).
The symbol of Sukkot is the sukkah or tabernacle. It recalls Israel’s hastily-built housing in the wilderness. As soon as Yom Kippur is past, booths are constructed in yards and patios of homes. The booths are made with at least three walls that are covered with intertwined branches.
The roofs are thatched so there is more shade than sunlight during the day, but sparsely enough to allow the stars to be seen at night. Inside they are decorated with colorful harvest fruits and vegetables. During the Feast of Tabernacles, families eat their meals in their sukkah, and even sleep in them. It’s considered a blessing (mitzvah) to invite others into your sukkah.
It is traditional to say “Chag Sameach!” (Happy Holiday) to wish someone a Happy Sukkot!
It was also one of the three pilgrim feasts to Jerusalem, Israel. Three times during the year, all male were required to appear before the Lord in the Temple. Those feast were, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles – Exodus 23:17; 34:22-23; Deuteronomy 16:16.
As meaningful and joyous as this annual celebration is for us, the best is yet to come, for the Feast of Tabernacles points to more than merely our present provision and protection. Zechariah foretells that during Yeshua’s reign in the Millennial Kingdom, the Feast of Tabernacles will be an annual celebration in which all nations will gather to testify that the LORD Himself is the source of all the bountiful blessings we enjoy.
