Biblical basis for the festival of Sukkot

The Feast of Tabernacles is the third of the great pilgrimage feasts given to Israel and the culmination of their prophetic purposes.

The Passover festival (or Pessach) recalls the Exodus from Egypt and how the blood of a spotless lamb saved all who applied it on their door lintels. As Christians, we also remember how the blood of Jesus Christ, the blameless Lamb of God, has brought us eternal salvation.

During Pentecost (Shavuot), Israel celebrates the giving of the law, recounting how the Lord came down in fire upon Mt. Sinai. The Church today remembers how the Spirit of God came down on the early Church on the day of Pentecost – again with fire and a mighty rushing wind – and filled the lives of the believers with the very presence of God.

The last great feast is Tabernacles, or Sukkot. Its main feature is the sukkah, or booth. “You shall dwell in booths for seven days… 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.” (Leviticus 23:42-43)

Israel is called to remember God’s provision during the 40 years of desert wanderings. The time in the Sinai was one of hardships, but also of God’s provision and miracles. He provided Israel with everything they needed for their daily lives in a most extraordinary way. He was Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider) in every sense. He supplied water from the rock and daily bread reserved for angels. Their clothes did not wear out for forty years and a supernatural health plan made sure there were no feeble among those who left Egypt (Psalm 105). God’s very presence guided them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God cared about every detail of their lives.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11, this period of Israel’s history is presented as a pattern for the Church today, “upon whom the ends of the world have come”. Yet it is noteworthy that while the Church celebrates Passover/Easter and Pentecost, it never adopted Sukkot. The reason is simple: The Church is still ‘on the way to the promised land’. That is, we still live in our booths today, meaning our earthly bodies. This is what Paul is referring to in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.”

Now Paul says that in this earthly tabernacle, we groan. For him, life was not always easy, and suffering is part of a believers’ life here on earth. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)

Our lives are often similar to Israel’s desert experience. At times, we feel the parching heat. We might find ourselves wanting to give up. Even the great Apostle of faith found himself in that state, confessing, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:8) Yet in that desperate situation, he saw great deliverance, and this strengthened his trust and hope in God.

It was the great challenges in the desert which allowed Israel to see God as their great Deliverer. Without the lack of water, there would have been no water from the rock. It was the desperation of standing between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea which allowed them to witness one of the greatest miracles in history, the parting of the waters.

Therefore, the lesson of Sukkot for us today is that we still live in flimsy booths. You might be in difficult and challenging situations. Life may even make you despair. But these situations should bring hope. While we might groan, we should never complain. The greater our need, the greater the miracle God can do for us.

I encourage you to hope and trust for the touch of Jesus at this Feast of Tabernacles. You might have come to Jerusalem feeling dry in your spirit. But He is able to bring living water from the rock of Christ just for you!

The fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacles still awaits us in the future, when Jesus will return to Jerusalem and establish his Millennial reign here on earth. Then the nations will come up to Jerusalem and recall God’s provision during the long journey home, when there was reason to groan. Ultimately, we await our eternal habitation – the heavenly Jerusalem!

It also is a time to stand with Israel and assure them that the God who delivered them out of Egypt will also deliver them today. The God of Israel will come and tabernacle with His people. Thus, it is a time of great rejoicing, great hope, and great miracles!

Dr. Jürgen Bühler
Executive Director
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

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