The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 51
The Feast of Tabernacles, a lasting ordinance, begins five days after Yom Kippur. It is a drastic change to go from the most solemn holy day in the year to the most joyous. The word Sukkoth (plural) means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that believers are commanded to live in during this festival, just as Israel and the former foreigners did in the wilderness. The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days and a final great day, during Yahoweh’s seventh month. But preparation begins at the break of the fast of Yom Kippur.
“And Yahoweh spoke to Mosheh, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, “On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths for seven days to Yahoweh. On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to Yahoweh. On the eighth day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to Yahoweh. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work. These are the appointed times of Yahoweh which you proclaim as set-apart gatherings, to bring an offering made by fire to Yahoweh, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a slaughtering and drink offerings, as commanded for every day—besides the Sabbaths of Yahoweh, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your voluntary offerings which you give to Yahoweh. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the fruit of the land, observe the festival of Yahoweh for seven days. On the first day is a rest, and on the eighth day a rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice before Yahoweh your Elohim for seven days. And you shall observe it as a festival to Yahoweh for seven days in the year—a law forever in your generations. Observe it in the seventh month. Dwell in booths for seven days; all who are native Yisra’elites dwell in booths, so that your generations know that I made the children of Yisra’el dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim. I am Yahoweh your Elohim.”’ Thus did Mosheh speak of the appointed times of Yahoweh to the children of Israel.” (Leviticus 23:33-44).
We begin right after Yom Kippur to build our Sukkot. Some use the same Sukkot year after year; some set up outside and return to their homes only to tend to pets that cannot join them in the Sukkot. Others live in apartments with no yard, and so set up on the balcony or the roof. Others leave home for a remote location overflowing with creation untarnished by man. Still others flock to Israel, to Jerusalem. Yet, no matter how far we travel or where we go, it is always to the New Yerusalem.
The Torah requires that we build a Sukkot, but does not say how many walls it must have, or describes it beyond saying what materials the roof must be made from. Any leafy tree will do, as many simply do not have the trees mentioned in Leviticus growing nearby. To make a Sukkot, some will set four posts in the ground, two at 6’ 3”, and the front two at 6’ 7”. They then cover the top with leaves and tree branches, after affixing homemade blankets on three sides. A blanket can also be placed on the ground. For the door, you could use two smaller blankets, and, with a cord, you can keep one open. The size of the inside could be roughly twelve by twelve feet. This, however, is entirely up to you. I presently live where it is cold during this time of the year; therefore, we commonly use a tent, and a few times we had to move it into our porch due to blizzards. Sometimes you will need to build a warm Sukkot, and other times a cool one. Ah, who am I kidding, they are all cool!
But one thing that is not cool is when people try to trap you by saying you are not a native Israelite. Counters abound, especially if you are native Israelite; however, we are all descendants of Adam. There were strangers among the Israelites, and they did this. Regardless, the Saviour in me is a native Israelite … and I go where He goes. It is sad, quite sad, that people use this excuse to not follow Him, but then never realize that they do not say such foolish things as, “Well, the book of Hebrews is for Hebrews, and the letter to Timothy is to Timothy.”
Yet, for those who persist, and say they are not grafted in, that they remain gentiles, I affirm: the Festival of Booths (Sukkot) remains. “And it shall be that all who are left from all the gentiles which came up against Yerushalayim, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the Sovereign, Yahoweh of hosts, and to observe the Festival of Booths. And it shall be, that if anyone of the clans of the earth does not come up to Yerushalayim to bow himself to the Sovereign, Yahoweh of hosts, on them there is to be no rain. And if the clan of Mitsrayim does not come up and enter in, then there is no rain. On them is the plague with which Yahoweh plagues the gentiles who do not come up to observe the Festival of Booths. This is the punishment of Mitsrayim and the punishment of all the gentiles that do not come up to observe the Festival of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16-19).
Year after year, and especially during Sukkot, I just think of being Home with Yahoshuah. I love Him dearly—everything about Him. His desire has become my desire. I credit the glory unto the Holy Spirit for encouraging me to give His Word a chance. I remember an old person, my younger self, who would wholly agree that I was nuts right now. However, I affirm that the old man was a fool for living in the stench of decay rather than in the pleasing scent of His presence. I want to be Home. I want to be with Him; yet, I remember my old self, screaming that I was a gentile, and did not want to live like the Messiah. I rejected Zechariah 14:16-19 before I even read it. Oh, praise Yah, praise Yah He did not give up in calling me.
I urge you to do as I once did. If you are ever in doubt, just look up to the sky and see the moon; take a moment each time you do and remember Yahoweh made the moon for the telling of the Feasts. All those whom do not think His Feasts are important to Him, need but to look up and see, need but to look up pray: “Please do not give up on me. Please, O Yahoweh Elohim, guide me to Your Son’s footsteps. O Merciful One, hook Your Rod and Your Staff around me and pull me to You.”
We have all wandered around in the wilderness, been lost in a spiritual desert, with no living water. We have stumbled in the darkness of sorrow—take hold of the Messiah’s Hand! He has always been there, and, during this set apart time, we ought be joyfully thankful of His amazing grace.
You may have young children, or be an elder, but do not let this be a hindrance, rather, allow it to be a blessing by involving others to make your joy complete. You can do it. After all, the promised freedom in Torah was given not only to able-bodied men, but also to all. Therefore, even if it is snowing and cold, we still decorate with gourds, various vines, and cover the top of the tent with leaves, and each day we live in the Sukkot. Depending on where we are, of course, as sometimes we use different things, such as colored leaves, sage, or flowers. If you used to celebrate other holidays, you will soon wonder why. This year I hope to take a photograph of our little Sukkot. Every year is better than the last. Every year we grow, as it should be.
For bedding, we use our organic cotton Japanese futons, which are our every day beds. We sleep therein, eat therein, and read His Word and long for the day we will be with Yah at Sukkot … therein. Inside, after we wake, we roll our futons up and unfold our little table for Bible reading, and for guests to dine with us upon. When it is not a Sabbath, we have our Menorah shinning brightly each night just for fun. (Be careful not to burn the Sukkot down, though.)
Guests are sought before and during Sukkot. To have friends who are semi-like-minded believers is always a blessing, though rarer than gold. However, the Feasts are just too special to invite people who do not believe, or who would cause arguments and strife. Those who oppose Him certainly will not be feasting with us in His Kingdom. For these, I recommend telling them the great joy after the event, praying for them, and encouraging them to begin keeping the greatest Feast of all, the weekly Sabbath, which always reminds me of creation, something far too many have forgotten to remember. Then they ought begin at the beginning, with Passover; otherwise, the meaning of Sukkot will be like reading the closing chapter of a great novel. Wonderful indeed, but not fully understood.
While I strive to not go into my home on this festival, I sometimes find that I must, such as when I am unable to find a natural place to freshen up. Yet, my home is often very far away, and so I must find another location. I have lived in a Sukkot in Zion, Utah, on the beach in Maui, in my own yard, and someday, Yah willing, in Israel!
“And they found written in the Torah, which Yahoweh had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’el should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.’ So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim. And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yahoshuah son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’el had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.” (Nehemiah 8:14-18). Earlier in this chapter, we see the people were sorrowful, but in the hearing of Torah there came A Great Rejoicing! Why? The Festivals of Yahoweh were found again, and the joy thereof was seen as greater than sorrow! Is your joy … greater than sorrow? Sukkot with Yahoweh and I promise, that even if it rains or blizzards … with His Heart in yours, then joy will be brighter than any day.
Yahoweh did not command us just to mentally remember the events of wandering in the wilderness during this appointed rehearsal, but to actually do them. As each of us builds our temporary living quarters, we not only remember, but also relive the events of wandering in the wilderness, experiencing a sense of the journey from Egypt to the Promise Land. How do we get there? As the Torah teaches: Moses leads us out of slavery to sin, but it is Yahoshuah Who leads us to the promise land.
What are we to remember during this festival? What makes it a celebration? Why are we living in a Sukkot for an entire week? What does all this mean? First, there was a great alarm, the blast of the trumpets, a call to get ready. Then a great judgment came, a time where the forgivers are forgiven, just as the Rabbi said. Now is a time for those who have the blood of the Lamb to assemble with Him. The Scriptures give us a glimmer of the hope that is Sukkot at what is often called the transfiguration, where Peter may have thought it was at that very moment He would Sukkot with us.
“And it came to be, about eight days after these words, taking with Him Kepha and Yohanan and Ya’aqob He went up to the mountain to pray. And it came to be, as He prayed, the appearance of His face changed, and His garment dazzling white. And see, two men were talking with Him, who were Mosheh and Eliyahu, who having appeared in esteem, spoke of His death which He was about to complete at Yerushalayim. But Kepha and those with him were heavy with sleep. And having awakened, they saw His esteem and the two men standing with Him.” (Luke 9:28-32).
“And Kepha responding, said to Yahoshuah, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three booths, one for You, and one for Mosheh, and one for Eliyahu,’ because he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And there came a cloud overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him!’” (Mark 9:5-7).
“And when the taught ones heard, they fell on their faces and were much afraid. But Yahoshuah came near and touched them and said, ‘Rise, and do not be afraid.’ And having lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Yahoshuah only. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Yahoshuah commanded them, saying, ‘Do not mention the vision to anyone until the Son of Adam is raised from the dead.’” (Matthew 17:6-9).
“And they kept this matter to themselves, debating what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked Him, saying, ‘Why do the scribes say that Eliyahu has to come first?’” (Mark 9:10-11).
“And Yahoshuah answering, said to them, ‘Eliyahu is indeed coming first, and shall restore all matters. But I say to you that Eliyahu has already come, and they did not recognise him but did to him whatever they wished. In this way the Son of Adam is also about to suffer by them.’ Then the taught ones understood that He had spoken to them about Yohanan the Immerser.” (Matthew 17:11-13). (Please see each full accounting and then Malachi 3:1-7)
Moses represents the Law, and EliYahu the Prophets, and the Messiah is This Word in the flesh that became whiter than a launderers whitest as His Heavenly form showed bright. The Messiah prayed here, but as in the garden, His taught ones bore heavy eyes, yet when they opened them they saw the Messiah praying, and EliYahu and Moses praying with Him. Yahoweh knew the gentiles would pierce His hands and feet, and so the Torah and the Prophets have prayed all along. What was their prayer, O sleepy taught ones? … I must know, and to know I turn to His Word. Behold, the hidden prayer of Yahoweh:
“And Mosheh hurried and bowed himself toward the earth, and did obeisance, and said, ‘If, now, I have found favor in Your eyes, O Yahoweh, I pray, let Yahoweh go on in our midst, even though we are a stiff-necked people. And forgive our crookedness and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.’ And He said, ‘See, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I am going to do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of Yahoweh. For what I am doing with you is awesome.’” (Exodus 34:8-10).
For did EliYahu proclaim: “And it came to be, when Ahab saw Eliyahu, that Ahab said to him, ‘Is that you, O disturber of Yisra’el?’ And he answered, ‘I have not disturbed Yisra’el, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commands of Yahoweh, and you have followed the ba’als.” (1 Kings 18:17-18).
Moses spoke of the Messiah often. “For Mosheh truly said to the fathers, ‘Yahoweh your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear according to all matters, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every being who does not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’” (Acts 3:22-23 and Deuteronomy 18:18-20, see also Acts 7:37, John 3:36, and 7:16)
“Philip found Nethane’l and said to him, ‘We have found Him whom Mosheh wrote of in the Torah, and the prophets: Yahoshuah of Natsareth—the son of Yoseph.’” (John 1:45).
Have you found the One Moses spoke of? Or did you find the one a church spoke of, and EliYahu warned against? Where will you be this Sukkot? In the house of the lord? Or in a Sukkot with the Saviour? Where, O Israel, will you be?
“For if you believed Mosheh, you would have believed Me, since he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47). Truly, we cannot believe in the Messiah if we do not believe in the Word spoken by Moses. For how could we believe in the Word Who became flesh, if we do not believe in the Word Who became flesh? One in the same. And what belief do we have, dear brothers and sweet sisters, if we do not turn from our sin and follow Him so much so that we Sukkot with Him? I dare say it for I dare not remain silent: none.
Repent!
Draw near.
Come; let us be eager to tabernacle with Him.
For when this rehearsal becomes the play, what more chance will you have to say: I love you this much.
What a glorious scene it must have been when all who loved Yahoweh gathered for the Feast, with the Menorah burning bright causing the Temple to be bathed in the glow of the torch-lit night. The sound of thousands of people praising His Name, playing their instruments, and dancing in a city filled with tents, gives just a glimpse of what this eternal Feast will be like in His Kingdom. It is what Peter likely had in the back of his mind, but to have the Messiah, Moses, and Elijah, before him … all of a sudden, Sukkot became so much more. Peter saw but a glimmer. It was terrifying and lovely. Lovely for he had the Saviour. Terrifying, because he still had sin. Thankfully, one day, we will not have that sin, and, with Him, the Fruit of the Spirit will be in ever bloom and ever bearing! Praise Yah, for we have been given a joy greater than sorrow!
The Messiah risked His life in John 7:14 to keep Sukkot. “And on the last day, the great day of the festival, Yahoshuah stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink. As the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38, please see all of John 7). The Messiah did not condemn the celebration of His festivals, but offered Himself as Living Water to those who would follow Him. Many religious leaders today have a problem with the idea that we should follow Yahoshuah’s claims, as did the priests of that time. After all, if He is true, they themselves are liars, for there is but One Rabbi. Pride prevented them from questioning their own supposed wisdom. They reasoned that since they did not believe it, it could not possibly be true.
Water is precious, and, in Biblical times, there were three main ways of obtaining it. You could build a cistern to collect the rain, but there was rarely enough rain, and the water soon became stale. Alternatively, you could dig a well, but this was no easy task, and bore no guarantee. However, the most prized source of water was a spring. Spring water, also known as living water, was the sweetest and purest water of all. It continued to flow even when other streams were dried up. This is the Heart of the Healer.
“And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of deliverance.” (Isaiah 12:3).
“And you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and you shall guard and do these laws. Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress, and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lewite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates. For seven days you shall observe a festival to Yahoweh your Elohim in the place which Yahoweh chooses, because Yahoweh your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing! Three times a year all your males appear before Yahoweh your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before Yahoweh empty-handed, but each one with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Yahoweh your Elohim which He has given you.” (Deuteronomy 16:12-17). We never appear empty handed, as this precious time of year is looked forward to, not a few months in advance, but as soon as it is over we once more look forward to the next Sukkot. We save up, and bring fine Challah, and we bring into our Sukkot the color of many fruits and vegetables in baskets. We eat before Him, and we are blessed to be able to help those who do not have such wealth. Yes, sometimes in money and food, but always in His Word.
“Let me dwell in Your Tent forever, let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” (Psalms 61:4). David wanted to tabernacle with Elohim forever, yes, but I wonder if in the eyes of David’s heart, he envisioned his desire, not just to be in the tent of the tabernacle, but to lay between to the angels on the Ark of the Covenant—to be upon the lap of Yahoweh’s radiance.
Let us remember that this is not our home, and, in the tent, we will know that one wonderful day we will be in His Sukkot. He commanded us to live in booths for one week to remember how He cared for us during our wilderness wanderings, and how we will live with Him in His reign. He went to prepare a place for us, and since He has gone to do so, He will return. As you build your booth here, I encourage you to look up with a smile, and know that He is preparing a Sukkot for you.
Sukkot is exceedingly enjoyable, but, at the same time, I find myself crying often. I do not want to be here anymore. I long to go home. I dwell in my flesh, my temporary Sukkot, but, in time, when death stings but once, I will be home. I love rehearsing Sukkot. It makes me yearn for His Kingdom and His way so much more every year … I yearn for when the day comes that I can Sukkot with my Saviour and all the friends, both human and animal, He has blessed me with because of Who He is. Praise Yahoweh for Sukkot! Praise Him for He is faithful! He remembers us. He remembers you! … This Sukkot … will not you return the favor, and remember Him enough to join Him in Sukkot?
…
… Goosebumps. Cold. Alone. Afraid. Is arrogance the only shelter? What of those who do not say yes to Him? What will they say if Yahoweh asks them upon first meeting, “I sent you the Word, I sent you prophets, and servants, and other speakers and writers; why wouldn’t you even set aside the day I blessed! Why wouldn’t you keep the Sabbath like My Son Whom I sent?”
“Well, what about Galatians?” or, “We kept a different one and that’s good enough. I’m not an Israelite!” is probably not going to be their response.
Deep down inside, most know the lie of the world’s festivals, and each of us knows fully that Yahoweh wants us to follow Him, just like a husband would prefer it if his wife followed him and not all the men of the world. His Hand is outstretched. Will you take it, and go where He goes? Or will you brush Him away whenever He does something Jewish? Remember the original word for Jewish? I hope and pray it does not offend you, and that it even causes you great joy, to be called Yahudim, which is to say: one who, belonging unto Yahoweh, gives Him praise. … Tell me, what could be more of a praise to Him than to love His Word enough to emulate Him in the Spirit of Joy? … Tell me.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.” (Romans 12:2).
We have much to learn from one another, Jews and Christians, but much more to forget. Let us turn away from breaking the Sabbath, from bitterness in the home, from begging prayer, from withholding tithe, from the festivals of the world, and enter in … The Sukkot of Yahoweh. Yahoshuah will lead you there. Satan will make you think he is leading you there. Sound alarm to the brothers and sisters trapped in church traditions, thinking they serve Yahoweh! Sound alarm first to your own heart! Sound alarm … for the days are indeed growing darker. But also sing, “Praise Yah!” for the darkness cannot shine, and but one candle can crush it, and what candle can compare to the Face of HaShem?
Praise Yah!
The eighth day is the great day of Sukkot, because we return to our own houses, and remember how, after the long dwelling in the wilderness, comes a happy settlement in the land of promise, where they / we dwelt in houses. It is good for those that have ease and plenty to learn what it is to endure hardness, so that they may never be naked, by always remembering to rely on Yahoweh. In celebrating, I also see what we have been freed from. I look at all the false teachings I have been freed from. I look at all the sins I have been released from. I look back, not in the emotion of the past, but to make sure I am truly racing towards the Promise Land. His Hand is my Guide. He is my Beloved. He is the finish line of my race. Look back, O Israel, and know you have escaped Egypt … only by His Grace. Look back, O America, and know we escaped men telling us we cannot understand the Scriptures. Look back, O dear brothers and sweet sisters, and see the false doctrines of men, and the traditions of men, laid to waste. Live in the Truth. Celebrate this amazing festival unto the Most High with the faith that He will continue to pull you out of Egypt, out of Babylon, out of sin. Make certain His yoke is still upon your neck, and your full heart’s desire is on Him as He celebrates His Festival of Sukkot with you.
“For in the day of evil He hides me in His booth; in the covering of His Tent He hides me; on a rock He raises me up. (Psalms 27:5).
“And Mosheh commanded them, saying, ‘At the end of seven years, at the appointed time, the year of release, at the Festival of Booths, when all Yisra’el comes to appear before Yahoweh your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisra’el in their hearing.’” (Deuteronomy 31:10-11).
Think about what the people would be like after this grand event! The entire encampment would be loud with people talking about His Great Deeds and Powerful Name. Farmers would talk about harvesting methods, Sabbaths, first fruits, and tithing. Women would speak on how to lift high up their appointed ones to the position that Yahoweh has called them to fulfill. Young children would not only hear the Torah, but they would see their parents obeying Him as well.
Granted, the people heard the priests speaking the Torah on Sabbath, as they do to this day, but this special appointed time was a great celebration as nothing was left out, and no man’s thoughts were put in between the lines. The Torah was read. I encourage you to read all of Scripture, but set for yourself a time, once every seven years, and on this feast, to read aloud all of Torah to your family and those who would hear.
Can you imagine the crowd of people during this event? Once upon a time, a child got lost in such a crowd, and a couple known as Mary and Joseph simply believed the Son to be with them. When they found that He was not, they raced back to find Him. They looked to the once bustling streets, but could not find Him. They looked to where the hundreds of thousands of tents had been, but could not find Him. They looked to where the women would share their crafts, but could not find Him. They went in desperation to the Temple. To look for Him? To pray? Perhaps both. When they arrived, there was Yahoshuah, amongst the scholars, He Himself above them all, about His Father’s business.
Growing in this new walk, the permanent walk of the Messiah, I feel as if I am only four or five years old, new to it all, one could even say a baby. Someday, though, I hope to be an adult in all of this. If you stumble or mess things up, take heart, it’s a rehearsal and not the play … yet. I have staggered into the feasts late, and messed things up several times. I do not boast in this, but I do boast in the Forgiver Who gave me the chance to try again, to keep loving Him better and better every day.
Every year people decorate their tent with the harvest of the land, with fruit and vegetables and stalks of grain, never with the cruelty of dead animals (Leviticus 23:40). The rehearsal of Sukkot reminds us of the vegan diet Yahoweh gave the Israelites, as well as in proclaiming Yahoweh’s Kingdom where the Lion and the Lamb shall lay down together and eat straw. Every year those who read the Torah, as it is a custom of millions, begin by reading the dietary desires of Elohim. They read Genesis 1:29. To take care of our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help feed hungry people, and seek and pursue peaceful testimony, is indeed in the Torah of Yahoweh. Let us, therefore, enhance our rejoicing by putting away the destruction of life, of men and women who will starve because of flesh eating, let us forfeit the table of gluttony, and instead take the cup of humility. This is Yahoweh’s Harvest Festival, not the Butcher’s Slaughtering Carnival.
Shavuot, Yahoweh’s Harvest Festival, reminds me that the Torah commands us farmers to leave the corners of our fields, and the gleanings of our harvests for the hungry. Many more people can be sustained on vegan / heavenly living, than on a diet of flesh, as resources are wasted and un-retrievable in raising animals for food, and doing so causes millions of people to die, and many more to suffer. This Shavuot, and all your days, I encourage you go an extra step, maybe even an extra mile, and eat in a manner that will not cause your brother to stumble, and in a way that will allow your tithe to truly blossom in love.
Much like there was with Passover, in which the full meaning has yet to be revealed, I wonder if there may be an approaching intermediate fulfilling of the feast of Sukkot. Will those who put their faith in the Commandments, and the Name Yahoshuah, be hunted? Sukkot is a means of preparing us for the day when we will once again be called to leave the comfort of exile, and head toward the land of Torah. One day we will once again be wandering through the wilderness, and living in booths, tents, and huts of leaves and branches, trusting that Yahoweh will deliver us and provide for us as we endure the refining fires of the tribulation. Therefore, let us learn now how to build Sukkot camps in the wilderness, how to tithe and share our resources, least we be poor as a body. May we know how and when to flee toward the land of Torah, and let us not be too late, and, above all, let us be preparing each generation for what yet lays ahead.
Yet, is there a hidden festival in the set apart time between the feasts, just as a melody is in the silence between the notes? There is a short time from the beginning (Genesis) to Passover. We count the days until Passover. We have the counting of an omer until Shavuot. Then, on the first of the seventh month, there is the blowing of the Shofar, reminding us of much. We fast and ask Yahoweh to search our hearts. We lay before Him in prayer as we Sukkot with Yah. We counted the days. Sure, we now wait to rehearse again, check when the barley will be Abib, and look to what He set in motion for His times; however, after Sukkot we do not have a set time to count. What does this mean? Could it be a symbol of eternity, where we will celebrate His feasts with Him forever?
Let us not rehearse the ways of Lot’s wife, by returning to the world, and not the Torah made manifest. Yes, while Yahoweh commands His people to rejoice before Him during the feast of Tabernacles, it is around this time that the world celebrates Halloween, and the ruler they have chosen for themselves.
The appointed times are over, well, actually, they are not. We still have the blessing that has kept Israel more than Israel has kept it. The weekly Sabbath. “And Yahoweh spoke to Mosheh, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’el, and say to them, “The appointed times of Yahoweh, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these: Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to Yahoweh in all your dwellings.”’” (Leviticus 23:1-3).
Yet, let us always remember it was not Moses that ultimately brought Israel to the Promised Land, but his successor, Yahoshuah. What does this signify? Yahoshuah (also the name of the sixth book of the Bible) has the same name as the Messiah, Yahoshuah. This teaches us that although Moses can show us the way to enter the Promised Land, it takes One Named Yahoshuah, to get us there. And someday, someday, He will return and take those who worship in Spirit and Truth with Him, to the Promise Land, to Sukkot with Him in His Kingdom. What a wonderful blessing to rehearse. What a wonderful gift to those who are native, and to those who are grafted in.
“And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, ‘See, the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim. And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away.’ And He who was sitting on the throne said, ‘See, I make all matters new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.’” (Revelation 21:3-7).
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
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Additional Scripture References:
1 John 4:19, Genesis 1:14, 33:17, Exodus 24:7-8, Luke 8:19-21, James 1:21-22, Deuteronomy 9:26-29, Isaiah 8:11-9:7, 44:3, 55:1, 58:11, Leviticus 22:26, Numbers 29, 1 Kings 8:2-21, John 1:10-14, John 7:37-44, Psalms 4:11-12, Luke 12:47, John 14:2-4, Psalms 27:4, 84:1-4
