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WHAT IS IT?
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) is also known as the Festival of Booths and is a 7-day long autumn festival that is one of the 8 Appointed Times given to us in Scripture! It begins with a High Sabbath on DAY 1 and ends with a special GATHERING and HIGH SABBATH on the 8th DAY.
Leviticus 23: 35-36
"On the fifteenth day of this seventh new moon is the Festival of Sukkot for seven days to Adonai. 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 Adonai. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work."
Although the festival is 7 days long, the set-apart gatherings on Day 1 and Day 8 are HIGH SABBATHS.
Leviticus 23: 39
'On the fifteenth day of the seventh new moon, when you gather in the fruit of the land, celebrate the festival of Adonai for seven days. On the first day is a rest, and on the eighth day a rest.'
We are commanded to gather 4 species of foliage with which we are to construct and decorate a dwelling place or booth, also known as a sukkah.
Leviticus 23:40
"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 Adonai your Elohim (GOD) for seven days."
It is a festival that is to be celebrated forever, for all our generations.
Leviticus 23:41
"And you shall celebrate it as a festival to Adonai for seven days in the year-a law forever in your generations. Celebrate it in the seventh new moon."
We are commanded to dwell in booths, or sukkahs, for 7 days as a remembrance of our heritage as grafted-in believers of the Most-High GOD of Israel.
Leviticus 23:42-43
"Dwell in booths for seven days; all who are native born in Israel dwell in booths, so that your generations know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your Elohim (GOD)."
MESSIANIC APPLICATION
Believers in Messiah recognize that just as Adonai TABERNACLED with the Israelites in the WILDERNESS, He then sent His Son the MESSIAH to TABERNACLE among us, followed by His Set-apart SPIRIT which TABERNACLES WITHIN us, and finally we will one day TABERNACLE WITH ADONAI (GOD).
Messiah is the tabernacle (dwelling place) of Adonai (GOD), as in Him dwelt the fullness of Adonai (GOD).
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and PITCHED HIS TENT AMONG US, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favor and truth.
Colossians 2:9
Because in Him DWELLS all the COMPLETENESS OF ELOHIM-NESS (GOD) bodily
Some believe that Sukkot is the time of Yeshua's (Jesus's) birth, and therefore celebrate His birth during this festival.
Sukkot is a remembrance of our humble beginnings when Adonai (GOD) brought His Set-apart People out of Egypt where they dwelt in tabernacles (tents) and He set up a tabernacle for Himself among them.
It is a time to remember WHOSE WE ARE, that He SENT HIS SON, and that one day man will again TABERNACLE with ADONAI (GOD).
HOW TO OBSERVE
We are to REMEMBER. We can do this by reading Scripture and walking out each of the details for the command to observe.
We are to DWELL IN BOOTHS, or temporary dwellings.
We are to bring OFFERINGS MADE BY FIRE. Historically, offerings made by fire were brought each of the 7 days of the festival, ending with offerings made by fire on the 8th and final day. Even though we are without the temple and Levitical priesthood, we may still bring "offerings made by fire" in accordance with Scripture.
We are to REST. We are to refrain from servile work.
We are to GATHER. Since we are a dispersed People, it can be difficult to find fellowship locally. However, some of us may be able to drive to find fellowship, while others may find fellowship online.
***Regardless of how you are lead by the Spirit to observe this festival, what we do know is that we MUST observe this Appointed Time as it is a statute that remains FOREVER for the Set-Apart people of the Creator, including those sojourners who are grafted in.***
Obedience is better than sacrifice!
(1 Samuel 15: 22)