Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:41-43
This past week has been the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot in Hebrew). I’ve been remembering the sukkah (booth/tent) I built at JUC last year. After the time of introspection and repentance leading up to Yom Kippur, this is a great celebration. God commanded his people to live in tents (sukkot) for a week to remember how they lived in booths for forty years in the wilderness. In keeping with the command, my brother and I built a sukkah in our living room. Technically it’s supposed to be built outside, but we’re wimps on these cool and rainy days and it’s just easier to build inside. It’s fun to have this little cozy place to retreat to during the festival. We’ve also had the joy that a couple in our small group built a sukkah where we gathered Friday evening.
As we celebrate this festival, we are reminded that this world is not the end. God has something even better than this world planned for us. This world, like a tent, is temporary. God has prepared a better tabernacle for us. As it says, “Now the [tabernacle] of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4-5) Then the troubles of this world will be over and we can truly celebrate!
