Jews around the world are celebrating Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles – right now.  The 8-day celebration marks the end of the agricultural year and is, thus, a thanksgiving celebration.  Deuteronomy 16:13-15 describes the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) as a joyful celebration, and the Torah commands three things regarding the festival:

1. Gather four types of foliage and branches. (Leviticus 23:40)
2. Rejoice before the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:13-15; Leviticus 23:40)
3. Live in a sukkah (Leviticus 23:42)

Sukkot commemorates the 40-year wilderness journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land.  While the Hebrew people were wandering in the desert, they lived in temporary shelters, commemorated now by living, or at least eating, in a sukkah (booth) during the days of the feast.

The gathering of foliage is an image of the agricultural “thanksgiving” of a successful harvest season.  It was cause for rejoicing.  In addition, torches were carried around the temple, shining brightly on the walls to demonstrate the light of the Messiah.  Also, the priest drew water from the Pool of Siloam, brought it to the temple, and poured it into a silver basin beside the altar, asking the Lord to send replenishing rain.

The water ceremony is not only symbolic of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus spoke amazing words while in Jerusalem during the celebration of the water ceremony:

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying,
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”  ~John 7:37-38

Then, the very next day, He harkened back to the torch light in the temple, when He spoke to the people, saying:

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  ~John 8:12

So, as believers, what do we take from this most joyous Jewish festival?  Here are a few thoughts:

• Our very own Thanksgiving (in America and other nations) is somewhat a replica of the ancient ceremony of sukkot, in that it is thanksgiving for the Lord’s abundant provision.
• For Jews, one of the very most important events in history was God’s deliverance of them from Egypt. Thus, they commemorate by living in a sukkah (plural = sukkot) as remembrance of their journey from bondage to freedom.  This is but a shadow of the great redemption our Lord Jesus has provided in our deliverance from bondage into freedom!
• In the wilderness, the Israelites lived in tabernacles (booths). John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Jesus came to “tabernacle” among us!
• The rituals performed in the ceremonies were all pictures of Jesus Christ! The pouring out of water was symbolic of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  (In Scripture, water is often a symbol of the Holy Spirit.)  Furthermore, while the people focused on that water, Jesus cried out, inviting all to come to Him and drink!  Finally, the torch ceremony was simply a dim picture of Jesus declaring Himself to be the Light of the world!

What a joyous feast it must have been in Jerusalem in those days.  But, the Living Water has come, and the Light of the World now tabernacles with us.  Jesus has fulfilled Sukkot!

Beginning tonight, Feast of Tabernacles celebrations from Israel will be live streamed from Israel.  I encourage you to join with believers from around the world in celebration of the Living Water and the Light of the World!  (These celebrations are sponsored by the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, and are Messianic celebrations.)

Update:  I logged in briefly to the live stream…it is worth checking out!

More tomorrow, so check back…!