26 September 2010 (Rishon/Pesach)
Day #194, 5934 AM
Sukkot #4 Up Tents!
The Miracle of the Feast of Tabernacles
My children have always loved Sukkot probably because this is a festival the smaller children can easily relate to, filled as it is with so much fun. We've been celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in our home now for 11 years so two of my children have grown up with a house full of tents at this time of year. Because of the climate here in Sweden, we have to have our tents indoors, usually four in number - one over our dining room table, one in our meeting room, and two in the children's living room for sleeping in at night. The one in the meeting room is our main one and so decorated with the best we have:
Family Meeting Room Sukkah
We live in tents at this time of the year to represent both our dependency on Yahweh for our physical needs as well as to ackowledge the bestowed the blood covering of Yah'shua over our spirits by emunah (faith). This tent, sukkah, tabernacle or booth was originally a temporary shelter and dwelling place for the journey of the children of Israel through the desert wilderness of Sinai, just as our mortal physical bodies are temporary houses or tents for our spirits during earth-life:
"Do you not know that your body (sukkah) is the temple of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) who is in you, whom you have from Elohim (God), and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify Elohlm (God) in your body (sukkah) and in your spirit, which are Elohim's (God's)" (1 Cor.6:19-20, NKJV).
The sukkah we use in our dining room is getting bent and flimsy because of age, reminding us of how our physical bodies eventually wear out too. We have to take care of our physical bodieds as best we can for as long as we have them but more importantly than that, we must adequately nourish our immortal spirits with the Davar Emet - the Word of Truth:
"Man shall not live by lechem (bread) alone, but by every davar (word) that proceeds from the mouth of Elohim (God)" (Matt.4:4, NKJV).
We chose to have a sukkah over our dining room table precisely to remind us of that.
Dining Room Sukkah
Another thing I like about Sukkot is its simplicity, reminding us that before Yahweh we are all equal - we none of us earned our salvation. During the dedication of the First Temple in Jerusalem, which took place on Sukkot, Solomon asked soberly: "Will Elohim (God) indeed dwell on the earth?" (1 Kings 8:27, NKJV). There is no doubt that Yahweh came and dwelt in that Temple because of the amazing manifestations that took place on that special day, but like most inspired questions, there was more than one answer: Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would later enter a taberbacle of flesh and dwell amongst His people Israel, albeit it temporarily (John 1:14). Elohim dwelt temporarily amongst men physically as well as spritually, pointing to the time we await - at the last Sukkot - when He will come to physically dwell with us permanently during the Millennium.
We have not been left alone. Elohim now dwells IN us as the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)! We are tents both for our own spirits and for His. Sukkot, then, is exceedingly good news!
Would you like the living Elohim (God) to come and dwell in your sukkah of flesh-and-blood? If you have never received Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) as your Master (Lord) and Deliverer (Saviour), and would like Him to empower you with His ahavah (love), and simcha (joy) and give you the assurance of eternity, why not sincerely invite Him now and covenant to obey Him in all things? You will then dwell in a sukkah that will protext your soul and give you real rest and shalom.
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