This is our last post in the series on the Feasts of Israel and was the last feast in the Jewish religious year held on 15th to 21st Tishri, five days after the day of atonement. It is found in Leviticus 23:33-40:
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.) So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 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 temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”’ So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.”
During this festival the Israelites would live in temporary shelters, this is symbolic of us currently living in temporary shelters in terms of our physical bodies and the feast of tabernacles symbolizes when Jesus will come again and then we will all receive permanent bodies when we go to heaven to live in His presence.
There were two rituals associated with the feast of tabernacles which also represent Jesus. The one was the pouring of water which signified both the rain coming on Israel but also their prayers for salvation through the Messiah. Jesus was at this festival when He was on earth and we are told that just as they were getting to this part of the festival Jesus said, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ And so we see that this ritual of the pouring of water refers to Jesus as our Living Water.
The second ritual was the lighting of the temple. In this ritual they thanked God for the sun which was necessary for the harvest and they also recognized God as the true Light. Once again this represents Jesus as the light of the world. This Jesus also proclaimed at the feast of tabernacles (john 8:12) and so showed the Jews that He was the fulfilment of the feast of tabernacles.
We trust that you have enjoyed this series with us. On Wednesday we will be starting a series looking at the garments the High Priest wore and the significance of these.
