The Feast of Tabernacles

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (vv33-36) … “Also, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days (vv39-43).

The week-long harvest festival was the most joyful of all the feasts, commemorating the dwelling of the Israelites in temporary booths (sukkot in Hebrew) during their 40-year sojourn in the Sinai desert. Many families build their own sukkah in which it is customary to eat meals and sleep.

It is also called the Festival of Ingathering celebrating the gathering in of the grapes, figs and olives that had ripened during the dry summer months. It was the autumn harvest festival held in late September or October. Jesus went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in October 29 AD (see John 7:1-14). Note the contrast between the great sorrow of the Day of Atonement in contrast to the great joy of the Feast of tabernacles.

In the spiritual renewal which took place under Ezra and Nehemiah, the post-exilic Jews celebrate the feast of Tabernacles for the first time after 70 years of exile,

“and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written. Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim” (Neh.8:15-16).

The feast anticipates the paradise of Eden restored, – the new heaven and the new earth.

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev.21:3).

The close of this season takes place on the eighth day. It was the closing festival of the whole year when Israel returned to their own homes.