The Feast of Tabernacles in Biblical Context

 Title: Understanding the Feast of Tabernacles

Introduction:

The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot, is an important Jewish festival celebrated in the fall. It's one of three major festivals, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) in the spring and the Feast of Weeks in the summer (Pentecost). These festivals have historical and agricultural significance. In this explanation, we'll explore the history of the Feast of Tabernacles and how it became part of Jewish tradition.

Historical Background:

Long ago, when the early Israelites arrived in Canaan, they found the local people celebrating a special harvest festival. This festival, though initially not Israelite origin, held great cultural and agricultural importance. Over time, the Israelites adapted this festival for themselves and changed it to honor their God, Yahweh. We can see hints of this in the Book of Judges. It tells us about the people of Shechem who stopped worshiping Yahweh and started worshiping a god named Baal-berith (Judges 9:27). They celebrated the harvest by eating and drinking at their god's sanctuary. This was very similar to the Canaanite harvest festival.

Incorporation into Israelite Worship:

The harvest festival also became part of Israelite worship. In the Book of Judges, it mentions that the daughters of Shiloh would dance in the vineyards during "the yearly feast of Yahweh at Shiloh."(Judges 21:19-21). This shows that the harvest festival became part of how the Israelites worshiped Yahweh. The first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch, talk about a festival calendar that includes these three feasts (Lev. 23:33-44; Deut. 16:13-15). This helps us understand how the Feast of Tabernacles changed over time.

New Testament References:

In the New Testament, in the book of John, it mentions the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus was initially hesitant to go but later went secretly. During the feast, Jesus taught some important things. He said, "If anyone is thirsty, they can come to me and drink." ( John 7:37). Some commentators think Jesus said this because of the special things that happened during the feast, like pouring out water and bright lights. These sayings by Jesus become more important when connected to the Feast of Tabernacles.

Conclusion:

The Feast of Tabernacles started as a local harvest festival among the Canaanites but was adopted and changed by the Israelites to honor Yahweh. In the New Testament, Jesus used the festival to teach important lessons about himself, like being a source of spiritual refreshment (Living water) and light.

In His Service,

Yovena Pierre-Louis

Bible Teacher, MDiv. in Biblical Studies