‘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 YHVH 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 YHVH your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to YHVH for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am YHVH your God.’ Lev 23:39-43
T A B E R N A C L E S C O M M A N D M E N T S
1. Celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th month through the 21st day, for seven days.
Then YHVH 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 YHVH.’ ” Lev 23:33-34
“You shall keep it as a feast to YHVH for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.” Lev 23:41
Biblical days begin at sunset with the setting of the sun, and run from one sunset to the next. In the biblical calendar, the start of the 15th day would be at sunset at the end of the 14th day.
2. A Sabbath of rest from labor on the first (and eighth) days.
“You shall do no customary work on it.” Lev 23:35
Customary work is one’s daily toil to provide an income. Not every activity is prohibited on an annual Sabbath; and food may be prepared that is needed for that day.
Melakah, “Work,” Strong’s H4399
3. The holy convocation.
Nehemiah 8 contains a description of a holy convocation as is commanded on feast days and holidays.
And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of YHVH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.” Lev 23:1-2
A convocation is an assembly of persons who have been called together (Webster’s). In Hebrew, it is from the root word meaning “to call, to call out, to cry out, to proclaim, to summon.” A holy convocation is an assembly of called out ones. We have been called out of the world, out of the nations, out of bondage, out of captivity, out of living for ourselves. We have been called together to worship the true God, Creator of heaven and earth.
Nehemiah 8 and 9, and a holy convocation on a feast day
4. The offering made by fire.
“For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to YHVH.” Lev 23:36
Since there are no offerings on the altar today, how do we have an offering made by fire on the feast day?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1
We become a living offering made by fire ourselves: living whole burnt offerings. Whole, because we love YHVH our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Burnt, because Yeshua baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire, so that we become like the burning bush ourselves, which burns with fire and the presence of God, but which is not consumed (Exo 3:1-3). And offering, because we are crucified with Messiah, and we are no longer living for ourselves, but for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal 2:20).
5. A harvest festival, and commandments concerning harvest festivals.
The Feast of Tabernacles is the third and final annual harvest festival commanded in Scripture, celebrated “when you have gathered in the crops of the land” (Exo 23:16). The grain has already been harvested: the barley at the Feast of Firstfruits (Resurrection Sunday) in the spring, and the wheat at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) in the summer. This feast, sometimes called the Feast of Ingathering in Scripture, celebrates the harvest of everything else: fruits, grapes, olives, etc.
The harvest festivals (Firstfruits, Weeks, Tabernacles), 1 Cor 15
Appearing before YHVH.
And you shall observe the feast of weeks, even of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord YHVH, the God of Israel. Exo 34:22-23
The firstfruits tithe of the harvest.
“… none shall appear before Me empty; and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. … The choicest firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of YHVH your God. Exo 23:15-19
The Firstfruits tithe and the harvest festivals
Rejoicing.
“And you shall rejoice in your feast: you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man servant, and your maid servant; and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a feast to YHVH your God in the place which YHVH shall choose; because YHVH your God shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful. Deu 16:14-15
We rejoice with great joy, because God has blessed the labor of our hands, so that we have food to eat, and a roof over our head, and liberty to serve Him in the manner He proscribes! He is good and generous with His blessings, and being joyful, and thankful, is an act of worship!
Because you did not serve YHVH your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom YHVH will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything … Deu 28:47-48
6. Dwelling in booths, and decorations.
“And you shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before YHVH your God seven days. … You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are native born in Israel shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am YHVH your God.” Lev 23:40-43
T A B E R N A C L E S in the G R E E K T E S T A M E N T
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Mat 1:22-23
And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled – Greek) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Joh 1:14
I believe Jesus was born on the first day of this feast, and circumcised on the eighth day, since He ministered for 3-1/2 years before He was crucified or “cut off.” Tabernacles celebrates that God tabernacled among Israel in the wilderness, and that in Messiah, God is with us.
Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see Your works which You do.” Joh 7:2-3
Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” But He said this about the Spirit, which those believing in Him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified. Joh 7:37-39
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Rev 19:6-9
This feast also foreshadows the week- long marriage supper of the Lamb, as the parable of the ten virgins teaches us: Jesus is returning as a Bridegroom for His bride! Hebrew weddings were week-long celebrations, and this feast is the most joyous of all the feasts. This is the only feast where seven days of rejoicing is commanded!
A D D I T I O N A L S T U D I E S
A Spiritual Tabernacles 2018 sep 25
A Practical Tabernacles 2018 sep 24
Feast of Tabernacles Scriptures 2018 sep 23
Studies for the Feast of Tabernacles 2015 oct 10
Prophetic significance of the Tabernacles offerings 2015 apr 4
When to celebrate the fall feast days (navigating the different calendars) 2013 sep 05
The Firstfruits tithe and the harvest festivals 2013 mar 11
Christmas and Sabbath-keeping (or, How to set apart a holy day) 2012 dec 31
The harvest festivals (Firstfruits, Weeks, Tabernacles), 1 Cor 15 2010 nov 25
Feast of Tabernacles 2009 oct 02
Feast of Tabernacles, an explanation 2008 oct 13
Celebrating Tabernacles 2008 oct 15
Tabernacles menus
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