Sermon Tone Analysis

Sukkot Eve, October 9, 2022 – FBC New Castle

Intro

This year we’ve been looking at the three Pilgrimage Feasts that God commanded to be celebrated every year by the people of Israel – Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

For the sake of time, we are not going to spend a lot of time recapping the first two Feasts – Passover and Pentecost (sometimes called the Feast of Weeks).

You can go back in the recordings on the web page or Facebook or YouTube and look at those again.

We even have a Podcast now!

What I WILL say is that we saw that Passover had three components.

First, what it meant historically (what God wanted them to remember during the feast).

Second, it had what it meant in the “Now” (what difference did it make in the life of the people of God).

Third, it had the “Not Yet” component (what is still left that will happen in the future).

Pentecost, sometimes called the Feast of Weeks, has three components – the Historical, the “Now,” and the “Not Yet.”

These first two Pilgrimage feasts that God ordained (hundreds of years earlier) to be celebrated for all time – became the two biggest days in the life of the Church.

It only makes sense that the third Pilgrimage Feast would be the next great day in the life of the church.

And if the pattern continues there will be three components to the Feast of Tabernacles – The Historical component, the “Now” component, and the “Not Yet” component.

So, the more we know about the historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles, and how and why the Jews celebrate this third feast, the more likely we will be able to recognize the third great day in the life of the church when it occurs.

PRAY

Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles – Feast of Ingathering

The Historical Component of the Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles is sometimes called the Feast of Ingathering.

Observant Jews call it Sukkot which means huts, or shelters, or tabernacles.

As we talk about it today, we’ll use the term Feast of Tabernacles.

It is the third in a series of Pilgrimage feasts that were designed to help people remember what God had done.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time to remember God’s protection and provision during Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert between Mt.

Sinai and the Promised Land.

It is also a celebration of the final harvest of the agricultural year.

The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated for eight days.

Traditionally, Jewish families make shelters (or huts) and spend as much time as possible living in these shelters during the feast.

They party, celebrate family, read torah, and remember.

It’s a feast – so there’s eating, drinking, spending time with family, and remembering the provision and protection of God.

This is the historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles.

This is what they were supposed to remember.

Passover and Pentecost correlate to the two greatest days in the life of the church.

But this third Feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, hasn’t yet had a corelating event in the life of the church.

So, we’re going to have to make some educated guesses about the “Not Yet” part of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Since the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated after the final harvest of the year, the “Not Yet” component will be celebrated after the final harvest of souls.

Since it was celebrated after Israel entered the Promised Land, we will celebrate it after the Day of Judgement when we have entered into the Promised New Heaven and New Earth.

And since it is a celebration of God’s Protection and Provision during Israel’s wandering in the desert, it will be the greatest feast in the life of the church celebrating God’s protection and provision during our earthly lives.

Some would say that this is the prophesied “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” found in Revelation 19:6-9.

It hasn’t happened yet, but I think the typology and parallels are so aligned that this is clearly the “Not Yet” component of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The third great day in the life of the church will be after the final harvest of souls, and after the Day of Judgment, when we enter the Promised New Heaven and New Earth (The Kingdom of God).

It will be the greatest celebration in the life of the church.

So, we know the Historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles.

And we’re pretty sure we know the “Not Yet” component of The Feast of Tabernacles.

But what about the “Now” component?

Passover had all three: the historical, “Now,” and “Not Yet.” Pentecost had the historical, “Now,” and “Not Yet.”

The Feast of Tabernacles should have an historical, a “Now,” and a “Not Yet.”

As we look at scripture, we see how and when The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated, and a theme appears that highlights the “Now” portion of The Feast of Tabernacles.

Where does Scripture talk about the Feast of Tabernacles?

There are four places where we see God’s command to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and they all say pretty much the same thing (Exodus 23:14-17; Exodus 34:18-24; Deuteronomy 16:13-17; Leviticus 23:39-43).

Let’s look at Leviticus 23.

Leviticus 23:39-43 – “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days.

On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year.

It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

You shall dwell in booths for seven days.

All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

But there are other places in Scripture that also talk about the Feast of Booths that are kind of interesting.

Let’s look at when Solomon built the first temple.

You can find the story in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5-7.

These Scriptural accounts talk about how King Solomon finished building the Temple (the first Temple) and how he placed inside the Temple all of the furnishings that David had prepared in advance for Temple worship.

We see all the families of Israel gathering in the seventh month and the priests bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple.

Then Solomon prays a prayer of dedication.

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer [of dedication], fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.”

(2 Chronicles 7:1-2)

Then Solomon sacrifices thousands of oxen and sheep to God.

The musicians sing songs of worship accompanied by all kinds of instruments.

There were so many sacrifices that they had to consecrate a large part of the middle court because the normal altar was too small to contain them.

2 Chronicles 7:8-10 - At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt [from the North to the South.]

And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast [of Tabernacles] seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the LORD had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

In this story we see that Solomon built the temple, and inside it he placed the Ark of the Covenant and all the utensils for worship.

Then the Glory of the Presence of the Lord filled the temple and was so intense that the priests physically could not enter the temple.

They spent seven days celebrating and dedicating the altar to God, and then spent another eight days celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles.

They dedicate the altar, the Spirit of God shows up, and then they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Fast forward to after the Kingdom is divided – North and South; the northern ten tribes of Israel are sent into exile by Assyria and about 125 years later the southern two tribes of Judah are sent into exile by Babylon.

Near the end of the 70-year exile to Babylon we see that the Israelites were given permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the altar of the Lord that had been destroyed.

They begin offering sacrifices to God again.

Ezra 3:1-6 – When the seventh month came, … they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.

And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, … From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD.

But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

So, this was after the altar had been rebuilt, but before the Temple was rebuilt.

At the end of exile, once they restored the worship of God, they immediately celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.

In Nehemiah we see that after they rebuilt the Temple the same thing happens.

Nehemiah 8:13-18 – On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law.

And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”

So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.

And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so.

And there was very great rejoicing.

18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God.

They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

Can you see the pattern?

Solomon builds and dedicates the Temple, the Presence of God fills the Temple, and they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

In Ezra we see that as the exile is ending, they rebuild the altar, reestablish the worship of God, and they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

After the Temple was rebuilt, the people of God gather for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.

In all three instances, after the place of worship is built, true worship is reestablished, and the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated.

In John 7, Jesus extends and enhances this pattern during the Feast of Tabernacles.

What Did Jesus Mean?

John 7:37-39 – On the last day of the feast, the great day (the eighth day), Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.