The
Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th day of the 7th month and lasts for 7 days (Leviticus 23:34)
The Feast of Tabernacles was to be celebrated by the Israelites
dwelling in "booths" (Hebrew, "Sukkot") to commemorate their temporary dwelling places during
the widerness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Leviticus 23:42-43)
At the outset of the wilderness journey, God commanded
Moses that Israel build His "Booth" (Hebrew, "Sukkah"), i.e. the "Tabernacle" (Hebrew,
"Mishkan") to be His "Sanctuary" in the Desert, so that He may dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8-9)
and it was to be patterned after the heavenly one which God showed him "in the mount" (Hebrews 8:5 cf. Exodus 25:40)
God's presence among His people was manifested in the
"cloud by day" and in the "pillar of fire by night" (Exodus 13:20-22), which accompanied them all thru their wilderness journey and shined
over His Tabernacle in their midst (Exodus 40:34-38)
The Feast of Tabernacles is known as the Feast of the
"Dedication", because Solomon dedicated the Temple of the Lord during the Feast of Tabernacles (II Chronicles 7:7-11)
The Feast of Tabernacles is known as the "Season
of Our Joy", because it follows Teshuvah (the "Season of Repentance") and Yom Kippur (the "Day
of Covering", i.e. the "Day of Atonement") after which Israel can again have fellowship with the
Lord and, thus, typifies Israel's restored and permanent fellowship with Him at His Return (Isaiah 4:3-6)
The Feast of Tabernacles is called the Feast of "Ingathering",
because as the final Fall festival before winter - all the produce of the field, the orchard, and the vineyard
are "gathered in" (Exodus 23:16) and, thus, typifies the final harvest of the redeemed at the end of
the kingdom age (Matthew 13:23-30,36-43 cf. I Corinthians 15:24-28)
PropheticFulfillment
The Feast of Tabernacles in which Israel was to "rejoice
before the Lord their God" (Leviticus 23:39-40) after an accomplished atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28) foreshadows the "times of refreshing from the presence of the
Lord" (Acts 3:19-21)
Following Israel's mourning for rejection of Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-14)
will come Israel's rejoicing in Messiah (Isaiah 61:1-6)
The Lord's presence will be on the "throne of His
glory", on which He will descend accompanied by His angelic hosts to receive His kingdom "which shall
not pass away" (Matthew 24:29-30 cf. Daniel 7:13-14)
In the Tabernacle, it is the cherubim who look down upon
the mercy seat, i.e. the ark covering (Exodus 25:18-20) upon which the blood of the atonement was sprinkled (Leviticus 16:15-17)
It is the cherubim who lead in the praise of the Lord
about His blood of redemption shed for His people who will share in His reign at His return (Revelation 5:6-10)
In Israel's Messianic kingdom - those of the nations who
join themselves to Israel (Zechariah 8:22-23) in fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) will also have their sacrifices and worship accepted by Israel's God
in His house (Isaiah 56:6-7)
During the Feast of Tabernacles - at the end of every
7 years - at the end of the land's Sabbath (Leviticus 25:2-5), the Law was to be read before Israel "in their hearing"
(Deuteronomy 31:10-11)
Israel historically rarely experienced this blessing (Nehemiah 8:14-18)
This blessing will have its consummate fulfillment in
Israel's Messianic kingdom when the "Word of the Lord (the Law) will go forth from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3)
and "will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9)
SpiritualApplication
Just as the Feast of Tabernacles was the time for Israel
to "rejoice before their God" (Leviticus 23:39-40), so Paul exhorts the believer to always "rejoice in the Lord"
(Philippians 4:4)
The reason why the believer is always able to "rejoice
in the Lord" (Philippians 4:4) with "moderation" ("patience") is because for
the believer - "the Lord is at hand", i.e. He is always near (Philippians 4:5)
The Lord is as near as the believer's spirit for the Lord
and the believer are joined together as one spirit just as surely as Adam and Eve were joined together as one flesh
(I Corinthians 6:16-17)
Just as the Feast of Tabernacles commemorated God's presence
among His people (Israel) thru all their wilderness journey (Leviticus 23:42-43 cf. Exodus 13:20-22), so Paul says that the believer's body is the "temple of the
Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 6:19)
The Lord purchased the believer "lock, stock, and
barrel" - the believer's "body and spirit" - with the redemption price of His own blood (I Corinthians 6:20 cf.
Acts 20:28)
Its Christ's very own presence thru His indwelling Spirit
that enables the believer to render the believer's sin-cursed body "dead to sin and alive unto God" (Romans 8:9-11)
as the believer learns to "reckon" ("trust") his/her identification with Christ in His death
to sin (Romans 6:9-11)
Just as the Feast of Tabernacles points to the "times
of refreshing" (Acts 3:19 cf. Daniel 12:13) when Israel shall fully experience its earthly inheritance in resurrection
(Ezekiel 37:12-14), so too shall the Church fully experience its heavenly inheritance
in resurrection (Philippians 3:20-21)