SIGN, SYMBOL, AND SIGNIFICANCE
Ordinary Time - Part 8
Sukkot (aka Booths, Feast of Tabernacles, THE Feast)
“Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and branches of trees with thick branches and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days (Lev 23:40).
It’s party time! Sukkot is a week-long celebration of the bounty that God has provided. Not feeling it? What bounty, you ask? Guess what? The verse above is a command from God to REJOICE! What? When the paycheck does not cover all the bills? When the cost of absolutely everything is skyrocketing? YES! REJOICE! Despite adversity – REJOICE! Turn that frown upside down and smile!
Scripture is full of examples of rejoicing in trials, or difficult times. Psalm 118 is the Great Hallel Psalm. It was sung as the people went up to Jerusalem for the feast. “Give thanks to the Eternal because He is always good. He never ceases to be loving and kind…It is better to put your trust in the Eternal for your security than to trust in people (Ps 118:1, 8).”
Sukkot is a fun week of gathering outside for meals and hanging out with friends and family. Ceremonially, acknowledging all that God has done is an important element in the feast. Waving the lulav is a sign and symbol of acknowledging all that God has provided. It gives the feast a special significance in the action of waving overhead the branches and citron.
Eating outside, under the stars, and remembering that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens is also a good reminder for us that God keeps His promises. He has never failed and will never fail. Thanks be to God!
Whether or not you build a sukkah this week is not as important as remembering to be thankful and rejoice. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thess 5:18).
God gave the festivals as a way for His children to not only order their lives but so that they would remember where their very existence came from. As Christ-followers we should order our lives in such a way that God is honored, and others see the Light that shines within us. “People do their best making plans for their lives, but the Eternal guides each step” (Prov 16:9). Moving through these seasons helps us in the ‘ordering’ of our lives and guides us in our priorities. The First Testament gives so many examples of God blessing His people when they followed His laws and commands. These examples should be role models for how we live. When we bless God, He blesses us. Sukkot is about bringing in the first-fruits of the harvest. What are your ‘first-fruits’? Whenever I would purchase a new outfit, I would wear it to church the first time I wore it. It was a way for me to thank God for giving me the wherewithal to have a new outfit.
At the end of King David’s life, he blessed the Eternal in a prayer before the assembly, “All that is great and powerful and glorious and victorious and majestic is Yours, O Eternal One. Wealth and glory come from You, and You rule over them all. All our offerings come from You, so we can give You nothing that isn’t already Yours…”(1 Chron 29).
This week, I challenge you to rejoice that the Lord is King! Rejoice in all the ways he has blessed you. Even in the tough times, we find ourselves, let us not get weary but rejoice! May your rejoicing be not just symbolic but truly significant in your life this week.
Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! (Phil 4:4).
Chag Sameach!
Shalom!
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