Look Back Up Again

This is the party of the year! This is the time in which God commanded that there be joy and praise and worship. It’s a 7 day party in a hut; but when you look up through the ceiling, it gives us an even better message. Let’s find out.

So let's start off with the basic question; What is Sukkot? Well, you can find it in Leviticus 23:33-43. It’s also called the feast of ingathering (Hag Ha-Asif) in which grapes and olives would be gathered at this time. It is celebrated 5 days after Yom Kippur which we talked about last time. And just like every other feast has a commemoration tied to it, this one commemorates the protection of God while the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years.

So now we know a little of what this is, Now let's see what would happen. During this festival, The Jewish people, 'till this day, build sukkahs (booths or huts in Hebrew). They would even live in these boots for the entire 7 days this feast is celebrated. back when the Temple was here, the people would even come with a sacrifice to present to God; especially the men since this was a pilgrimage festival. On the 7th day, the priests would perform a water pouring ritual and then gather then men and boys and pray the Priestly blessing over them.

Now, since we know a little of what this celebrating is and what would take place; now we can enter here. Just like we have been seeing in the past feasts, they all have a message underlining within. One of the rules about setting a sukkah was that the builder could not completely cover the top of the booth, they had to give space to see the sky and stars. So when you would look up from the inside of the booth it would say:

1) Look Back Up and Never Forget. Sometimes in our blessings we tend to forget who got us to that position. As it said in the beginning, this feast commemorates the protection of God while the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years. This reminded you that it was God who provided and protected us. Sometimes it helps to look back up.

2) Look Up The King is Coming Again! This celebration has the prophetic meaning of Jesus finally stepping his foot on Earth again. This time He is coming back as king. Some Jewish scholars believe that the theme of royal renewal as the covenant of kingship was renewed at this festival. Surprisingly, this is the only feast that Jews and Christians can come and celebrate together openly. And it will remain so; just as it says in Zechariah 14:16-17.

This is what you get out of a booth. But before Jesus comes back; can he enter into your personal sukkah (booth)? Will you allow Him to enter into your heart? That’s your decision.