The Beginner's Guide to the Feast of Tabernacles

Are you new to celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and the other biblical holidays? Are you wondering why to take part in Tabernacles, when it is, what the Bible says about it, or who should celebrate it? This post will go over the details for you and make observing this time doable and spiritually meaningful as a believer in Messiah.

What you need to know about the Feast of Tabernacles:

-It is an eight-day holiday that typically happens in the early fall (in the northern hemisphere).

-The first and last days are considered Sabbaths, which means we shouldn't work on them.

-The Hebrew name for this holiday is Sukkot, which is the plural form of the Hebrew word for temporary dwelling or tent.

-Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, or even the Feast of Tents can be used interchangeably with Tabernacles.

-The Bible tells us we should rejoice at this time!

-The eight day of Tabernacles is considered very special. The New Testament calls it, "the last and greatest day." 

Spiritual significance of the Feast of Tabernacles:

-Sukkot is the time when we remember God's promise that he will dwell with us!

-The Bible tells us that we should participate in Tabernacles as a way to commemorate and remember that the Israelites lived in tents when God brought them out of Egypt.

-It is believed that the Messiah was born during the Feast of Tabernacles. Some scholars say that he wasn't born in a manger but rather a sukkah!

-Tabernacles comes up frequently in the Bible, as do mentions of sukkahs or booths - like when Peter suggests they could build booths to commemorate seeing Moses and Elijah with the Savior.

Where the Feast of Tabernacles is in Scripture: 

-Exodus 23:16

-Leviticus 23:34

-Deuteronomy 16:13-15

-Ezra 3:4

-Nehemiah 8:14-18

-Zechariah 14:16-20

-John 7     

These are direct mentions of Sukkot in the Bible. There are lots of other mentions of sukkahs and booths that hint indirectly at the Feast of Tabernacles. These appear everywhere from the Psalms to the birth of the Messiah to the book of Revelation. 

How to observe the Feast of Tabernacles:

-Take the first and last days off of work, errands, homework, and household chores. Honor YHWH with your full attention on these days. Work is permitted on the other days, but if possible you could cut back in order to have more time to enjoy this holiday.

-Come up with some sort of tabernacle. Some people go camping for the full duration of the holiday, others pitch a tent and sleep out in their backyard. Others travel, or put up some sort of sukkah or canopy in their yard or on a balcony to spend time in and eat meals in. Come up with a way to have a temporary dwelling during this time.

-Worship. Sukkot is about remembering what God has done and praising him for it. It's an opportunity to remember the miracles in the Bible - like his people surviving for forty years in the desert, but also to look back on where you have seen God at work in your life and community. 

-Bring joy. Since joy is a tenant of Tabernacles, be intentional about doing something to bring someone else joy. Make time to visit an elderly person, pay off a child's school lunch account, compliment a stranger, donate to a good cause. Find ways to bring joy this season.

-Gather with other believers, if possible. Attend congregation if that's an option or think about inviting friends and family over for Bible study, worship, or fellowship time.

-Provide for the homeless or displaced. Think about a service project you could do to remember those in need during this time. That could be volunteering at a homeless shelter, sponsoring an orphaned child, sending care packages to those in need, or sending money to a ministry that serves refugees. 

-Have a special meal outside. Good food is an easy way to add fun and festivity to any special occasion, so think about what you'd like to enjoy! If you're getting together with other believers, consider having a potluck. 

More about the Feast of Tabernacles:
What the Bible Says about Tabernacles
Scripture Reading for Sukkot
8 Days of Activities for the Feast of Tabernacles

Earning Favor with God by Observing Biblical Holidays? (Galatians 4:10 Meaning)

In this post we will explore Galatians 4:10, and the passage about becoming enslaved by observing certain holidays or special times. We will see that this is not about celebrating God's Biblical holidays or set apart times, and learn the truth behind this passage of Scripture.

"You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years." -Galatians 4:10

Many people believe this to be about Biblical holidays like Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles, and will tell others that taking part in God's holidays will somehow lead them away from freedom or that their intentions for doing so are actually motivated by fear that they have to somehow impress God in order to be accepted by him. At first glance, it's easy to make the assumption that this is what Paul is getting at.

But if we back up, we can see that the context here is not about keeping the Biblical holidays. Take a look at the verses just prior to this statement.

"Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God, why would you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?" -Galatians 4:8-9

Trying to earn favor was something people did with the gods of the Roman Empire. We see this throughout Roman and other types of mythology. The gods would be angry if certain things weren't done, and in order to have a good life you had to constantly appease them, or else they would punish you.

Galatians 4:8-9 tells us that verse 10 is not about trying to earn favor with the Living God. This is about returning to spiritual practices from before these people knew the Living God.

This fits with what we about legal issues of worship in the ancient Roman Empire. Most citizens were legally required to worship certain gods. This is because it was believed that the Roman gods and more localized deities would be angry if certain rituals, sacrifices, and festivals were not done to honor them. Citizens were expected to do their part to appease these gods, and it was believed that blessings like bountiful harvests, good weather conditions, and military success had to be earned from these gods. The favor of Rome's gods had to be earned.

Paul is warning believers against returning to these practices, otherwise they become "enslaved again"...something there would be no precedent for from YHWH, since the group Paul is addressing is new to the faith. They had been enslaved before to "so-called gods," but certainly not to the Living God. The slavery in question wasn't about physical chattel slavery. It was about spiritual slavery.

You see, when mankind sins the problem is not just that we aren't perfect in God's sight. Sin indicates that we have worshiped something in place of YHWH. And that means that we have given the power and authority that God has given us to other spiritual forces. These forces then run rampant. Human lives and the natural order and beauty of Creation are destroyed. And those are the powers that we risk becoming enslaved to if we return to ungodly customs.

This passage is not warning us that keeping God's law or celebrating his holidays would somehow enslave us to negative things. What Paul is speaking of here is returning to the Roman tradition of serving local gods in order to benefit from them. Scripture does not warn against celebrating God's work during the Biblical holidays. This is about not returning to the cultural holidays that a corrupt empire wanted its citizens taking part in.

Scripture tells us repeatedly that we are to take part in holidays like the Feast of Trumpets, and Shavuot in order to remember the things that God did for his people. Taking part in Scripture's holy days was never about "earning favor," with YHWH. The holidays were always about marking the year in order for God's people to learn of the miracles he did and to remember the story of how he redeemed them. Passover, for example, was never because God was angry and he wanted people to jump through hoops, it was always to fill people up with hope when they looked back on how he delivered Israel from slavery.

The biblical holidays are about celebrating that God delivered us from slavery...taking part in them is not what what returns us to slavery. Does it make more sense that we would be enslaved by celebrating God's provision during the holidays he created or that we would be enslaved by the holidays of our culture? The slavery that Galatians 4:10 is talking about comes from turning to things other than YHWH. 

How we know Galatians 4:10 is not about biblical holidays:

-The verses immediately prior speak of returning to customs the people participated in before knowing YHWH.

-The biblical holidays were never about appeasing or earning favor with God, according to Scripture.

-Historical evidence demonstrates that Roman deities did expect favor to be earned.

-Scriptural holidays are actually about remembering God leading his people to freedom! 

Related posts:

Why Everyone Should Celebrate Scripture's Holidays
Understanding the Shadow of Things to Come in Colossians 2:16-17
The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays

Does 1 Timothy 3 Mean Women Can't Be Leaders in the Church?

Discover the surprising truth about 1 Timothy 3, and how gender bias in Scriptural translations has lead a generation to believe that only men are permitted to be leaders or pastors in the church. The Greek text is gender neutral which means this instructions for leaders don't just apply to men but apply to both men and women alike.

1 Timothy 3:1-13 is often used to say that only men can preach or be senior pastors. It's easy to see why if you read it in translations like the NLT, NIV, RSV, or KJV. Take a look at how the NLT reads:

"This is a trustworthy saying: if someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position. So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well." 

That seems pretty cut and dry, doesn't it? He, man, his.... When women do get a mention it's strictly as "wives." So there we have. Men lead and women can be married to them.

But not so fast! We need to remember that the Bible was not originally written in English, and how it's translated matters significantly. Scholars like Beth Allison Barr believe this idea of male dominated leadership was shaped by poor translations of the text, which make the list of leadership roles and responsibilities seem more masculine than they really are!

In the Greek, the text is filled with gender-neutral terms like anyone or whoever. There is only one specific reference to man, which appears in verse 12 (literally "one woman man" which references the married state of deacons), but modern English Bibles have added eight to twelve male pronouns that are not found in the original text! 

Theologian Lucy Peppiatt observes this and concludes that this text doesn't make female leadership an issue. She ascribes that issue as coming from "relentless and dominant narrative of male bias" in translations.

A better translation would read something like this:

If someone aspires to be a church leader, they desire an honorable position. So a church leader must be someone whose life is above reproach. They must be faithful to their spouse. They must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. They must enjoy having guests in their home, and they must be able to teach. No heavy drinking or violence. They must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. They must manage their own family well, having children who respect and obey them. For if someone cannot manage their own household, how can they take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because they might become proud, and the devil would cause them to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of them so that they will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their spouses must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to their spouse, and must manage their children and household well. 

What a difference reading it this way makes! And again, this gender-neutral translation is much closer to the original meaning of the text than poor, male-centered translations that are found in most Bibles.

We need to be aware that poor translations of Scripture have placed limitations on women that neither the Living God nor the authors of the Bible intended! Male-dominated leadership is not an idea that is promoted by Scripture.

More on women in leadership:
The Myth and Meaning of 'I Do Not Permit a Woman to Teach' (1 Timothy 2:11-14)
Who Was Phoebe in Romans 16? (The Only Deacon Named in Scripture)
The Truth about 'Let Women Be Silent' in 1 Corinthians 14:34

12 Times the Old Testament Prophets Denounced Rulers for Refusing to Protect the Poor

Discover some of the many times that the prophets of the Old Testament denounced their leaders for failing to protect the poor. The issue of wealthy creditors and leaders preying on those with less is seen throughout Scripture, and the prophets had a lot to say about this conflict!

Particularly in the 8th and 7th centuries BC the majority of kings in both Israel and Judah failed to stop powerful creditors from monopolizing the land that was supposed to belong to all. This lead to widespread suffering, with much of the population becoming enslaved or victims of debt bondage. Prophets like Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel protested and spoke against the exploitation of God's people.

12 times the prophets speak against rulers for failing to protect the poor: 

YHWH comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: "You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?" -Isaiah 3:14-15

What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land. -Isaiah 5:8
 
What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on widows and take advantage orphans. -Isaiah 10:1-2

For the leaders of my people are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes....they are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain. -Isaiah 56:10-11

They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. 

"We have fasted before you!" they say. "Why aren't you impressed? We have been hard on ourselves but you don't even notice!"

"I will tell you why!" I respond. "It's because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers." -Isaiah 58:2-3

Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter. They continually set traps to catch people. Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich. They are fat and sleek and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. -Jeremiah 5:26-28

Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. -Ezekiel 22:25

Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They destroy people's lives for money! -Ezekiel 22:27

The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished. They sell honorable people for silver, and poor people for a pair of sandals. They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way...at their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their god, they drink wine bought with unjust fines. -Amos 2:6-8 

You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. -Amos 5:11

Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy! You can't wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. You mix the grain you sell with chaff swept from the floor. Then you enslave poor people for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals. ...YHWH says, "I will never forget the wicked things you have done." -Amos 8:4-7

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so. When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family's inheritance. -Micah 2:1-2

These verses highlight that God takes seriously how the powerful treat the needy. He cares for the oppressed and desires all people be treated with dignity. The theme of social justice as a core tenet to faith did not start in the New Testament. Providing for the poor is at the core of biblical law and God's instructions.

Related posts:
The Financial World of the New Testament: Jesus, the Jubilee, and Prozbul
How John the Baptist Prepared the Way for Jesus
The Two Houses: Israel and Judah in Scripture