"Why, Soitenly!"

Tabernacles (Sukkot) was the grand finale of the Jewish feasts … a week of unparalleled celebration and joy. People carried willow and palm branches with them, waving them at one another as continual expressions of praise to God.

During the week of Tabernacles, they would construct a small tent (or booth) on the roof of their homes and live in that booth for the week. It was made of willow and / or palm branches and held only the barest of necessities.

For those of us in the American Restoration Movement churches, it is interesting (in a sad way) to note that by the time Jesus was ministering on earth, the various religious groups had divided into camps over just how this tent was to be made and exactly which branches were acceptable to God! Shades of us!!

The feast was a reminder of the 40 years of wandering in the desert as well as a reminder that in their hearts they would always live in tents … that they were, in fact, strangers on this earth and their real home would be that "city with foundations whose architect and builder is God."

Tabernacles reminded them of God’s protection … the shekinah that not only led them through the desert and into the Promised Land, but protected them.

When I was growing up, the more high tech Sunday Schools had flannel boards and when we learned about the wilderness wanderings (which seemed to be every year), the cloud always looked like a white tornado! I think it probably would look more like a mushroom cloud to protect them from the heat of the sun during the day and to serve as a canopy of heat at night when the desert temperatures could vary 40 – 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. That cloud literally became their dwelling place. This is more relevant to me as we are moving into the desert of California this weekend.

More on the feast itself tomorrow … this is my favorite of the feasts, especially when placed in the context of Jesus’ fulfillment, so stay tuned!