HAPPY SUKKOT - THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Shalom Chaverim (Friends), As we approach the end of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) Jewish people in Israel and around the world celebrate with three concluding festive days.   The seventh day is called Hoshana Rabah (Great Salvation)  { הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּא }   when the people cry out “Hoshana Adonai”  - “Save us Lord!” “Hosha - Na!” (Save us!).  “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai”  (Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord)!  Melech Yisrael (King of Israel)!”  (John 12:12-13) The cries of God’s people are not in vain, for God promises that all who call upon His name will be saved.   “And everyone who calls on the name of יהוה  will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as Adonai has said, among the survivors whom Adonai calls.”  (Joel 2:32) Why are the people crying out, “Hoshana! (Save us!)” on this day? Jewish tradition maintains that although judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur, it is not ‘delivered’  until the end of Sukkot on Hoshana Rabah, giving  a little more time to possibly alter God’s verdict for the coming year.   Seven Hoshanot While during Sukkot, the Jewish people walk in a daily circuit around the synagogue holding the four species of branches and fruit, on the last day (Hoshana Rabah) seven circuits - called hoshanot - are observed. This custom originates from the days of the Holy Temple. What do these circuits represent?  They are to demonstrate our joy and thanksgiving for a blessed and fruitful year.  Why seven circuits on the last day?  Seven is a number in the Bible that symbolizes perfection, wholeness or completion (as in the 7th day Sabbath when all of creation was complete and perfect). It is believed that encircling something or someone seven times breaks down the walls of separation, just as when the Israelites encircled the walls of Jericho seven times, “the wall fell down flat.”  (Joshua 6:20)                                                                        For this reason a Jewish bride will traditionally encircle her bridegroom seven times before approaching the altar.   This is believed to tear down any walls of separation between them and give her entrance into the depths of her beloved’s heart. It is a beautiful Jewish custom. In similar manner, when the Jewish people circle around the synagogue seven times, holding the palm or willow branches and etrog (citroen), we demonstrate to the Lord our desire as His bride to tear down any walls of separation between us and our Heavenly Father. SHMINI ATZERET (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת )  – "Eighth [day of] Assembly" “For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord.  It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.”  (Leviticus 23:36; see also Numbers 29:35) If the number seven is so meaningful – representing ‘wholeness, completion and perfection’ – why do we need an ‘eighth day’?  The eighth day of Sukkot is also special.  The Hebrew word for  ‘eighth’ is ‘shmini’ שְׁמִינִי.  It is a significant number which represents covenant. It is on the 8th day that every Jewish male child is brought into covenant (brit) with the God of Israel through the ceremony of circumcision (Brit Millah).                                                                                                                        Brit Millah (Circumcision) ceremony Eight - Above & Beyond!  What does this mean to us and how does this relate to Shmini Atzeret?  Although seven is the number of completion and perfection, God gives us an additional day to celebrate that goes even beyond seven!  This tells us of the amazing wonders that God will reveal to those who love Him. But, as the Tanakh says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no one’s heart has imagined all the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Seven is the number of completion – resting in the finished work of the Lord.  Once we come to this place of resting in Him through faith, we can enter fully into this New Covenant – knowing He has done it all on our behalf.  We can cease from striving for perfection in ourselves and simply receive His perfection – in us. Eight is the number of new beginnings.  The full week of seven has been completed and we begin again. It is a number of the great hope we have through covenant with the Almighty God. To be a ‘Hebrew’ is called an ‘Ivri’  עברי.  It comes from the root word that means ‘to cross over’.  All of us who are in the Messiah, whether Jewish by birth or not, have ‘crossed over’ from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light (of His Son); therefore we are all in essence ‘Ivrim’  עברים(Hebrews). There is another related meaning that comes from this root word.  ‘m’ever’ מעברmeans ‘beyond’. These blessings that we receive through the New Covenant are far above and beyond even anything we could ask, or think, or even imagine! Wow! “Now to the One being able to do exceedingly above and beyond all things that we ask or think, according to the power working in us.”  (Ephesians 3:20)   Showers of Blessings Rabbinic Tradition teaches that on the eight day of assembly, Shemini Atzeret,God judges the world for water, deciding on the amount of rainfall for the coming year, therefore the Jewish people recite special prayers for rain on this day. God’s covenant with Israel also promises ‘rain in its season’ as long as the people of Israel walk in obedience.  “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.” (Ezekiel 34:26) Hope of the Messiah Water is a recurring theme throughout the festival of Sukkot; but why is there such an emphasis on water?  Besides the obvious need for rain to water the earth, the rains also symbolize showers of blessing and specifically, the hope of the coming Messiah. “He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace…He shall have dominion also from seas to sea.”  (Psalm 72:6-8) Rain is desperately needed in Israel! Water is such a precious resource here.   After a long, hot, dry summer in Israel, the people must have felt their critical need of water; and yet they did not withhold the water, but poured it out on the altar before the Lord.  This sacrificial act demonstrated their faith in God to provide the rains they would need in the upcoming year. This year the Sea of Galilee (Yam Kineret) is very low - please pray for the blessing of rain upon the Land of Israel.                             Rain at Jaffa gate, Old City of Jerusalem Poured Out Like Water  Likewise, when we feel at the end of our resources, if we will give sacrificially to the Lord, He will pour back into our lives, providing for our needs.  When we are feeling lack in any area of our lives, this is the worst possible time to withhold; it is a time to give in faith that God is our provider.  I heard someone once say, “If you have a need, give a seed.” The Bible says, “Give and it shall be given unto you….”;  but this principle extends far beyond the area of finances into every aspect of our lives. Whatever we give out will be poured out upon ourselves.   “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  (Luke 6:38) If we want to experience more love, we need to give more love to others.  If we need encouragement – we can go out and find someone else to encourage.  And if we need a financial blessing, probably the best thing we can do is go give some money away. Yeshua understood these spiritual principles and acted upon them. He knew that when we pour ourselves out, God will pour back  - in abundance!  Yeshua was” poured out like water”, as described in the Messianic prophecy: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax;   it has melted within me.”  (Psalms 22, verse 14) However, it was after He poured out His soul even unto death on a cross, that God poured out the ‘rain of the Holy Spirit’ upon the earth.  Simchat Beit Hashoeva (Rejoicing of the  House of Drawing of Water),  On this final day of the Feast, a special ceremony is performed called Simchat Beit Hashoeva (Rejoicing of the  House of Drawing of Water), originating from a Second Temple period custom in which the Cohen (priest) would draw water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out upon the altar. In this ancient water ceremony, the Jewish people would follow the Cohen in a joyous processional of singing, dancing and rejoicing, reciting hallel (praise) Psalms (Tehillim) and chanting the Scripture:  “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Yeshuah).”  (Isaiah 12:3) Yeshua, the word used in this verse is also the Hebrew name for Jesus the Messiah.  It means ‘God is salvation’ or God saves. On the last day of the Feast (Shmini Atzeret), Yeshua stood up and invited everyone who was thirsty to come to Him and drink of the Living Waters.  Can we picture this?  At the same moment that the Cohanim (Jewish priests) were pouring out the waters upon the altar of the Holy Temple, Yeshua stood up and proclaimed Himself to be the source of Living Water! On the last and greatest day of the festival (of Sukkot), Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of Living Water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”  (John 7:37-38)   Simchat Torah   (שמחת תורה) ‘Rejoicing with the Torah’ Following the eighth day the fall feasts are concluded with Simchat Torah – meaning ‘Joy of the Torah’.  This day also completes the weekly Torah readings (parashot) with Deuteronomy 34; but then immediately a portion from Genesis 1 is read, reminding us that our study of the Torah never ends.  As soon as we conclude, we begin again.  Jewish people love the Torah and have diligently preserved the Word of God for centuries:   “Oh, how I love Your Torah; It is my meditation all the day.  You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies…Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:97-98, 105)   What is Torah? This Hebrew word, Torah  תורה, is often translated in most English Bibles as ‘law’; however this is a rather poor translation.  It reminds me of the laws to wear our seat belts or keep to the speed limit.  Torah is so much more than just a compilation of do’s and don’t’s. The word ‘torah’ comes from the roots ‘yarah’  ירה, which means to ‘shoot, aim, or point to’, and ‘morah’  מורה , meaning ‘teacher’.  Therefore, the Torah is God’s instructions to His people.  These instructions teach us how to live on this earth and point us to eternal life through Yeshua. So why do we have a special day just to rejoice in the Torah of God? It is because the Word of God is a tree of life for us; and if we would just take hold of it, we would see that all its paths are pleasantness and will lead us to peace (shalom).                        Jewish people dancing with Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah  Did Yeshua Abolish the Torah? Yeshua made His position about the Torah clear, in saying,  “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law (Torah) of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.  So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.   (Matthew 5:17-19 N.L.T) To read this week's full study CLICK HERE To  download the study & discussion questions CLICK HERE If you have enjoyed this message, please share with others!