FEAST OF TABERNACLES ‘SHEMA (Listen)’

Sukkot – Rejoicing in our gift from YHVH (Heavenly Dwelling/Spirit)

We receive from our Creator:

Life or death Blessing or curse

Let us recap and get a clear overview on the Fall Holidays

The 3 R’s

 Feast of Trumpets: Repentance

 Day of Atonement: Redemption

 Feast of Tabernacles: Rejoicing

Repent of our sins, receive forgiveness and then rejoice in His love.

ENTER HIS REST and receive His precious gifts………..

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

This joyous feast is celebrated for 7 days.

Deut 16:13-15

And you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and you shall guard and do these laws. 13“Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress, 14 and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates.15 “For seven days you shall observe a festival to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה chooses, because יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing!

Finally the season of our joy!

The Feast of Tabernacles

The Season of our Joy

The Festival of Ingathering

The Millennial Reign of King Messiah

Lev 23:34 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths for seven days to יהוה. 35 ‘On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. 36 ‘For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. On the eighth day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work.

Sekhakh (booth)

This feast also reminds us of the deliverance from Egypt and their subsequent wandering in the wilderness for forty years. During this time Israel lived in tents and worshiped at the Tabernacle. To remember this time the Jews build small tabernacles or booths which walls of plaited branches and thatched roofs as YHVH instructed in (Leviticus 23:42.)

Old Testament Significance vs. Future Significance

 Harvest Celebration! Time of rejoicing!

 Theme: In memory of living in temporary shelters / in wilderness (soul)

 Theme: Total dependence on YHVH (dwelling) while exposed to elements of nature in wilderness (can only find peace, power and rest in Him)

 Joyous Celebration! All peoples and nations of the earth brought under the rule of the KING Yahushua Messiah (lulav)

 New Heaven and New Earth under YHVH’s Kingdom – New Jerusalem (Beaulah Land)

Scripture

Tent

17:5 For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one Dwelling Place to another (tabernacle).” (1 Chronicles 17:5 ISR)

The Hebrew word (pronounced) oh-hale means a tent; more specifically, a traveller’s tent. It is translated into English as either “tent” or “tabernacle.” In this example, in referring to the time that YHVH led the Israelites after the Exodus, the single original Hebrew word, oh-hale, was written, but is translated as “tent” (which mean a temporary shelter i.e. “tent” is an abbreviation of tentative, which means unsettled).

Future

 In the future, after Messiah’s return and the Kingdom of YHVH has been established on earth “the tabernacle of YHVH” will be in the New Jerusalem, without a Temple i.e. there will be “no temple therein” because YHVH will be the Temple (no body).

“21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 21:2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from YHVH out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and YHVH himself shall be with them, and be their YHVH.” (Revelation 21:1-3 KJV)

And I saw no temple therein: for YHVH Elohiym Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” (Revelation 21:22) And I saw no Dwelling Place in it, for יהוה Ěl Shaddai is its Dwelling Place, and the Lamb. (ISR)

Ohel

 The Hebrew word for tent, OHEL, reveals this meaning.

 It is made up of the 2-letter word EL,

 meaning “toward,” with the letter “Hay” in the middle. In Hebrew, words that comprise the EL word with another letter in the middle are usually words which lead towards something. The letter “Hay” is one letter of YHVH’s name and has a spiritual aura. Any successful journey “toward” a worthy goal needs to take YHVH into account.

House (Beth) and Tent (Ohel)

 Tent is also symbolic of ‘soul’ meaning your unity and beliefs (your land/character). We read that Isaac took Rebecca into his tent, and married her. When forming our own conclusions we are missing its true meaning.

 Before marrying Rebecca, did Isaac really terrify this young girl by taking her into a dark, gloomy, cobweb-tent to a dead lady?

 Nothing of the sort. Isaac introduced his new bride to his late mother’s basic framework of reality. He wanted her to understand the worldview he wanted in his own home and only when she absorbed that, did marry her.

 Many mistakenly assume that in the Bible, tents are merely the primitive precursors to houses. This is not so. There are many references to houses previous to this chapter and many later references to tents. One of ancient Jewish wisdom’s keys to understanding Scripture is recognizing that when HOUSE is used, we are talking about a fortress-like structure which nurtures people and ideas. TENT refers more to a particular worldview, a blueprint for how you relate to life. Possessing such a worldview is a prerequisite for growth and progress.

Tabernacle

 The basic Hebrew term (mishkan ) translated as “tabernacle” (Exodus 25:9 ) comes from a verb which means “to dwell.” In this sense it is correctly translated in some instances as “dwelling,” “dwelling place,” “habitation,” and “abode.” – holy of holies (spirit body)

In Their Image

Outer court Holy place Holy of Holies House (Beth) – structure Tent (Ohel) unfinished Tabernacle (Miskan) – dwelling of Spirit Fleshly body Soul and its Character Spiritual body

Ministry of Yahushua The word and Ruach Ha Kodesh comes into unity YHVH Father Elohiym Passover Pentecost

Sukkot

Receive Peace Receive Power Rest in His Presence (Gift)

The Gift and Blessing

May YHVH bless you and guard you (protection in His presence and rest) REST May YHVH shine His Face (power, countenance, presence) towards you and be gracious to you POWER May YHVH lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace PEACE

What is the symbolism of the Lulav? (Lev23:40)

4 Types of believers and followers of Yah:

 Palm: does have fruit (good deeds) but has no fragrance (spiritual blessing/intimacy)

 Myrtle: does have fragrance, but no fruit.

 Willow: does not have fragrance or fruit.

 Citron (etrog): both fruit and fragrance

Citron (Etrog) used for:

 Oil

 Making wine

 Fructose

 Seeds

 Flowers

In Summary:

By now we should have a deeper understanding of the true symbolism and meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles. It won’t help us much to only focus on building Booth’s and beautifully decorating them with the best palm leaves available – this is all just temporary. Indeed the symbolism thereof will surely help us to remember and help us to teach our children in a way they can relate, but we need to make sure we are truly building and working on our heavenly bodies – for one day, maybe even sooner than we may realize, we will meet death and hopefully if we lived a life filled with both fruit and fragrance/ good motives and good deeds (Citron) we will be able to enter into our Heavenly dwelling – receiving our gift of eternal and everlasting life.

What will your fruit be like? (willow, myrtle, palm or citron)

What will be your witness, your last song?

What will be the legacy you leave behind?

All the scripture I have received on this matter:

Reading in Deuteronomy, near the end of the book, we see that Moses is rapidly nearing the end of his earthly life, and YHVH calls Moses and his servant and soon-to-be replacement, Joshua, to a tent where Joshua will be commissioned by YHVH to become the leader of the Israelites and continue the role that Moses had.

Deuteronomy 31:14 TNIV reads:

14 YHVH said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.

He gives one last witness:

Song of Mosheh

Moshe’s song summarizes the history and future of the Israelites – a song filled with pain after being told that Mosheh himself would die and not see the Promised land (Beaulah land), and that – after all the teaching and prophesying he has done, YHVH’s people would end up not obeying.

Not only for the Jews

 Many people insist that Torah was “only for the Jews” – but this is not true, because as we can see throughout the Torah, it was meant for all the 12 tribes AND the gentiles who had followed Mosheh out of Egypt.

 We must also remember that Cain and Abel provided sin sacrifices, and they weren’t Jews;

 and Noah knew the difference between “clean and unclean” and he wasn’t a Jew, either…There were no Jews until Jacob had one of his 12 sons whom he named Yehudah [Judah] who became the Tribe of Judah, where the word “Jew” comes from.

 But yet, EVERYONE up until that time (except, of course, the pagans and heathens who were believers in other gods) was Torah observant!  Yes, YHVH ordered the Tribe of Yehudah to guard it (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2) but that didn’t mean it was only for “the Jews”:

Last words

 Deuteronomy 31: 16 YHVH said to Mosheh, “You are about to sleep with your ancestors. But this people will get up and offer themselves as prostitutes (worship) to the foreign gods of the land where they are going. When they are with those gods, they will abandon me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will flare up, and I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be devoured, and many calamities and troubles will come upon them. Then they will ask, ‘Haven’t these calamities come upon us because our YHVH isn’t here with us?‘ (no peace, power or rest – protection) 18 But I will be hiding my face from them because of all the evil they will have done in turning to other gods.

Then Moshe tells his people:

22. And Mosheh wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Deut 31: 23 And He commanded Yehoshua son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and acourageous, for you are to bring the children of Yisra’ĕl into the land of which I swore to them, and I Myself am with you.” 24And it came to be, when Mosheh had completed writing the Words of this Torah in a book, until their completion, 25that Mosheh commanded the Lĕwites, who bore the ark of the covenant of יהוה, saying, 26“Take this Book of the Torah, and you shall place it beside the ark of the covenant of יהוה your Elohim, and it shall be there as a witness against you, 27for I myself know your rebellion and your stiff neck. See, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against יהוה, then how much more after my death? 28“Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so that I speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29“For I know that after my death you shall do very corruptly and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil shall come to you in the latter days, because you do what is evil in the eyes of יהוה, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.” 30So Mosheh spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl the words of this song till their completion:

Mosheh sings His last song:

Please note the word “listen” above – In Hebrew it is “shema” which means “hear and do!” (As in “Shema Yisrael, YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH echad.”(Hear [hear and do!] O Israel, YHVH is our God, YHVH is One.”)

 .” TORAH is like rain or dew; you can’t really get away from it. Even if you manage to find shelter from the rain, you will end up walking on grass or soil still wet from the life-giving rain….

Deuteronomy 32: 3 – 7

“For I will proclaim the name of YHVH. Come, declare the greatness of our Elohim! 4 The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight. 5 “He is not corrupt; the defect is in his children, a crooked and perverted generation. 6 You foolish people, so lacking in wisdom, is this how you repay YHVH? He is your father, who made you his! It was He who formed and prepared you! 7 “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and let him show you, Your elders, and let them say to you:8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance When He separated the sons of Aḏam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Yisra’ĕl. 9“For the portion of יהוה is His people, Ya‛aqoḇ His allotted inheritance. 10“He found him in a wilderness, And in a wasted, howling desert. He encompassed him, He made him understand, He watched over him as the apple of His eye.

Jealousy (Idols)

Who will Testify/witness against you?

 Notice Mosheh said Torah is not a trivial matter; it is “your life”

Revelation 14 – The Scriptures (ISR 1998)

1And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount Tsiyon, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written upon their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice out of the heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a renewed song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one was able to learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 They are those who were not defiled with women (idols), for they are maidens. They are those following the Lamb wherever He leads them on. They were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits (Passover) to Elohim and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no falsehood, for they are blameless before the throne of Elohim (Day of Atonement) 6 And I saw another messenger flying in mid-heaven, holding the everlasting Good News to announce to those dwelling on the earth (Tabernacle) , even to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear Elohim and give esteem to Him, because the hour of His judgment has come. And worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea, and fountains of water.”

New song

“I am יהוה, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols. 9“See, the former predictions have come, and new ones I am declaring; before they spring forth I let you hear them.” 10 Sing to יהוה a new song; His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them! 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages where Qĕḏar dwells. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

New song

 New – meaning “something fresh”

 Song – Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration: zimrah Phonetic Spelling: (zim-raw’) Short Definition: song

 Word Origin from zamar

Definition melody, song (in praise of Yah)

 = fresh praise

Rev 12:14- 17

And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.15 And out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to cause her to be swept away by the river.16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.

He declares His own character:

And he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Mosheh rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as יהוה had commanded him, and he took two tablets of stone in his hand.5 And יהוה came down in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the Name, יהוה.6 And יהוה passed before him and proclaimed, “יהוה, יהוה, an Ěl compassionate and showing favour, patient, and great in kindness and truth,7 watching over kindness for thousands, forgiving crookedness and transgression and sin, but by no means leaving unpunished, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

False teachers

Jude 1 – The Scriptures (ISR 1998)

1 Yehuḏah, a servant of יהושע Messiah, and brother of Ya‛aqoḇ, to those who are called, set-apart by Elohim the Father, and preserved in יהושע Messiah: 2 Compassion, and peace, and love be increased to you. 3 Beloved ones, making all haste to write to you concerning our common deliverance, I felt the necessity to write to you urging you to earnestly contend for the belief which was once for all delivered to the set-apart ones. 4 For certain men have slipped in, whose judgment was written about long ago, wicked ones perverting the favour of our Elohim for indecency, and denying the only Master יהוה and our Master יהושע Messiah. 5 But I intend to remind you, though you once knew this, that יהוה, having saved a people out of the land of Mitsrayim, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the messengers who did not keep their own principality, but left their own dwelling (heavens), He has kept in everlasting shackles under darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Seḏom and Amorah and the cities around them in a similar way to these, having given themselves over to whoring and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, undergoing judicial punishment of everlasting fire. 8 In the same way, indeed, these dreamers defile the flesh, and reject authority, and speak evil of esteemed ones.

Jeremiah 23 – The Scriptures (ISR 1998)

1“Woe to the shepherds destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares יהוה. 2 Therefore thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl against the shepherds who feed My people, “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and have not tended them. See, I am punishing you for the evil of your deeds,” declares יהוה.3“Therefore I shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and shall bring them back to their fold. And they shall bear and increase. 4“And I shall raise up shepherds over them, and they shall feed them. And they shall fear no more, nor be discouraged, nor shall they be lacking,” declares יהוה. 5“See, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall raise for Dawiḏ a Branch of righteousness, and a Sovereign shall reign and act wisely, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness in the earth. 6“In His days Yehuḏah shall be saved, and Yisra’ĕl dwell safely. And this is His Name whereby He shall be called: ‘יהוה our Righteousness.’ 7“Therefore, see, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when they shall say no more, ‘As יהוה lives who brought up the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim,’ 8but, ‘As יהוה lives who brought up and led the seed of the house of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of the north and from all the lands where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell on their own soil.” 9 My heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, and like a man overcome by wine, because of יהוה, and because of His set-apart words. 10 For the land is filled with adulterers; for the land mourns because of a curse. The pastures of the wilderness are dried up. And their course is evil, and their might is not right. 11“For both prophet and priest have become defiled. Even in My house (church/shepherds) I have found their evil,” declares יהוה.

Psalm 91 – The Scriptures (ISR 1998)

Our promise:

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, Who abides under the shadow of the Almighty, 2 He is saying of יהוה, “My refuge and my stronghold, My Elohim, in whom I trust!” 3 For He delivers you from the snare of a trapper, From the destructive pestilence. 4 He covers you with His feathers, And under His wings you take refuge; His truth is a shield and armour. 5 You are not afraid of the dread by night, Of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Of destruction that ravages at midday. 7 A thousand fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it does not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes you look on, And see the reward of the wrong ones. 9 Because you have made יהוה – My refuge, the Most High – your dwelling place, 10 No evil befalls you, And a plague does not come near your tent; 11 For He commands His messengers concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They bear you up in their hands, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You tread upon lion and cobra, Young lion and serpent you trample under foot. 14“Because he cleaves to Me in love, Therefore I deliver him; I set him on high, Because he has known My Name. 15“When he calls on Me, I answer him; I am with him in distress; I deliver him and esteem him. 16“With long life I satisfy him, And show him My deliverance.”

John 6:

59 He said this in a congregation, teaching in Kephar Naḥum. 60 Therefore many of His taught ones having heard, said, “This word is hard, who is able to hear it?” 61 But יהושע knowing within Himself that His taught ones were grumbling about this, said to them, “Does this make you stumble? 62“What if you see the Son of Aḏam going up where He was before? 63“It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh does not profit at all. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and are life. 64“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For יהושע knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver Him up.65 And He said, “Because of this I have said to you that no one is able to come to Me unless it has been given to him by My Father.” 66 From then on many of His taught ones withdrew and were not walking with Him any more. 67יהושע therefore said to the twelve, “D o you also wish to go away?” 68 Then Shim‛on Kĕpha answered Him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You possess words of everlasting life. 69“And we have believed, and we know that You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.” 70יהושע answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He was now speaking of Yehuḏah from Qerioth, the son of Shim‛on, for he, one of the twelve, was about to deliver Him up.

May you be favoured by Your Maker and may His presence be your guide…

Have a wonderful Sukkot

Regards

Roxzaan Botha