Topical Bible: The Feast of Tabernacles: All Males Obliged to Appear At

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot or the Feast of Booths, is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish calendar, during which all Israelite males were commanded to appear before the LORD at the place He would choose. This feast is celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of Tishrei, the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, and it commemorates the Israelites' 40-year journey in the wilderness, living in temporary shelters.

Biblical Commandment

The obligation for all males to appear before the LORD during the Feast of Tabernacles is rooted in the Torah. In Deuteronomy 16:16 , it is written: "Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed." This command underscores the importance of communal worship and the acknowledgment of God's provision and protection.

Historical Context

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of joy and thanksgiving, celebrating the harvest and God's faithfulness. Leviticus 23:42-43 instructs: "You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, so that your descendants may know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." This practice serves as a tangible reminder of the transient nature of life and the dependence on God's guidance and sustenance.

Rituals and Observances

During the Feast, Israelites were to construct temporary shelters, or sukkot, to dwell in, symbolizing the tents used during their wilderness wanderings. The festival is marked by various rituals, including the waving of the Four Species (etrog, lulav, hadass, and aravah) as commanded in Leviticus 23:40 : "On the first day you are to take the branches of majestic trees—palm branches, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days."

Significance in Worship

The requirement for all males to appear before the LORD emphasizes the collective responsibility of the community to worship and give thanks. It is a time for spiritual renewal and reflection on God's covenantal promises. The gathering of all males at the central sanctuary, which later became the Temple in Jerusalem, fostered unity and reinforced the identity of the Israelites as God's chosen people.

New Testament References

The Feast of Tabernacles is also mentioned in the New Testament, highlighting its continued significance during the time of Jesus. In John 7:2, 10 , it is noted: "However, after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret." Jesus' participation in the feast underscores its enduring importance and provides a backdrop for His teachings and revelations during this time.

Theological Implications

The Feast of Tabernacles serves as a profound reminder of God's provision and the temporality of earthly life. It calls believers to trust in God's promises and to celebrate His faithfulness. The requirement for all males to appear before the LORD signifies the importance of communal worship and the acknowledgment of God's sovereignty over all aspects of life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 23:16,17
And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras ...
... without exception; for when Josephus had said that "the whole multitude" [all the
males] of Lydda were gone to the feast of tabernacles, he immediately ...
/.../chapter 22 the jews make.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... their own domains, and the sovereign was obliged to employ ... the star of El, and carried
the tabernacles of the ... the pagan deities were no gods at all, and could ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm