Leviticus 23:33-36
33 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 36 For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is an assembly. You shall not do any laborious work.
Most Christians today have not heard of the Feast of Booths, also known as Sukkot. If they have, they often seem to think of it as a bunch of tents built around an offering fire where people do not work for seven days. They often just skip right over this passage because they do not understand it, and what a travesty that is.
Sukkot is probably the most fun of the Feasts and Fasts of Israel, with Purim coming in a close second. It is basically a big block party where everyone leaves their homes and lives in tents together and celebrates the Lord's presence with His people.
If you have never participated, you are genuinely missing out on a fantastic time. Games, music, dancing, stories, jokes, and so much more are all a part of this celebration. They live for a week in tents to remind themselves that their ancestors lived in tents while wandering in the desert along with the presence of God.
We too should see it as a time to reflect on God's presence with us, however, our celebration is not that God physically manifested Himself in our midst, but rather that he lives in us spiritually and is with us throughout the entirety of our life journey.
Talk about a reason to PARTY!
So the next time you see Sukkot come around on your calendar, consider joining in the celebration. Consider celebrating the fact that God is with us, is in us, and loves us.
It is absolutely a reason to celebrate.
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