The Season of Our Joy

Nelson Plasencia, Elder (and Family)

This is the last in a three part series by Elder Nelson Plasencia on the Feasts of Israel

The seventh and final of the feasts given by God to Israel and listed in Leviticus 23 is the Feast of Tabernacles. Our Jewish friends call it Sukkot (pronounced soo-coat) which is also translated “booths or huts”. It is the third of the Fall Feasts of Israel and the most joyful and festive of all seven feasts. During this week, the people live temporarily in huts built with branches where they can see the stars at night. The reason given by God for the people to live in huts temporarily is so “that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”( Leviticus 23:43 NASB)

Tabernacles is also called The Feast of Ingathering because it is observed at the time “when you gather the fruit of your labors from the field” (Exodus 23:16 NASB). Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in the book The Feasts of the LORD explain: “The feast was celebrated with great joy. The joy was twofold, for it commemorated God’s past goodness and provision during their wilderness sojourn, and it commemorated God’s present goodness and provision with the completion of the harvest.”  It is because of this joyfulness that Sukkot is also called The Season of Our Joy!

As a community of believers in Jesus, who desire to know the Real God, we have much reason to be joyful! We realize that Jesus has set us free (past goodness) from habits, hurts and hang-ups that used to steal our joy so that we can serve and worship Him. We also thank Him because in His present goodness, He is the source of our physical and spiritual sustenance. Lastly, we know that this life with its pains and hardships is temporary and we look forward to that day when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 NASB)