Feast of Tabernacles - Sukkot

Meditate. How do you see God working in your life?

"Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Begin celebrating the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the appointed month—five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival to the LORD will last for seven days. On the first day of the festival you must proclaim an official day for holy assembly, when you do no ordinary work. For seven days you must present special gifts to the LORD. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the LORD. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day. (These are the LORD's appointed festivals. Celebrate them each year as official days for holy assembly by presenting special gifts to the LORD—burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and liquid offerings—each on its proper day. These festivals must be observed in addition to the LORD's regular Sabbath days, and the offerings are in addition to your personal gifts, the offerings you give to fulfill your vows, and the voluntary offerings you present to the LORD.) Remember that this seven-day festival to the LORD--the Festival of Shelters--begins on the fifteenth day of the appointed month, after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest. On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees--palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the LORD your God for seven days. You must observe this festival to the LORD for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation. For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:34-43

This is a joyous holiday for the Jews that actually began at sundown on Monday and continues through this week to Monday next week at sundown. Since the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD they no longer have to do the prescribed sacrifices or make the pilgrimage. It is a time of rejoicing. Now they make their sukkah or booth at their home and celebrate…if it doesn’t rain…by eating meals and studying the book of Ecclesiastics in their little huts. They visit each other, admire the sukkahs that their friends, neighbors and family have created, and hospitably serve a small snack. They have a wonderful custom of inviting a well-known ancestorial character to join them each day as an honorary guest—like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Some have women of the Bible: Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Leah, Miriam, Abigail and Esther. All of those people were at one-time wanderers or exiles so it is another way the Jewish people are celebrating the wandering and homelessness symbolized in the sukkah. God generously provided for the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert for forty years—and He provides for us all today.

Seek God while there is time.

How do you see God working in your life?

Prayer ~ The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help be encouraged.  Psalm 69:32. Lord God, I am encouraged to see You at work in my life…even in writing this blog—You give me inspiration and the words to say. Holy Spirit, You bring to mind verses that are perfect and guide my thoughts. Please continue to touch people’s lives and draw them closer to You. There is salvation in no one else but You, Jesus. Time may be short before You call the believers home to Heaven, so help those who are doubting to see the truth before it is too late. I believe that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life, just as You said and is recorded in John 14:6.

Verse of Salvation ~ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16

© 2021 Text, photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

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Who do you want your children or grandchildren to be like?

Billy Graham

Fred Rogers

Julia Rpberts

Walt Disney

Your Grandmother

God want us to be like His Son, Jesus.

How do we do that? By looking at Scriptures to determine Jesus' characteristics and then building those qualities into the personality of our children, our grandchildren, and even ourselves.