The Feast of Booths

Zechariah 14 What celebration brings joy to your heart and mind? Is it Thanksgiving or Christmas, or another? For Israel, it was and is the Feast of Booths/Sukkah to commemorate the release from Egyptian slavery thousands of years ago. It is a celebration of rejoicing over God’s provision. Long ago, God’s command was to return to Jerusalem and build “shelters” to sleep and live in for a week. Then, in the presence of the Temple, the religious leaders would read the Torah.

Imagine yourself sitting and sleeping in an “outdoor tent” and using this time to read about this feast in Leviticus. How might that impact your heart and mind?

Today, we celebrate a similar feast called Thanksgiving. At that time, do we stop and recall God’s blessings? Do we thank God for His provision this past year and look forward to this new year? Do we, like many Israelites, read not only Leviticus but also the entire book of Deuteronomy?
The last part of this celebration was for the adults to perform a ceremony to bless the children. First, the adults make a tent over the heads of the children and recite Genesis 49 as a prayer of blessing.

How do you celebrate God’s precious blessings to you?