This year, October 2-8, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) will be hosting its 30th celebration of the biblical Feast of Booths or Succot or aslo called the Feast of Tabernacles.
So why do Christians come to Jerusalem to celebrate this event? The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, since its inception in 1980, has kept the 7-day celebration, encouraging pilgrims from all nations to join them in anticipation of the prophesy spoken by Zechariah, "All the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths."
So why do Christians come to Jerusalem to celebrate this event? The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, since its inception in 1980, has kept the 7-day celebration, encouraging pilgrims from all nations to join them in anticipation of the prophesy spoken by Zechariah, "All the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths."
You may be asking, "But isn't this a future event? Why come now?" This prophecy may seem abstract and unrelated our current lives. However, there are many reasons encompassed in the invitation to join with Israelis to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Traditionally, it is a time to remember God's provision in the wilderness. The Jewish people remember this by building small booths to dwell in as was commanded in Deuteronomy 16. Journeying to Israel in this tumultuous time of God's ingathering is a practical way to fulfill the Biblical mandate in Isaiah 40 to comfort the Jewish people.
These reasons, prophetic vision, remembrance of God's provision and comforting the Jewish people are Biblically sound and good reasons to join in the celebration of Booths, but do these reasons in and of themselves get to the root of why we come or is there a more foundational purpose? There is a deeper and broader call from which all reasons flow and find their source of meaning.
When King Solomon dedicated the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, he prayed for the foreigner who would come to the temple to pray and worship. his words uncover the very essence of why we come. "When a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel comes from a far country for your name's sake (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you. I Kings 8:41-43
God's Name's Sake
Traditionally, it is a time to remember God's provision in the wilderness. The Jewish people remember this by building small booths to dwell in as was commanded in Deuteronomy 16. Journeying to Israel in this tumultuous time of God's ingathering is a practical way to fulfill the Biblical mandate in Isaiah 40 to comfort the Jewish people.
These reasons, prophetic vision, remembrance of God's provision and comforting the Jewish people are Biblically sound and good reasons to join in the celebration of Booths, but do these reasons in and of themselves get to the root of why we come or is there a more foundational purpose? There is a deeper and broader call from which all reasons flow and find their source of meaning.
When King Solomon dedicated the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, he prayed for the foreigner who would come to the temple to pray and worship. his words uncover the very essence of why we come. "When a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel comes from a far country for your name's sake (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you. I Kings 8:41-43
God's Name's Sake
Did you hear it? For God's name's sake the foreigner will come because they will hear of 1) God's great Name, 2) His mighty hand and 3) His outstretched arm. Psalm 9:10 says, "Those who know Thy Name put their trust in Thee." How do we know the "Name"? God's names are as infinite as His character. In Scripture we find that He is "The I AM"; "the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; "The Alpha and the Omega." These excerpts are but a thumbnail sketch of all that God's name represents. The sovereign Lord is gloriously free from sin, He is omnipotent and omniscient and this is why we come to praise Him in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles.
God's Mighty Hand
God's Mighty Hand
How do we draw a picture in our minds of God's mighty hand? Peter exhorts believers to humble themselves under God's hand (I Peter 5:6). Sometimes His touch is gentle and heals, other times it is full of wrath and extends judgement. The Lord said to Jeremiah. "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it" (25:15). If we were to meditate solely on God's mighty hand we might be paralyzed with fear, for there is "no one righteous no not one." We are all deserving of His wrath, yet He made a way for us to experience His grace and mercy through His outstretched arm -- this is what separates our faith from and elevates it above all others.
God's Outstretched Arm
God's Outstretched Arm
Our Lord is not a god that is disconnected and preoccupied, but the God who is intimately involved with His creation. He is Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The God of the universe became incarnate in the form of a Jewish man from Nazareth. This was necessary so that God's mighty hand of wrath could fall upon His Son so that we can be reconciled to God. The Feast is a time when we can express our love and praise for the God of Israel who made a way for the gentiles to be grafted into the Jewish promises and covenants. This is why we walk in the steps of our Savior and come to worship the Lord in Jerusalem at this time.
The Call to the Nations
The Call to the Nations
The last petition of king Solomon's prayer is a call to all who come to the Feat of Tabernacles to go forth and share the glory of God's name with all nations. It is equivalent to the "Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:19.We live in a fallen world, groaning as in the pains of childbirth for the fulfillment of all things (Romans 8:20). But Matthew reminds us that the gospel of the Kingdom must first be preached in the whole world "as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." This is our call. We must proclaim the Name to the nations that they may know Him. Let our unified cry by "Lord, we wait for you, your Name and renown are the desire of our hearts" (Isaiah 26:8).
Let us embrace the prayer of Solomon and the vision of Zechariah and long for the day when all the nations will come up to Jerusalem "year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths."
Let us embrace the prayer of Solomon and the vision of Zechariah and long for the day when all the nations will come up to Jerusalem "year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths."
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