What is the Meaning Behind the Feast of Booths? || Deuteronomy 16:13-15

Text: Deuteronomy 16:13-15

The next festival is the Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles. 

 

Old Covenant Picture
This was the last feast in the year. It took place after the final harvest. 

 Old Covenant Picture:
–        Live in temporary shelters (booths or tabernacles)
     o   Remembering the wilderness wandering
     o   God has given them rest
–        Rejoice by feeding the vulnerable
     o   Seeking the good of their community

Jesus on the Feast of Booths
In John 7, Jesus speaks at the Feast of Booths. On the last day, the High Priest would pour out water on the altar. It was a prayer for God to pour out rain in the coming year. It was through this rain that the people would be fed and sustained. Jesus declares that He is the water that the people need. It is through faith in Him that they will receive the Spirit Who sustains them through their wanderings on this earth.

In Hebrews 11, 2 Corinthians 5, and Jeremiah 29 we see the New Covenant realities of the Feast of Booths.

New Covenant Reality:

–        We are wanderers here on earth (This world is not our home)

–        We have found spiritual rest in Jesus, not physical

–        We are to seek the good of our community knowing this is not our final home

All the males were supposed to go to Jerusalem for these feasts; not even soldiers guarding the borders were to be left. God tells them that He will protect their lands from invaders; they are to keep the Feast of Booths and trust Him to protect them. As Christians, we need to realize that our job is to seek first the Kingdom of God. When we do this, He will take care of our physical concerns.

–        Have you found rest for your soul?

–        Are you laboring for the Kingdom of God to come here?

–        Human flourishing comes from God’s people doing God’s will