Tonight (Wednesday, October 16, 2024) at sundown, the Jewish festival of Sukkot begins. It is the third of three annual Jewish Pilgrimage feasts. During these feasts, Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The first pilgrimage feast of the year is Pesach (Passover). Jewish families celebrate it as a feast of remembrance of God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). It is also celebrated by Christians for the day that Jesus was crucified (as the Passover Lamb), resulting in the deliverance of all people from slavery to sin and death (John 19, 1 Corinthians 5:7).

The second pilgrimage feast of the year is Shavuot (Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks), a celebration of the first harvest of the year. Jews celebrate it as the day that the Law was given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. On that day, the nation of Israel was born. It is also the day that three thousand people died because of their turning away from Yahweh (Exodus 32). Christians celebrate Pentecost as the day the Holy Spirit was given to the church. On that day the church was born, and three thousand people were saved (Acts 2) – the first “harvest”.

Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles (or Festival of Booths), as well as the Feast of Ingathering (the final harvest of the year). It is celebrated as a week of remembrance of how God provided food and water for the Israelites during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and how he kept their clothes and shoes from wearing out during that time (Leviticus 23:33-43, Deuteronomy 29:5).

As you read through the passage in Leviticus, you will see that God commanded the people of Israel to live in huts or booths, as a tool to teach the next generation about God’s protection and provision during the journey. Maybe you could spend some of these evenings outside, walking a trail or sitting around a fire. Spend time looking at the stars and imagine the twelve tribes doing that every night for forty years.

I believe the Feast of Booths will correspond to the next great day in the life of the church. On that day we will celebrate the final harvest of souls, rejoicing that God provided for us during these days before we enter into the new earth and new heaven.

At the very least, it is a week for us to remember how God has blessed and provided for us in the past year, as well as in previous years of our life. It can become a week of Thanksgiving Days.

It is believed that the Pilgrims, who spent a decade in Holland after escaping persecution in England, may have been influenced by Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain in 1492. It is possible that the Pilgrims, witnessing the fall harvest festival of Sukkot, implemented the Thanksgiving celebration upon arriving in North America.

Over the next seven days, I intend to remember the blessings God has placed in my life and the ways he has provided for and protected me. I encourage you to do the same. As we approach the general election in November, we are living in a season of elevated animosity and bitterness. In one month, it is likely that nearly 50% of our nation will feel a deep depression, or a consuming anger, due to the outcome of the election. We can help combat those feelings by celebrating Sukkot with joy and exuberance!

From now through next Wednesday, October 23, I challenge you to post something once a day on social media that celebrates what God has done in your life and the life of your family. How has God blessed you and your family?