This year we invited dear friends over for Rosh Hashana. We were going to have a meal, read some scriptures and worship together. That means lots of guitar playing and singing! Sadly, both families fell ill and we had to cancel. We'd hoped that by Yom Kippur we'd be able to try again. Not so.
Our last chance was Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth (Gen 33:7), a family fort festival. The celebration of this feast was recorded in II Chron. 8:13, 31:3, Ezra 3:4, and Neh. 8:15-17 and John ch 7.
We were to built a "temporary dwelling" or sukkah in our yard and spend some time in it as a family for seven days during the Feast, last Sunday through tonight. Unfortunately, last Saturday night after we enjoyed a meal, a reading and short worship time in our sukkah, Bob fell ill with the flu. Thankfully, we had started one day early.
This week, the children have been adding onto and playing inside the sukkah. It became their camp. This was a far cry from the scripture which says to "live in booths" or huts for seven days. That would be challenging but definitely a memory maker! Bob is feeling alot better and we hope to be able to gather there once more tonight.
We hope each time we attempt to put more of God's word into action that our children will have His love and priceless heritage written upon their hearts. We want to diligently teach them all of God's ways. His words of rich blessings of tradition are a large part of how we can know our God and Savior. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him and want to serve Him.
'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.' Lev. 23:39-43
The dates of the Feasts are determined by the Jewish calendar and their New Year is in September, their seventh month. It's all based upon the cycles of the moons, Sabbaths, and seasons. What a wonderful time to celebrate the fall harvest time! There are atleast three names for each feast and we are still getting the spelling, meanings and such mixed up. But we do understand much more this year than last! Glory to His name. It's all about remembering His faithfulness to His people!
Our neighbor climbed in the sukkah, at the boys' request, and asked if it was a duck blind. : ) We gave a short explanation of what we are really doing. The already knew that we are different. That confirmed it!
Hopefully by next year we will figure out a better building plan for our temporary dwelling, but as you can see, this time we used stepladders for the main supports!!! It did look nearly attractive when the leaves of the branches were green...not so much a week later. The children had a blast working on it. Not a single complaint! />
It was lovely inside!
added later:We were able to have a meal and worship on the last night of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Shalom!
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