The festival of Sukkot is a joyous Holy Day, which is different from a holiday. You see, a holiday is a man-made celebration, whereas a Holy Day is one of the celebrations that God commanded us to observe, all of which are found in Leviticus 23.
But did you know that Sukkot is the only Holy Day where God commands two different ways to celebrate it?
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When we go to Leviticus 23, verses 33-36 tell us to celebrate Sukkot every year on the 15th day of the 7th month. But later, when God concludes his commandments about the Holy Days (verse 37), in verses 39-43 he gives different instructions for Sukkot, which can’t obey until after we enter the Land!
So did we celebrate Sukkot when we were in the desert, or did we wait until we were in Israel?
God also says, in Leviticus 23:9, regarding the festival of Shavuot that we are to celebrate it after we enter the land and harvest its ripe crops.
So, nu? Did these Holy Days go on hold until some 40+ years later, after the people were settled in Israel and had time to plant and harvest their own produce?
We know that while in the desert no one was circumcised (Joshua 5:2), which makes sense since the ritual required a lengthy recovery time, and they never knew when they would be moving the camp. So, if circumcision, a definite must-do, was allowed to be delayed, maybe the observance of Sukkot also was delayed?
“Wait a minute, Steve! You said that Shavuot was not to be celebrated until they were in the Land, so isn’t that one that was delayed, also? “
No, it wasn’t delayed because this Holy Day was not to be celebrated until after we settled in the Land. However, with Sukkot, the first time God mentions it he specifies on the 15th day of the 7th month we are to hold a holy convocation and make sacrifices for 7 days. It was later in this chapter when God repeated this date, but added that we are to use river willows, palm fronds, choice fruit, and thick branches when we celebrate, most of which would not be available in the desert. He also adds a significant difference: in this second command God adds that we build Sukkot and live in them for 7 days.
It makes sense that this specific Holy Day celebration requires two different ways to celebrate: one way for when we were in the desert (sacrifices, but no fruits, fronds, or building of a Sukkah), and another for after we were in the Land (where we had access to those materials, and by then are living in houses).
It makes no sense to build a sukkah in the desert when you are already in a sukkah! Duh!
So what we have is, for the three pilgrimage Holy Days, Pesach (Passover) would have been celebrated every year during the 40 years in the desert (after all, the Sanctuary was right there), and Sukkot would have been celebrated (they already had the Sukkahs built), but Shavuot would have to wait until they were in the Land and the first crop was harvested. And when that time arrived, Sukkot would also be celebrated differently.
To me, this shows how God understands our conditions on earth. Even though the circumcision was a requirement to be under the Abrahamic Covenant, because of the conditions in the desert, God allowed it to be delayed. And although Shavuot was a required celebration, God knew we had to wait until we were in the land. Sukkot was required while in the desert, but once in the Land, God changed the rules to be in line with the different conditions.
Now, does this mean that we can decide when we have to obey God and when we don’t? No, sorry, but there is no excuse we can make for disobedience to God, other than being a result of our human frailties and weak faith; and even in those cases, God has prepared for us a means to be forgiven.
That means of forgiveness is through the sacrificial system, which has never gone away.
In fact, the sacrificial system and Sukkot have something in common: they both have been altered based on changed conditions.
Sukkot was altered after the people were in the Land, and the sacrificial system was altered after Yeshua’s resurrection.
Before they entered Israel, for Sukkot they sacrificed, and after they were in Israel, they also used harvested produce and built Sukkot. Before Yeshua’s resurrection, no sacrifice would be accepted unless it was brought to the place where God put his name (Deuteronomy 12:11), but after Yeshua was raised (to prove his sacrifice was accepted), the requirement to bring an animal to the temple in Jerusalem was no longer needed because through Yeshua, we could receive forgiveness of sin anywhere, anytime, by means of his once-and-for-all sacrifice The conditions changed even more, which God prepared for by sending Yeshua, when in 70 AD the Romans completely destroyed the temple.
TIME OUT: When I say Yeshua’s sacrifice was a once-and-for-all sacrifice, that means it was done once, for all people, but it does NOT mean that your sins are always automatically forgiven. We still must confess, repent, and ask forgiveness (by means of the blood Yeshua spilled) for every single sin we commit.
So, are you surprised at this relationship between Sukkot and the sacrificial system? Truth be told, I didn’t even understand it myself until I started to write this message! But, now that I am done, I think it is a wonderful way to show, again, how God knows what we need, when we need it, and will always provide it for us.
That’s it for this week, so Chag Sameach (Happy Festival) and let’s all look forward to next week when we celebrate Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah), also called Sh’mini Atzeret (Eighth Day Gathering) as we turn the Torah back to the beginning, and get to read through it, all over again.
Baruch HaShem!
