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By way of reminder, let me read for us these verses that describe Sukkot
Leviticus 23:39-43
“‘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 sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—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 temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters, so that your descendants will know that I had the people of Israel live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”
Sukkahs aren’t meant to hold up indefinitely. When you see sukkahs set up in the yards of Jewish neighborhoods, whether here or in Israel, it is obvious that they are temporary, and would never be confused with the house itself. God gave Sukkot, in part, to remind us of our humble beginnings. A sukkah is a very humble structure. In fact, I’m convinced that humility is one of the central themes of this holiday.
Consider Abraham – the friend of God; a man with whom God made a covenant, promising to him and his descendants all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. And yet we watch Abraham moving about in Canaan, exercising none of the rights or privileges of citizenship, but instead living humbly out of a tent, as a sojourner who didn’t belong. And the author of the Letter to the Messianic Jews (Hebrews) points this out to us, writing, By faith, he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
And why did he do this? The author continues, Because he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10). Abraham could afford to live humbly, because by faith he was convinced that better things awaited him… even if they weren’t earthly things. And so Abraham is the model for all who are truly followers of Messiah Yeshua. Is your walk like his? Are you submitted to God’s will, or are you forcing things to go your way?
Another example of how Sukkot beckons us to live humbly is to recall Israel’s 40-year wandering. Our ancestors also lived humbly in tents, in a very hot, hostile wilderness, learning what it means to depend entirely on God. And, if we’re going to be perfectly honest, if we believe what Moses and the Prophets wrote, Israel’s track record has been checkered at best. But, lest we point fingers at the ancient Israelis, consider that we in the 21st century, despite having the entirety of the Scriptures at our fingertips, haven’t done much better.
An important part of humility is just being honest with ourselves. We are so easily distracted by the allure of material gain. Sukkot contains a remedy for materialism. This holiday of humble little shelters is a reminder that everything in this world is temporary. For that reason, we shouldn’t hold fiercely to the things that have been given us. We should be generous, open-handed with those in need. It’s what the Scriptures call having a good eye.
And even in the way Sukkot anticipates what is to come, humility plays a pivotal role. What do I mean? Answer this question: when the Messiah returns to earth, where will He set up His throne? That’s right, in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem. And, I’m telling you, a lot of people are going to be very put off by that.
Consider how Israel is viewed, at this hour, by the rest of the world. Worldwide hatred for Israel and the Jewish people is very high. Even here in the U.S., which historically has been an ally of Israel, college campuses and downtowns of major cities have become dangerous for Jews. The slogan, “From the River to the Sea” is being chanted by people who couldn’t tell you which river or which sea they’re talking about – they are ignorantly calling for Israel’s destruction.
What is it about this tiny little nation (the size of New Jersey) that stirs up so much hostility? It’s because there is a cosmic war afoot, and Israel is the spiritual center of the earth. It is also where this present age of human history will conclude. But as bad (and biased) as the news is these days concerning Israel, things are going to get much worse. It won’t be pretty… But God will have His Day.
Let’s consider the words of the Jewish prophet Zechariah, who described it, and what’s fascinating, is that the holiday of Sukkot figures prominently.
Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south… Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him! (Zechariah 14:1-5, 16-19)
Zechariah tell us that Israel will be vindicated, but only after horrific circumstances. The nations of the world will surround Jerusalem, intending to destroy her. Initially the city will be captured, and looting and raping will ensue. Half of the population of Jerusalem will flee, but half will remain. And then Adonai will invade time and space, visibly appearing, along with all the holy ones, and fight on behalf of His land and His people… and, boy, you don’t want to be Israel’s enemy on that day.
Zechariah went on to describe what would happen in the aftermath of that battle (and this is where Sukkot comes in):
Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
The survivors from the previously hostile nations will remember their contempt for Israel and their mistreatment of the Jewish people, and will be required to humble themselves and come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot. I believe this will include some arrogant Christians who falsely taught that God rejected Israel and replaced her with the Church. There will, of course, need to be sincere apologies and profound repentance, and the nations will need to acknowledge Israel, and worship Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, who will be King over all the earth.
And what of the Jewish people?
My people will remember our generations of contempt, both for Yeshua and for His followers, and we will be required to humble ourselves and acknowledge Him as our true King Messiah. As with the nations, so with Israel; there will need to be sincere apologies and profound repentance, and Israel will need to acknowledge Yeshua. But there is an additional layer of necessary humility: the Jewish people will need to first forgive, then welcome the survivors of those nations, when they are summoned to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot.
Humility doesn’t come to us easily or naturally, but the outcome when these things come to pass will be glorious! When the nations humble themselves, and the Jewish people humble themselves, there will be a joyous, God-honoring unity, and the promise of Genesis 9 will at long last be fulfilled: that God, who enlarged Japheth (the nations), has now brought him to dwell in the tents – the sukkahs of Shem (Israel).
And in that day, our Messiah Yeshua will be exalted as King over all the nations of the earth. The transformation of the planet will be astonishing! And, because God announced these things in advance through the Prophets, we can be completely confident in their fulfillment. So, despite the tumult of our time, we have joy – a joy that the world does not yet understand… but will – soon enough!