Sukkot: a very personal time

by Tom Brennan,

Many newcomers to following Messiah and His Torah look forward to the Feasts. Sukkot is a favorite because the can gather with other believers and “camp out”.

The Feast was commanded to be remembered so the Israelites would retain the connection between their ancestors who left Egypt’s security, dependable food and water supply and follow an eighty year old prophet who himself followed the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Their ancestors had gone to Egypt to escape a famine and never returned. Things changed in Egypt and they fell from a people favored by Pharaoh to work levies and second class citizens. Even though each day held hard labor and oppression, at least they knew what to expect. But a long lost Prince, now a shepherd and prophet had returned and was moved by God to work signs and miracles that convinced the Pharaoh and terrified the people. Everyone was glad to see them leave. Pharaoh’s pursuit left him without his chariots. After losing many first born sons, herds and flocks and decimating the land with plagues, Egypt knew great sorrow, the Hebrews faced an unknown.

For forty years the previous city dwellers faced gathering their food daily. The previous guarantee of daily rations from their masters was left behind along with their servitude. Freedom has a price. God said I will care for you if you trust Me. Every day, right on time a day’s supply of nutritious food appeared and the faithful gathered enough for the day. Any more than a day’s supply rotted.

We are commanded to build “booths”, temporary open shelters of natural materials, not manmade. These symbolize the tents the Israelites lived in for two generations. This is an opportunity to once again see what The Almighty has made: wood for supports, leaves and limbs for cover and stars a-plenty to look at in awe. We hear sounds our brick and wood walls close out, birds, crickets, frogs, owls. We gather together with our children when some noises cause alarm.

I have worked with horses since moving to the Western USA a decade ago. Prior to this I did not know about the Torah or the references to many things that my study and reading now illuminate my learning experience and action. Much of the work is outside or in a barn. Although I still live inside, a converted barn no less, I see the dawn over the mountains and sunset over the valley. This place is on the edge of a great desert and when I can I go out there to renew my mental images of what the Israelites saw each dawn, a waterless, and foodless land that intimidated them tested their faith daily.

We have grown comfortable with our modern homes, apartments and condos. Food in good supply is always available, light is at our command and our bank accounts disburse money and send it to places from which we buy many things. For seven days we are told to leave these things behind and feel the change in the air, smell the odors of the outdoors (good and bad), and instead of watching our televisions, to gather around a fire and look up at the stars. God said He would make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as these lights above us. And Sukkot reminds us we are the lights. Let Sukkot teach us more about trust and faith.

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