Day 1: Why Sukkot? God graciously gave Israel the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) “so that your generations may know that I had the people of Israel live in booths [sukkot] when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” (Lev. 23:43.) YHVH provided well for the ancient Israelites journeying to the land of promise. He carried them “as on eagles wings,” a good and loving Father supplying their every need. (Ex. 19:4) And He does the same for you.
Your Abba cares passionately for you. He protects you tenderly, yet fiercely. In a shaking, uncertain world, He is your ever-present shelter and shield. As you surrender to Him, He provides for all your needs according to His riches in glory in Messiah Jesus. Though in this world you will have tribulation, be of good cheer–especially at Sukkot–for He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) This week, be blessed in Your Father’s arms of protective love. If you can, build or visit a sukkah and experience in it the special sense of His presence and peace. (Lev. 23:42)
Pray for Israel: Ask God to tabernacle intimately this Sukkot with Israelis as their caring Father. Ask Him to draw especially near to the hostages and others who have suffered pain and loss this year. (John 1:14)
Day 2: Rejoice! Observant Jews call Sukkot “the season of our joy.” It is the only biblical feast on which God commands us to rejoice. (Deut. 16:13-14, Lev. 23:40) The Lord wants His joy to be in you so that your joy may be full. (John 15:11) Following Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, and by the atonement of Yeshua, our fellowship with God has been renewed. Now, on Sukkot, you and I can gladden His heart, and increase His joy, by rejoicing in and with Him. During Sukkot, despite the troubles of the world, be intentional about the joy of the Lord: Rejoice!
Pray for Israel: Ask God to strengthen heartbroken and grieving Israelis with His joyful hope this Sukkot. We are to weep with those who weep in Zion, yet the joy of the Lord is their strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Day 3: Harvest Ingathering and Thanksgiving. Exodus 23:16 refers to Sukkot as a feast of Ingathering, with expressions of thanksgiving for the past year’s harvest. In faith, we also give thanks for the upcoming, next seasonal harvest. As a prophetic act of thanksgiving for harvest based on Leviticus 23:40, a wave offering of tree branches and choice fruit (lulav and etrog) is presented to God. Today, your personal harvest may or may not be agricultural. But daily a loving God provides for you and nourishes you in body, soul, and spirit. Messiah has “harvested” and gathered you in to His eternal kingdom. Be blessed to serve Him in the final spiritual harvest of these last days, the ingathering of souls into the kingdom of heaven.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink … your heavenly Father knows what you need. But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:25, 32-33)
Pray for Israel: Pray for an abundant harvest in Israel’s agricultural sector despite the loss of manpower and devastation of farmland due to rocket fire. Pray that our economy will be supernaturally sustained and that all glory will be given to God. (Ezekiel 36:29-30)
Day 4: Sacrifice and Offering. Important features of Sukkot were the many burnt, grain, drink, freewill and fellowship offerings God told His people to present. He instructed the ancient priests to sacrifice a total of 70 bulls during the feast. (Num. 29:12-38) The rabbis teach that because the number 70 in Scripture represents the nations, these sacrifices were made in priestly intercession not for Israel, but for the Gentiles. During the feast of Sukkot, observant Jews still purpose to bless the Gentiles.
Are you inspired to bless Israel in return? According to Deut. 16:17, “No man should appear before the Lord empty handed. Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” As a Christian, you can “offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1) You can also offer material blessing and intercessory prayer for Israel during this season of her distress. Sukkot is a time to engage wholeheartedly in the privilege of joyful, sacrificial giving. The Lord will love it and I think you will, too!
Pray for Israel: As a follower of Messiah who has been given authority to function in both kingly and priestly roles, pray protection, wisdom, strength, anointing and unity on the servant-leaders of Israel. Daily they sacrifice much on our behalf. (1 Peter 2:9)
Day 5: The Shalom of Rest. The first and last days of Sukkot are celebrated as special Sabbaths. We cease from regular work and engage in the beauty of heavenly rest. (Lev. 23:35-36; Num. 29:12, 35). Hear your Savior call to your heart, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) This Sukkot, be renewed in the intentional rest of simply being with the Lover of your soul. Tabernacle with Him in His shalom.
Pray for Israel: Pray for supernatural shalom to enfold our war weary nation, especially our soldiers, leaders, hostages and others who may be unable to rest (and be rest -ored) deeply. (Isaiah 30:15)
Day 6: Honoring Messiah’s Birth. During Sukkot, Israel’s Holy Temple was dedicated to God, where His Shekinah presence came to rest with His people. (1 Kings 8:2, 65) But an even greater presence in an even greater temple may have come to us during this feast. Some Bible scholars believe that Yeshua was born during Sukkot. Their reference point starts with the conception of John, born to Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. Recall that John was conceived after the angel Gabriel visited Zechariah during his priestly service in the temple.
Zechariah would have been serving according to the rotation of ministry, based on family lineage, set forth in 1 Chronicles 24-28. Since he was in the division of Abijah, he would have finished serving and gone home to Elizabeth in late June or early July. (Luke 1:5, 13-19, 23-26)
By the time Mary conceived Yeshua, Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John. This means Yeshua was likely conceived in the winter, perhaps during Hanukkah. Nine months later would coincide with the season of Sukkot. If in fact Yeshua was born during Sukkot, this would explain some hard questions associated with the traditional winter nativity.
Perhaps John had Messiah’s birth during Sukkot in mind when he wrote, “The Word became flesh and did tabernacle among us.” (John 1:14, YLT) While we cannot know for sure exactly when Yeshua was born, Sukkot can be a meaningful occasion on which to celebrate His birth and gift of eternal life. It is a wonderful time to give glory to God in the highest. Immanuel, God is with us!
Pray for Israel: “O come, o come Immanuel and ransom captive Israel,” goes the traditional Christmas hymn. Ask God to continue to tenderly soften Israeli hearts toward Himself and open Jewish eyes to see Messiah. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16)
Day 7: The Great Supplication. The seventh day of Sukkot is known as the Hoshana Rabah (Great Supplication or Great Salvation). In ancient Israel, the Hoshana Rabah was marked by an elaborate intercessory ritual for the outpouring of rain in the coming year.
While rain was associated with blessing throughout Israel’s history, the Jews of Yeshua’s’ day connected abundant rainfall and living waters with the coming of Messiah. Therefore, the Hoshana Rabah was a prayer for spiritual, as well as physical, rain. This gives more insight to Yeshua’s public declaration: “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.” (John 7:37-38)
On the last day of Sukkot, be blessed to drink of the Spirit of God to overflowing. Then, may others who thirst partake of living waters flowing through you as you testify of the Great Salvation, Hoshanah Rabah.
Pray for Israel: Pray for the complete fulfillment of God’s covenant restoration of Israel as prophesied in Ezekiel 36 – 37: The resurrection of our dry bones into a vast army, our return to the promised land as an undivided nation, and the sprinkling of clean water to purify us from our sins, all to God’s glory.
Day 8: Shemini Atzeret. Shmeni Atzeret can be seen as a type of add-on gift from God, a sweet closure to the communal festivities of Sukkot. It is a day to process all He has done during the season of fall feasts. “On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work.” (Num. 29:35) Burnt offerings are prescribed, but other instructions are not given. By tradition, the day came to be known centuries ago as Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah). The tragic events of October 7 occurred last year on Simchat Torah.
Despite the association with last year’s horrific attack, on Simchat Torah we can still offer thanks to God for the gift of His Holy Word. We can sacrificially offer to Him our lack of understanding of His perfect ways and choose to trust Him in difficult times. We can look forward to the blessed hope of His coming, when He will tabernacle among us in consummate justice, heavenly peace, and joyful righteousness.
When Messiah returns, not just Israel, but all nations will celebrate Sukkot. “Then the survivors of all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zech. 14:16) During that time we will revel in the exhilarating brilliance of divine love-light. Meanwhile, celebrating Sukkot can serve as a type of grand rehearsal for that future glory.
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” (Rev. 21:3)
Pray for Israel: Pray for a swift and victorious end to the war that began last Simchat Torah. Ask God to comfort those mourning the loss of loved ones on this first anniversary of their captivity or death. Pray that the captives will soon be set free. (Isaiah 61:1-3, Psalms 2 and 83)
Sukkot Sameach/Happy Sukkot!