The Joy and Wonder of the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot
The Joy and Wonder of the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot
Picture this: families leaving the comfort of their homes to eat, sleep, and celebrate in temporary shelters made of branches and palm fronds. The autumn wind rustles through the walls. Stars peek through the roof. Children laugh as they hang decorations. This isn’t camping—it’s Sukkot, one of Almighty Yahweh’s appointed feasts that invites us into something beautifully countercultural.
What Makes Sukkot Different?
While many people know about Passover or even Yom Kippur, Sukkot often flies under the radar. Yet Yahweh calls it one of His appointed times, a “holy convocation” that His people should celebrate. The command comes directly from Yahweh:
“You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Yahweh your Elohim.” (Leviticus 23:42-43)
Yahweh doesn’t ask us to build monuments or organize parades. He tells us to live in fragile, temporary shelters. Why? To remember. To experience. To trust.
The Wilderness Connection
When Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt, He didn’t immediately usher them into the Promised Land. They spent forty years in the wilderness—a generation living in temporary dwellings, dependent on Elohim for their daily bread, their water, their protection. Every single day required faith.
Sukkot brings us back to that reality. When you sit in a sukkah (the temporary booth), you feel exposed. You hear the wind. You sense your vulnerability. And that’s exactly the point. These flimsy structures remind us that our security never came from four solid walls. It came from Yahweh.
A Feast of Joy
Here’s what surprises people about Sukkot: it’s not somber. It’s joyful! In fact, it’s often called “The Season of Our Joy.” Yahweh commands celebration:
“You shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your Elohim seven days.” (Leviticus 23:40)
Notice that word—”rejoice.” Yahweh doesn’t just permit joy during Sukkot; He commands it. The feast happens during harvest time, when the hard work of the year bears fruit. It’s a time to gather with loved ones, share abundant meals, and celebrate Elohim’s provision. Even in temporary shelters, joy overflows.
The Harvest Reminder
Sukkot arrives at a specific time:
“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress.” (Deuteronomy 16:13)
Yahweh ties this feast to the harvest season. After months of labor, when the barns overflow with grain and the wine is pressed, that’s when we step away from our secure homes. It’s a powerful paradox: in the moment when we have the most, Yahweh reminds us that He is our true source.
We didn’t create the rain. We didn’t design the seed. We didn’t orchestrate the seasons. Elohim did all of that. Sukkot keeps us humble and grateful.
For All Generations
I love that Yahweh says “that your generations may know.” This isn’t just about memory—it’s about experience. You can tell children stories about trusting Elohim, but when they sleep under a sukkah roof and watch the stars through the branches, something deeper happens. They feel it. They live it.
Sukkot creates tangible teaching moments. Why are we eating outside? Why is our shelter so fragile? Why does the roof have gaps? Each question opens a door to talk about Yahweh’s faithfulness, His provision, and His protection throughout history.
A Prophetic Picture
Here’s something fascinating: Sukkot points forward, not just backward. The prophet Zechariah describes a future time when all nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast:
“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16)
This feast carries significance beyond Israel’s history. It speaks of a coming kingdom, a future restoration, a time when all people will acknowledge Yahweh’s sovereignty and celebrate His provision together.
Living Sukkot Today
You don’t need to be in Jerusalem to observe Sukkot. You need willingness—to step out of comfort, to embrace simplicity, to gather with others, and to remember.
Build a sukkah in your backyard. Eat meals there. If weather permits, sleep under its roof. Invite friends over. Share stories. Read Scripture together. Let your children decorate it with harvest decorations and artwork. Make it a week your family will never forget.
The temporary walls teach us that our permanent security rests in Yahweh alone. The gaps in the roof remind us that heaven watches over us. The harvest abundance shows us that every good gift comes from above.
The Heart of the Feast
Sukkot strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency. It confronts our tendency to trust in our own strength, our bank accounts, our carefully constructed lives. For seven days, we live differently. We live lighter. We live more openly. We live with greater dependence on the One who has always sustained us.
And in that dependence, we find joy. Not the hollow happiness that comes from accumulation, but the deep, settled joy that comes from knowing we’re held by faithful hands.
Yahweh gave us the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, as a gift—a commanded celebration that reorients our hearts, realigns our priorities, and reminds us of what truly matters. In a world obsessed with security, success, and permanence, Sukkot whispers a beautiful truth: the only thing we really need is already ours. We have Yahweh, and He is enough.
So this year, when autumn arrives and the harvest is gathered, consider building a booth. Step into the story. Experience what your ancestors experienced. And discover for yourself why Yahweh calls His people to this joyful, vulnerable, profoundly meaningful feast. May you have the joy and wonder of the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot.
Remember, this holy day is Yahweh’s Feast, and everyone can celebrate and enjoy these seven sacred days! Have you celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot before? Kindly share your experiences in the comments below!