Feast of Tabernacles: Difference between revisions

'''The Feast of Tabernacles''' is the last one of the [[The Feasts of God|seven feasts in three times]] written in the Bible. It is celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of the seventh month by the sacred calendar,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+23%3A34-36&version=NIV |title=Leviticus 23:34–36|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> and it falls between September to October in the [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gregorian-calendar Gregorian calendar] [solar calendar]. The Israelites kept this feast to celebrate the building of the [[Sanctuary (Tabernacle)|tabernacle]] of God during their [[Life in Desert|journey in the desert]]. This is the feast of harvest observed at the time of harvesting autumn crops. The Feast of Tabernacles represents the third set of feasts<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+16%3A16&version=NIV |title=Deuteronomy 16:16 |quote= }}</ref>—the [[Feast of Trumpets]], the [[Day of Atonement]], and the Feast of Tabernacles.

On the tenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar in the first year after coming out of Egypt and heading for Canaan, [[Moses]] descended from Mount Sinai [Horeb] after receiving the second set of the [[Ten Commandments]], and gave the Israelites detailed explanations of how to build the tabernacle to keep the Ten Commandments and of the materials for the tabernacle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+34%3A4-35&version=NIV |title=Exodus 34:4–35|publisher=|quote= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+35%3A4-19&version=NIV |title=Exodus 35:4–19|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> The people willingly brought materials for the tabernacle. For seven days from the fifteenth day of the month, various materials such as gold, silver, linen, and wood were gathered abundantly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+35%3A29-36%3A7&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV |title=Exodus 35:29–36:7|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> God appointed the Feast of Tabernacles to commemorate the Israelites’ gathering the materials for the tabernacle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+29%3A12&version=NIV |title=Numbers 29:12|publisher= |quote= }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+16%3A13-15&version=NIV |title=Deuteronomy 16:13–15|publisher=|quote= }}</ref>

In the sanctuary, sacrifices such as [[Sacrifices in the Old Testament|grain offerings]] and [[Sacrifices in the Old Testament|drink offerings]] were offered according to the regulations of the Feast of Tabernacles apart from [[Regular Burnt Offering|regular burnt offerings]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+23%3A34-37&version=NIV |title=Leviticus 23:34–37|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> Every day during the seven days of the Feast, bulls, rams, and male lambs of the first year were offered as the [[Sacrifices in the Old Testament|burnt offerings]], and their grain offerings were offered according to the number specified. As a [[Sacrifices in the Old Testament|sin offering]], one male goat was offered every day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+29%3A12-39&version=NIV |title=Numbers 29:12–39|publisher= |quote= }}</ref>

:In the 10th century [[B.C. and A.D.|B.C.]], during the golden age of the united kingdom of Israel, [[Solomon]] completed the Jerusalem [[Temple]] and placed the [[Ark of the Covenant|ark of the covenant]] in the [[The Most Holy Place|Most Holy Place]], and the people assembled for a dedication ceremony in the seventh month. He kept the Feast of Tabernacles together with the dedication of the temple.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+8%3A1-2%2C+65&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV |title=1 Kings 8:1–2, 65|publisher= |quote= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+5%3A1-3&version=NIV |title=2 Chronicles 5:1–3|publisher=|quote= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+7%3A8-9&version=NIV |title=2 Chronicles 7:8–9|publisher=|quote= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+8%3A12-13&version=NIV |title=2 Chronicles 8:12–13|publisher=|quote= }}</ref>

:In about 537 B.C., the Israelites, who had been taken captive to [[Babylon]],<ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/jerusalem-mount-zion-babylonian-conquest-evidence-intl-scli/index.html Archaeologists find evidence of Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem – as told in the Bible], ''CNN Travel'', August 12, 2019</ref> returned to their homeland under the leadership of Zerubbabel according to the decree of [[Cyrus (II)|Cyrus II]], king of [[Media & Persia (Persia)|Persia]] (first return). The people who returned to their homeland made every effort to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and resolved to keep [[Law of Moses|the law that God gave Moses]]. After that, they kept the Feast of Tabernacles as written in the Law and fully offered the sacrifice to God according to the regulations every day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+3%3A1-4&version=NIV |title=Ezra 3:1–4|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> In about 444 B.C., the Israelites, who had returned home (third return) led by [[Nehemiah]],<ref>The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah With Introduction, Notes and Maps, Herbert Edward Ryle, ''University Press'', 1893</ref> completed the construction of Jerusalem walls in 52 days, despite the hindrance of Sanballat and Tobiah.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+6%3A1-15&version=NIV |title=Nehemiah 6:1–15|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> In the seventh month, the people learned the law of God from Ezra who was a [[priest]] and a teacher of the law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A1-12&version=NIV |title=Nehemiah 8:1–12|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> Reading the Book of the Law, they found that God commanded them to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month, and proclaimed that they would keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and throughout their towns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A13-15&version=NIV |title=Nehemiah 8:13–15|publisher=|quote= }}</ref> The people went out into the hill country and brought back branches and built booths on their roofs, in their courtyards, in the temple courts, in the square by the Water Gate, and the one by the [https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/e/ephraim-gate.html Gate of Ephraim]. Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly in accordance with the regulation. The Bible says that from the days of [[Joshua]] until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it this greatly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A16-18&version=NIV |title=Nehemiah 8:16–18|publisher=|quote= }}</ref>

*[[Day of Firstfruits]]