Celebrate the joy of resting in God’s promises.
The Feast of Tabernacles ends after seven days – yet the God-appointment spills over into an eighth day:
For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the Lord. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day (Lev. 23:36 NLT).
After a week of celebration, the eighth day called for rest.
The last book in the Old Testament to mention Sukkot promises a time when this God-appointment will spill over into the joy and rest of God’s Kingdom. Until then, the Feast of Joy foreshadows future glory.
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name (Zech. 14:9).
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 (Zech. 14:16).
Feast on the Word
Read, or listen on audio to:
- the whole prophecy of Zechariah 14. Don’t try to figure out everything Zechariah said. But rather, in your spirit receive the word of the Lord.
- the promise of future glory that Haggai made on the last day of Sukkot: Haggai 2:1, 6-9.
Zechariah and Haggai don’t pull any punches. Zechariah, especially, announces some hard times ahead. Yet even in the hard times, the promises of God remain. They call forth faith. They bring good hope. They remind us, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Sometimes, the morning arrives quickly, and we celebrate: God has done what he said! Sometimes, the night seems like it will never end. In the darkness, the promises of God undergird and sustain the people who know him.
So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth (Hosea 6:3 NAS).
Celebrate the closing assembly
Be still before God. Reflect on the previous seven days.
- How have you experienced the Lord? How have you celebrated him?
- How have you experienced joy?
- What is God saying to you about the days ahead?
Ask the Lord for grace in the coming year to rest in his promises, to be strong in his joy. Remember a promise you’ve seen God fulfill. Rejoice in it. Ask God what promise he wants you to lay hold of today.
Rejoice in him. Declare aloud: “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” Worship him now.
Image © David Ohmer, flickr, Evening Light on Cedar Lake Fountain, CC 2.0
See also
- The intro to this Feast of Tabernacles celebration guide and links to all 8 Days, at Sukkot: The Feast of Joy
- Celebrating God at his appointed times
