Symbols of Sukkot: The sukkah

In God’s instructions for remembering Sukkot (Festival of Booths or Tabernacles), God said to gather foliage from four types of trees. Part 1 of this study reveals how these four species symbolize four types of people. Part 2 explores how the sukkah made from the trees teaches about the Yeshua’s 12 apostles, the “fruits” of the Spirit and the dwelling place of God.

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God instructed that we are to build סֻּכֹּת sukkot (H5521), or booths, and decorate them with different branches (Lev. 23:33–43). Nehemiah pointed out that up to his day, the festival of Sukkot had not been kept in its completeness since the days of the judge Yehoshua (Joshua) (Neh. 8:17). Why do we do it today? What do we gain from it?

Solomon’s temple was dedicated during the seventh month as we read in 2nd Chron. 7:1-11. I brought you there today because I wanted you to feel what they were feeling at that time. They were worshiping and honoring God. The children of Israel had not built booths since the time of Joshua. This doesn’t mean they didn’t celebrate Sukkot at all, but that they had not built booths in honor of Sukkot from Joshua to Nehemiah. Solomon’s temple was a sukkah, and all of Israel celebrated there.

When we put the different branches in our sukkah, we are doing the same thing Solomon did. Solomon’s branches were made of gold, silver, bronze, cypress, etc. Ours are not that fancy but they still speak the same language.

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (1st Cor. 3:16-17)

As believers in Yeshua as God’s Messiah, we are “temples” of God (2nd Cor. 6:16). Yeshua said that He was the Temple (Matt. 26:61). Are we competing with Yeshua? We are a part of Yeshua’s temple, but we are temples of God in and of ourselves too. All the components of the Tabernacle and Temple were holy, set aside for God’s purpose.

Let’s go a little deeper. We see shadows in a sukkah, we hear the wind rustling the leaves in the sukkah. We hear the voices of those who are celebrating Sukkot with you. When you look up, you see the stars in the sky. God didn’t put the stars in the sky because He was bored. They have a symbolism. Gen. 15:1-6 tells us why God made the stars. The descendants of Abram, who are human beings, are compared to the stars in heaven. The belief in God is why it will be so. Abram believed God and that faithfulness was counted to him. Gen. 22:15-18 reiterates this. Abraham’s obedience to God reinforced God’s promise.

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12:1-4)

The stars represent the righteous. Daniel tells us that the evil one will pursue the righteous to kill them. The vision of Yosef (Joseph) of the stars bowing to him symbolized his siblings bowing to him (). The 12 stars on the woman’s crown in Revelation also represent the descendants of Abraham ().

In the sukkah, we are surrounded by those who are more righteous than we are. The holy ones are there. The greatest of us, those who came before us and were cut down are there talking to us. The prophets adn the martyrs speak to us in the sukkah.

In 1st Cor. 15:35-50, we see that the Sukkah represents us. The sukkah is temporary. After the seven days, it is torn down. Our sukkahs perish and die. They are temporary and are supposed to die. We are to see the righteous and take note of how God is calling us to be righteous. The various species of the foliage in the sukkah speak to us in different ways.

“Behold, I [Yeshua] stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Recorded during day five of Sukkot 2013 in Occidental, Calif. Speaker: Daniel Agee. Summary: Tammy.