Sukkot 11

Happy Sukkot!

Romans 7:14-25
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave to sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good,evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

#Sukkot
#SpiritualBattle

Sukkot 10

Happy Sukkot!

Matthew 5:17-48
“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. 

“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court.Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire. So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny. 

“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 

“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one. 

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 

“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those whopersecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentilesdo the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

#Sukkot
#LoveTorah

Sukkot 9

Happy Sukkot!

Joshua 1:1-18
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.

“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”

Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’ Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan.” 

They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!” 

#Sukkot
#BeStrongInYHWH

Sukkot 8

Happy Sukkot!

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12
This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death. He said:

The Lord came from Sinai
and appeared to them from Seir;
he shone on them from Mount Paran
and came with ten thousand holy ones,
with lightning from his right hand for them.
Indeed he loves the people.
All your holy ones are in your hand,
and they assemble at your feet.
Each receives your words.
Moses gave us instruction,
a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
So he became King in Jeshurun
when the leaders of the people gathered
with the tribes of Israel.

Let Reuben live and not die
though his people become few. 

He said this about Judah:

Lord, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people.
He fights for his cause with his own hands,
but may you be a help against his foes. 

He said about Levi:

Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful one;
you tested him at Massah
and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah.
He said about his father and mother,
“I do not regard them.”
He disregarded his brothers
and didn’t acknowledge his sons,
for they kept your word
and maintained your covenant.
They will teach your ordinances to Jacob
and your instruction to Israel;
they will set incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
Lord, bless his possessions,
and accept the work of his hands.
Break the back of his adversaries and enemies,
so that they cannot rise again. 

He said about Benjamin:

The Lord’s beloved rests securely on him.
He shields him all day long,
and he rests on his shoulders. 

He said about Joseph:

May his land be blessed by the Lord
with the dew of heaven’s bounty
and the watery depths that lie beneath;
with the bountiful harvest from the sun
and the abundant yield of the seasons;
with the best products of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the eternal hills;
with the choice gifts of the land
and everything in it;
and with the favor of him
who appeared in the burning bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
His firstborn bull has splendor,
and horns like those of a wild ox;
he gores all the peoples with them
to the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh. 

He said about Zebulun:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
They summon the peoples to a mountain;
there they offer acceptable sacrifices.
For they draw from the wealth of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand. 

He said about Gad:

The one who enlarges Gad’s territory
will be blessed.
He lies down like a lion
and tears off an arm or even a head.
He chose the best part for himself,
because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.
He came with the leaders of the people;
he carried out the Lord’s justice
and his ordinances for Israel. 

He said about Dan:

Dan is a young lion,
leaping out of Bashan. 

He said about Naphtali:

Naphtali, enjoying approval,
full of the Lord’s blessing,
take possession to the west and the south. 

He said about Asher:

May Asher be the most blessed of the sons;
may he be the most favored among his brothers
and dip his foot in olive oil.
May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and your strength last as long as you live.

There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
the clouds in his majesty.
The God of old is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He drives out the enemy before you
and commands, “Destroy!”
So Israel dwells securely;
Jacob lives untroubled
in a land of grain and new wine;
even his skies drip with dew.
How happy you are, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is the shield that protects you,
the sword you boast in.
Your enemies will cringe before you,
and you will tread on their backs. 

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” 

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. 

Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land, and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

#Sukkot
#SongOfMoses

Sukkot 7

Happy Sukkot!

Numbers 29:35-30:1
“On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn assembly; you are not to do any daily work. Present a burnt offering, a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

“Offer these to the Lord at your appointed times in addition to your vow and freewill offerings, whether burnt, grain, drink, or fellowship offerings.” So Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him. 

Moses told the leaders of the Israelite tribes, “This is what the Lord has commanded"

1 Kings 8:54-66
When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven, and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice: “Blessed be the Lord! He has given rest to his people Israel according to all he has said. Not one of all the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us so that he causes us to be devoted to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors. May my words with which I have made my petition before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night. May he uphold his servant’s cause and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires. May all the peoples of the earth know that the Lord is God. There is no other! Be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord our God to walk in his statutes and to keep his commands, as it is today.” 

The king and all Israel with him were offering sacrifices in the Lord’s presence. Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicatedthe Lord’s temple. 

On the same day, the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the Lord’s temple because that was where he offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the fellowship offeringssince the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to accommodate the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt—observed the festival at that time in the presence of the Lord our God, seven days, and seven more days—fourteen days. On the fifteenth day he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went to their homes rejoicing and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.

Matthew 17:1-9
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 

While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified. 

Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,“Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Matthew 12:28-33
If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. 

“Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."

#Sukkot
#RespectHim

Sukkot 6

Happy Sukkot!

Deuteronomy 14:22-16:8 

“Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the Lordyour God has blessed you, then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. Do not neglect the Levite within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied.And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how to cancel debt: Every creditor is to cancel what he has lent his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the Lord’s release of debts has been proclaimed. You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.

“There will be no poor among you, however, because the Lord is certain to bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— if only you obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today. When the Lord your God blesses you as he has promised you, you will lend to many nations but not borrow; you will rule many nations, but they will not rule you.

“If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your city gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has. Be careful that there isn’t this wicked thought in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,’ and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty. Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’

“If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. Give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You are to give him whatever the Lord your God has blessed you with. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today. But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you, take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way. Do not regard it as a hardship when you set him free, because he worked for you six years—worth twice the wages of a hired worker. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

“Consecrate to the Lord your God every firstborn male produced by your herd and flock. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work or shear the firstborn of your flock. Each year you and your family are to eat it before the Lord your God in the place the Lord chooses. But if there is a defect in the animal, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you may not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. Eat it within your city gates; both the unclean person and the clean may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or deer. But you must not eat its blood; pour it on the ground like water.

“Set aside the month of Abib and observe the Passover to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib. Sacrifice to the Lord your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the Lord chooses to have his name dwell. Do not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship—because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt. No yeast is to be found anywhere in your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day is to remain until morning. You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns the Lordyour God is giving you. Sacrifice the Passover animal only at the place where the Lord your God chooses to have his name dwell. Do this in the evening as the sun sets at the same time of day you departed from Egypt. You are to cook and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses, and you are to return to your tents in the morning. Eat unleavened bread for six days. On the seventh day there is to be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God; do not do any work.

#Sukkot
#Tithe
#FeedThePoor

Sukkot 5

Happy Sukkot!

Numbers 29:26-34
“On the fifth day present nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings. 

“On the sixth day present eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings. 

“On the seventh day present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old—all unblemished— with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in proportion to their number. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.

John 7:1-2
After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him. The Jewish Festival of Sukkot was near.

John 7:37-44
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 

When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This truly is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David lived?” So the crowd was divided because of him. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.

#Sukkot
#LivingWater

Sukkot 4

Happy Sukkot!

Romans 3:21-26
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:10-21
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

#Sukkot

#ReconciledToGod

Sukkot 3

Happy Sukkot!

Numbers 29:7-11
“You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth day of this seventh month and practice self-denial; do not do any work. Present a burnt offering to YHWH, a pleasing aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. All your animals are to be unblemished. Their grain offering is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram, and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. Offer one male goat for a sin offering. The regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings are in addition to the sin offering of atonement."

Isaiah 57:14-58:14
He said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from my people’s way.” For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose Name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before me, even the breath, which I have made. Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating words of praise.” YHWH says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck. There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.
“Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek me day after day and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!”  “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to YHWH? Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and YHWH's glory will be your rear guard.
At that time, when you call, YHWH will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. YHWH will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry. Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live. “If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of YHWH honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; then you will delight in YHWH, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of YHWH has spoken.

#Sukkot
#Sabbath

Sukkot 2

Leviticus 22:26-23:44

YHWH spoke to Moses: “When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days; from the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering, a fire offering to YHWH. But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young. When you sacrifice a thank offering to YHWH, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It is to be eaten on the same day. Do not let any of it remain until morning; I am YHWH.

“You are to keep My commands and do them; I am YHWH. You must not profane My holy Name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am YHWH who sets you apart, the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am YHWH.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times, the times of YHWH that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.

“Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath to YHWH wherever you live.

“These are YHWH’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. The Passover to YHWH comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. The Festival of Unleavened Bread to YHWH is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to YHWH for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; do not do any daily work.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. He will present the sheaf before YHWH so that you may be accepted; the priest is to present it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you present the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to YHWH. Its grain offering is to be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to YHWH, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart of wine. You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

“You are to count seven complete weeks starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering. You are to count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to YHWH. Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits to YHWH. You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to YHWH, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to YHWH. You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice. The priest will present the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before YHWH; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to YHWH for the priest. On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am YHWH your God.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and trumpet blasts—a sacred assembly. You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to YHWH.”

YHWH again spoke to Moses: “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a fire offering to YHWH. On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before YHWH your God. If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he is to be cut off from his people. I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”

YHWH spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Shelters to YHWH begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to YHWH for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to YHWH. It is a solemn gathering; you are not to do any daily work.

“These are YHWH’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to YHWH, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. These are in addition to the offerings for YHWH’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to YHWH.

“You are to celebrate YHWH's festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees—palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before YHWH your God for seven days. You are to celebrate it as a festival to YHWH seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. You are to live in shelters for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in shelters, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am YHWH your God.” So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.

#Sukkot

Sukkot 1

Tomorrow night (Monday sunset this year) starts Sukkot!

This is the most joyous and fun of all of God’s Holy Holidays! We are actually COMMANDED to rejoice and celebrate YHWH’s mercy at this time - for 8 whole days!

In English, there is no suitable word for this particular North African concept, but it is often translated as close as possible for understanding - as the Festival of “Booths”; “Tents”; “Tabernacles”; and “Manseos (temporary dwelling places)”. All of these are adequate, but don’t explain what it is really referring to.

It is a festival in which, for seven days, everyone is told to camp outside! How fun! Well, camping means you need a portable shelter of some sort, unless you live in a rare place where there there are warm night with no biting bugs ;) Today people use tents or campers. But when YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt with His mighty hand and outstretched arm, they did not have a bunch of burlap, denim, plastic, tarp or anything like that. They had just scattered wood around them in the Sinai region and trees that grow along the Nile and other regions, and trees in the low lying vernal pool areas, such as palms, dates, and a few other tough, leafy trees. So they built a traditional portable dwelling called a “Sukkah”.

Sukkot is the festival of camping out in sukkahs.

Why is this festival important to us today? Zechariah 14 tells us that during the future Messianic Kingdom (when Yeshuah (Jesus) rules on Earth as King), that any nation that does not observe this festival will be cut off.

But that is a purely legalistic reason, and not the right reason to celebrate it. That is only for those who try to claim that God somehow did away with His Holy Days.

The REAL reasons we should celebrate this Festival:

1 - God made it as a time of joy for all! He has redeemed us (Day of Trumpets two weeks ago), He has forgiven us (Day of Atonement last week) and He is providing for us!

2 - Thousands of years ago, YHWH proved Himself to be God over all when He brought Israel out of slavery from Egypt. BUT, despite Israel rebelling and disobeying and griping constantly and not having faith in Him, He STILL provided for them for 40 years! For 40 years, they did not go hungry, their clothes never wore out, their shoes never wore out, their feet never blistered... all because YHWH provided everything they needed the whole time! We camp out remembering that He is our provider through every trial we go through! And Scripture tells us that Yeshuah (Jesus) Himself was the rock that gave them water in the desert! Talk about reason to celebrate - we all have direct access to the Living Water of the Creator of the Universe - the same One who saved all those millions of rebellious people so long ago!

3 - In the future, the time will come when no one can buy or sell anything unless they take the “mark of the beast”. So when this happens, how will God’s elect survive? They cannot buy food, property, ammunition, matches, water, seeds to plant, fuel for a car or generator, a car or can or generator to put fuel into, clothing, soap, deodorant - NOTHING! How will they survive? We only have to look back at Israel to know. They stopped 42 places when they crossed the Jordan finally. There will be 42 weeks under the “mark of the beast”. Why would God want us to remember the places in the wilderness they stopped? So we have the faith we need to know He can and will do the same for us in the future. God will be our true sustainer in our wilderness, just as He was with Israel. Talk about reason to celebrate!

I can go deeper into it, but I do not have the time right now. Here are some of the Scriptures about it and surrounding what it is about:

Exodus 33:12-34:36; Leviticus 22:26-23:44; Numbers 29:12-30:1; Deuteronomy 14:22-16:8; 33:1-34:12; Joshua 1:1-8; 1 Kings 8:54-66; Isaiah 42:5-43:11; Ezekiel 38:18-39:16; Zechariah 14:1-21; Matthew 5:17-48; 17:1-9; Mark 12:28-33; John 1:1-14; 7:1-14; 7:37-44; Romans 7:21-25; Revelation 21:1-7; 22:6-21

A sukkah is made by making a frame of poles or branches to any size dwelling you desire. It must be easily collapsible to go quickly if needed. Many use plastic tubes these days. It is then surrounded by cloth or leafy branches (Most people like to weave palm fronds). The top is leafy branches - make them thick enough to keep you dry if it rains. If you do a google image search you can see many examples. The front is sometimes left open and sometimes closeable. Eating should be done inside the sukkah but celebrating is done outside as much as possible.

The first day (Monday night sunset to Tuesday night sunset this year) is a High Sabbath; a gathering during which no work or business is to be done. It is a day of celebrating our great and wonderful Creator and all He has done for us - accepting us despite our rebellion.

Then the week is spent partying and celebrating all He provided (I believe that He placed this holiday just after the Autumn harvest on purpose).

After seven days of camping out and celebrating our Great Provider, the 8th day is another High Sabbath to celebrate His provision through the week, and celebrate the promised Kingdom yet to come! It is a day to welcome His reign in our lives, and recognize Him as King, looking forward to when He comes and establishes His Kingdom here on earth! Most Christians refer to this future time as the “second coming”.  It is a day to celebrate new beginnings!

May YHWH richly bless you on this, His Holy week of Sukkot! Don’t forget to be HAPPY and REJOICE!

Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say REJOICE!

#Sukkot

#Rejoice

#CampingForGod