Page 17 - lesson20.vp

Lesson 20 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course 17

Tabernacles in the Worldwide Church
of God, from 1970 to 1989, we were
never told about the command to take
boughs of goodly trees, branches of
palm trees, and willows of the brook,
and to use them in rejoicing before the
LORD; nor were we told how the Feast
of Tabernacles relates to the journey of
the Israelites as they came out of Egypt,
and dwelt in the wilderness for forty
years, living in "booths" or temporary
structures, or tent-like portable
dwellings. This aspect of the Feast was
totally overlooked! And yet -- it was
commanded as a "STATUTE FOR
EVER"! Amazing, isn't it! How have so Those YEHOVAH God is calling now receive instruction
many so-called churches of God from His ministers in the Sukkah during the Feast of
overlooked this PLAIN Biblical COM- Tabernacles.
MAND?
"booths" to sit in, to hold discussions, to pray,
3. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, we
meditate, and to fellowship in? How many use
read about the Feast of Tabernacles or “booths”
the branches of various kinds of trees to
in Ezra 3:3-4.
construct a "sukkah" or "booth"? Should we
COMMENT: This observance occurred
follow this example today, in celebrating
after the return of many Jews from Babylon back
YEHOVAH's Feast of Tabernacles ("Sukkot")?
to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Ezra, a
Is this a commandment for all genuine
righteous scribe of YEHOVAH God, gathered
Christians and ALL YEHOVAH's people?
the people and read to them from the law of
5. Was this manner of keeping the Feast
YEHOVAH (Nehemiah 8:1-8) on the first day
of Tabernacles to be a continual reminder of
of Tishri, or the Feast of Trumpets (Ezra 8:2).
Israel’s 40-year sojourn in the wilderness and
4. On the next day the people were
deserts south of Palestine? Leviticus 23:42, 43.
gathered to learn more of the laws of
Why? Because Israel lived in temporary
YEHOVAH God -- found in Nehemiah
dwellings during that time? Verse 43.
8:14-18.
6. Let us understand why YEHOVAH
COMMENT: Here again the Feast of
God wants those 40 nomadic years remembered.
Tabernacles is described -- and the statement is
What is the real significance of dwelling
made that the festival had not been observed in
in booths? I Chronicles 29:15; Hebrews 11:9,
this manner, with the construction of booths,
13.
since the days of Joshua himself! Truly, in the
COMMENT: The dictionary defines
days of Ezra, there was a turning back to observe
“sojourn” as “a temporary stay." Abraham was a
the laws of YEHOVAH God among the people,
stranger or alien in the Promised Land, living in
and much more attention was given to proper
a temporary fashion all his days. YEHOVAH
and correct observance.
had not yet given him any inheritance there.
Nevertheless, many of these features of
Canaanites occupied the land.
the Feast, as observed in modern times, have
Dwelling in booths pictured that
also been neglected by thousands of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were yet only heirs --
YEHOVAH's people. How many literally build
Feast of Tabernacles -- THE WORLD TOMORROW