(Succoth, Sept. 22-29, 2010)
God visibly led the Hebrew tribes during their sojourn through the wilderness
with a cloud by day and a fire by night. They followed the cloud wherever
it took them. God provided food in the form of fresh manna every day, and
when the people found that monotonous, He gave them quail to eat. He also
provided water as needed - even from a rock.
During their years in the wilderness the Hebrews
did not
build permanent buildings. They erected tabernacles (booths)
- temporary shelters that offered some privacy and protection from the weather
while they moved from campground to campground.
To remember God's goodness and
faithfulness during these difficult years after their exodus from Egypt, God instructed
Moses to have the people celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles annually
. Leviticus 23:
41. And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a
statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh
month.
42. Ye shall dwell in
booths
seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
43. that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell
in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.
44. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.
After settling into permanent homes in Canaan, since the Feast of Tabernacles occurred at the
end of the growing season, thanks was also given during the feast for the crops
they had harvested. Today the Feast of Tabernacles is also sometimes
titled the Feast of Harvest.
Wherever the tribes of Israel camped during their days in the
wilderness of Sinai, they would erect a Tabernacle to house the Ark of the
Covenant following the strict
instructions given to Moses -Exodus 26 -40. Aaron,
his 2 sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were chosen as priests, and the tribe of
Levi was given the duty of serving the Temple.
Numbers
3: 10. And thou shalt
appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood: and the
stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11. And Jehovah spake unto
Moses, saying, 12. And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the
children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the womb among the
children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine:
Some time later Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram lead a rebellion of Hebrews complaining that the choice of Aaron and
his sons as priests was unfair. Numbers 16 32. and the
earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the
men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33. So they, and all that
appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them,
and they perished from among the assembly. 34. And all Israel that were
round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow
us up. 35. And fire came forth from Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred and
fifty men that offered the incense.
It would seem that the earthquake and fire would be convincing
enough, but God had Moses conduct a demonstration that would prove to the people
His choice for priesthood.
Numbers 17
1. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each
fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve
rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
3. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi; for there shall be
one rod for each head of their fathers' houses.
4. And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where
I meet with you.
5. And it shall come to pass, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall
bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel,
which they murmur against you.
6. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him
rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods:
and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7. And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.
8. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the
testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and
put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bare ripe almonds.
9. And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children
of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony,
to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that thou mayest make
an end of their murmurings against me, that they die not.
The diagram at right shows the 2 room holy palace in the
center of the tabernacle.
