FEAST OF TABERNACLES

It is the sixth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Succot, the last of the annual cycle of appointed feasts in the Bible. This feast is intended to remind us of how God took us out of slavery in Egypt and led us for 40 years in the desert until we came into the Promised Land. It is a feast of solemn rejoicing before the Lord. That is not a contradiction in terms, it is a feast of joy but also a recognition of the pain of our rebellion which leads to suffering along the journey of life. This is a feast not only for those descendants of the People of Israel who came out of Egypt but for all the peoples of the nations who have been saved through Yeshua (Jesus). We have all been rescued by the sovereign act of God and we all have to go through the 'desert' of life, in this world, before we will finally reach the promised land.  In the desert, we have to rely totally on the Lord for his provision and to remind us of this, we dwell in succot (booths) during this Feast. This year our congregation will literally go down to the desert on a retreat this coming weekend. We see it as a call to 'go back to the desert', not as a regression to the past,  but as a reminder of from whence we have come, and of the necessity of our total dependence on God in this life, something we easily forget in our comfortable modern lives.

A typical booth (succa) in Israel
https://www.ou.org/holidays/files/Sukkah-4.jpg

Like all the Biblical Feasts, Succot is linked to the agricultural calendar and falls at the time of the end of the summer harvest. 

So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest.

Leviticus 23:39

It is also the time when traditionally we begin to pray for the arrival of the winter rains. This year our prayers have been answered. Yesterday most of the country received its first rain - the yoreh. As always many of us, myself included, were caught out unprepared. I was in town and got soaked in my summer clothes and sandals. It is always a shock to rediscover how cold and uncomfortable rain can be - we tend to forget that during our 8 month-long rainless summer period. This year, as usual too, many streets flooded, and sadly some homes as well, because the drains get blocked with debris as the streets get their first wash. There is usually a spate of car accidents too as the rain turns the greasy, oily streets into a 'skating rink'. It is, for all that, a joyful time and many will run out onto the streets to dance and revel in the rain.  Plentiful winter rain means survival in this arid part of the world. 

Floods in Nahariya (Photo: Bentzi Beniashvili)https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026325,00.html

It is traditional to decorate succot with tinsel and other decorations. This year one of the Muslim Arab bus drivers even decorated his bus to look like a succa.  This heartwarming act of goodwill stands starkly in contrast to the image of Jerusalem so often perpetrated in the media. Although there is often tension and violence in this city, the fact is that most of the time the Jewish, Arab and gentile inhabitants manage to cohabit quite happily. 

The festive Sukkot bus (Photo: Amit Shabi)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026839,00.html

In my last blog update I mentioned that I had attended a worship gathering called Panei el Adonai (my face to my LORD), a quote from Daniel 9. This gathering included Jewish, Arab and Gentiles from all over Israel and as we worship God together all barriers of nationality, identity, language and culture are transcended.  You can read more about this gathering, and get a preview of the new CD that will soon be released if you go to this link: 
http://kehilanews.com/2017/10/06/messianic-concert-draws-believers-and-nonbelievers-from-around-israel/

Sometimes when one reads the news all appears so terrible and hopeless. How can we ever find peace and reconciliation? This week I saw a glimmer of hope. Dozens of Syrians wrote letters to the IDF and Israel expressing their gratitude for the help they had received in Israeli field hospitals since the outbreak of civil war in their country. With the breakdown of medical services in Syria the only place those injured or ill could seek help was from their 'enemy' Israel. Israeli field hospitals were set up near the border and Israeli soldiers, often at great risk to themselves, helped the wounded and sick to cross the border for treatment. Many have been treated in Israeli hospitals at our expense.Yeshua (Jesus) taught us to pray for our enemies and love them. That is the only way to break down animosity. It works. 
One man, who had had to have his hand amputated, wrote, "We, the nation of Syria, want peace with the State of Israel because it provided us with many services during this troubled period. To all Syrians who say Israel is the enemy, I say that you are liars. Peace to Syria and to Israel". https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014499,00.html?utm_source=Taboola_internal&utm_medium=organic

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

Matthew 5: 43-44

Tomorrow the annual Feast of Tabernacles, organized by the  International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), will conclude with a closing prayer meeting "Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem". According to Bat-el Leonard of "Kehila News", 
The event, according to Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, is the largest annual event in Israel, drawing some 5,000 “Christian pilgrims” from roughly 100 countries to Jerusalem each fall, an activity which ICEJ claims brings between $15 to 18 million into Israel’s economy each year.
This year some 6,000 people attended, the largest number ever in the 38 year history of the celebration.  
http://kehilanews.com/2017/10/08/icej-kicks-off-feast-tabernacles-celebration-jerusalem/

During the Succot Week  Israeli school children have a vacation. This year a disturbing new phenomenon has hit our streets. Some teenagers are dressing as creepy and scary clowns and arming themselves with knives, clubs and irons, which they brandish to frighten younger children. They film and post their antics on the social media. As a result, many other children are afraid to go out on the streets and are arming themselves with weapons to protect themselves. Police have confiscated baseball bats, knives, slingshots and other dangerous weapons.  It is only a matter of time before this activity escalates to violence with potentially deadly results. Those 'clowns' apprehended by police claim they are doing it out of boredom. It is tragic that this generation, which has more entertainment options available than any other, cannot find healthier ways to amuse themselves.  I hope that once schools reopen next week this 'clown epidemic' will fade away.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026555,00.html

Yesterday high-level talks began in Cairo between the two ruling Palestinian organizations, Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip and Fatah which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. In 2007 Hamas violently ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip, resulting in a division of Palestinian territories, but three weeks ago Hamas announced that it wished to hand the government of the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinian Authority, currently controlled by Fatah. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinian-rivals-Hamas-Fatah-start-unity-talks-in-Cairo-507132

What has caused this reversal of policy by Hamas? In a nutshell, I suspect that Hamas is tired of trying to govern the Strip, and is ready to admit defeat as the humanitarian situation there is approaching boiling point. Hamas is essentially a terror organization more interested in destroying Israel than the day-to-day running of a country. Another possibility is that Hamas is intending to become a legitimate player in West Bank politics so that it can eventually take control there as well?  Whatever the motivation, can there be reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas? It seems doubtful, given that Hamas is based on an extremist Muslim ideology focussed on the concept of a military defeat of Israel, while the Fatah organization is more secular and is determined to prevent Hamas having any military presence in the Palestinian areas.  The situation is very complex and if you are interested you can read this article which I think gives a balanced analysis:
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2017/1009/Palestinian-reconciliation-What-s-driving-Hamas-and-Fatah-this-time

It is late now and I want to finish with this thought:

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
For the day of the Lord is at hand...

The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.

That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
 A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.

Zephaniah 1: 7, 14-16