Tents, Temporary

As I was reading Nehemiah we were in the last day of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, which follows The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Because it actually was the holiday, and my Pastor had just uttered the phrase, "a new creation" a new connection was made.

Sukkot is the holy day that reminds Jews that they lived in tents, or booths, in the wilderness for forty years - also called the Feast of Ingathering. Remembering that there are often past, present, and future ideas our God is trying to show us simultaneously it dawned on me that our bodies are temporary tents, and we long for our heavenly dwelling, just as the Israelites longed for the Promised Land.

In Nehemiah, we find that the returning captives had not heard the words of Moses before and as it was read to them they, too realized that Sukkot was upon them, so they followed the instructions and built their booths. The day of Atonement had already passed so they began where they could.

Let the Holy Spirit show you how He wants you to begin again, to be a captive who is set free, to remember that we are only here for a short time in this wilderness, and that our tents, these earthly bodies, will be set aside for an eternal house in the heavens where we will not be found naked nor burdened, but further clothed in new life at home with the Lord. We will be gathered into Him, and His Spirit is our guarantee. We await this in faith, and full of faith we are of good courage.

--the Kirton Drawn Back - artistic outreach & ym
http://www.kirtondrawnback.org

Created over 1 year ago