Warm hellos friends, brethren, co-workers, spiritual family, and scattered children of God from here on the Gulf Coast. My wife and I pray and hope this finds you doing well, and that again your week has been blessed.

I wanted to mention that this weekly Friday evening letter not only goes out in English to our congregation here and scattered brethren, but also most weeks in Spanish to congregations and brethren worldwide. As God blesses us, we continue to respond and communicate regularly with more and more who are hungry for the truth and wish to remain connected to His Body, the church of God.

In just six short weeks many of us will be traveling to a festival site or other location that is a significant distance away from our homes to observe His Feast of Tabernacles. My wife and I look forward to being with many of you in Orange Beach, Alabama again this year.

Over the years we have examined the instructions that directed the Israelites to “dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths” (in Lev. 23:42) These booths (or huts) were made from branches as described in V.40. The huts (transliterated sukkah from the Hebrew) were obviously very temporary in nature. This instruction is directed to the native born Israelites in particular.

We also glean that God provided for non-Israelites to observe the Passover if their males were circumcised. Then they were in a way considered as part of the congregation. (Ex. 12:43-48) “One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you” (Ex. 12:49).

Looking back to the instructions in Leviticus, we notice the follow up to the instructions we read in Lev. 23:42. ”That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 23:43) It was the Lord who freed them and led them out of Egypt by signs and wonders. They did not do this on their own! God allowed them to be tested and humbled. I can only imagine how that must have felt each day. He led them on the way and exposed them to tests and trials (the Red Sea crossing, going without water, encountering the bitter waters of Marah, etc.) as they traveled. Like us, it was not an easy route, nor a journey for the faint of heart.

They transported some kind of portable tent or enclosure to live in as they made their way along the journey to the Promised Land. I know my experience from camping many times, it often takes a good deal of time to both set up and tear down a “temporary camp site”. Notice the overview that Moses gives of their journeys and experiences just before that generation crosses the Jordan into the land of Canaan.

“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:2-3)

God wanted to impress the lesson on them (and on you and me) that if they wanted to partake of the promised future blessings, then they needed to humble themselves, demonstrate obedience, and move along the journey in faith in God’s direction. Notice I stated “God’s direction”. They needed to accept His will at all times. This lesson of faith was learned by those listed in the “faith chapter.” Notice the overview of those persons of faith. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Heb. 11:13)

So, you and I both dwell in temporary dwellings during the Feast of Tabernacles and also while we are in these earthly fleshly bodies on our walk with Him.  So many try at all costs to hold on to this physical body, forgetting that the spiritual is where our focus must be. We must look to the future and that future dwelling, “a better, that is, a heavenly country” and trust in God’s promise that He has “prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:16) So, we journey on, not giving up, and enduring to the end (Mt 10:22, Mt 24:13), realizing this life is indeed very temporary physically.

I hope as we count the days up to the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles and Eighth Day (or Last Great Day) that we will study, dig deeply and seek the spiritual significance of what our Lord desires of us to see and understand. Use these days well my friends…for indeed these times remind us we are one day closer to the return of our Lord and Master and the King of Kings!

Arms up friends! Our prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Please do pray for us as well.