The Feast of Tabernacles — God dwelling with His people | New Testament Truth

Fellowship begins with common things shared together, because communion means sharing what belongs to all the saints in Christ. God’s eternal plan in Christ Jesus moves from the old to the new, and the feasts of Israel served as God’s calendar of redemption. Passover pointed to the death of Christ, unleavened bread to his burial, first fruits to his resurrection, Pentecost to the outpouring of the Spirit, trumpets to the announcement that the kingdom is here, and the day of atonement to sins being taken away so that relationship with God may be made perfect.

Tabernacles comes as the climax, praise the Lord, because tabernacles is the goal of God’s eternal plan. John 1:14 says the Word became flesh and dwelt among men, and that word “dwelt” means he tabernacled. Christ came in flesh as the true tabernacle, full of grace and truth, bringing God’s presence among his people. Paul says the saints are the temple of the living God, and Leviticus had already promised, “I will dwell in them and walk among them.”

Leviticus 23 shows Israel dwelling in temporary booths for seven days, remembering the journey from Egypt to the promised land. The booths were not the final destination. The booths spoke of a temporary stage while God was leading his people toward the reality. Deuteronomy 16 shows that this feast was not mourning but rejoicing, because the Lord had blessed the harvest and gathered his people.

The ingathering of harvest pointed beyond crops to the ingathering of men. Jesus told Peter that he would no longer gather fish only, but would become a fisher of men. Every gospel witness is part of that ingathering. The woman at the well also became a fisher of men when she said, “Come and see a man.”

John 7 shows Jesus standing on the last great day of the feast and declaring that whoever thirsts should come to him and drink. The water was no longer just poured on the altar, because out of the believer’s heart would flow rivers of living water, the Spirit. John 8 shows Jesus fulfilling the lights of the feast by saying, “I am the light of the world.”

The dwelling of God has shifted from buildings made with hands into his people. Acts 7 says the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands. Revelation 21 says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,” not as a future physical temple only, but as the everlasting reality of God dwelling with his people in Christ. The kingdom has indeed come, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The believer is not waiting for the presence of God, because the believer is already a carrier of the presence of God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Tabernacles is God’s final goal [09:01] Tabernacles is not a side issue in the feasts, but the climax toward which the calendar moves. God did not only desire forgiven people from a distance, but a people in whom he would dwell and walk. Atonement clears the way, but dwelling reveals the end of the matter. [09:01]
• 2. Christ fulfills the feast now [30:17] Christ did not come to admire the old rituals from outside, but to fill them with their true meaning. The water, the light, the booths, and the gathering all find their reality in him. The believer does not wait for a physical feast to become meaningful, because the person of Christ is already the substance. [30:17]
• 3. God dwells in living people [36:45] God’s dwelling is not trapped in stones, walls, altars, or magnificent buildings. The church is the unity of men and women who believe, and God has made them his house in the Spirit. Reverence therefore cannot be locked inside a meeting place, because the living tabernacle walks out after fellowship. [36:45]
• 4. Ingathering continues through gospel witness [24:33] The harvest of tabernacles pointed to something greater than crops being brought in. Christ makes men fishers of men, and every word of the gospel gathers people toward their true dwelling. The one who has truly seen God does not remain silent, because sight becomes invitation. [24:33]
• 5. The presence is permanent reality [52:57] The believer is never apart from God, because the Spirit has made God’s dwelling permanent. Prayer is not a journey toward an absent God, and fellowship is not an entrance into a presence that was missing. Understanding this removes restless striving and gives weight to ordinary life, because every place becomes lived before God.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:20] - Phase Two: Old to New
• [03:14] - Feasts as Redemption Calendar
• [05:00] - Tabernacles and God Dwelling
• [06:25] - The Word Tabernacled Among Men
• [09:01] - The Temple of the Living God
• [12:28] - Old Testament Feast Instructions
• [20:47] - Booths, Journey, and Promise
• [23:08] - Ingathering and Fishers of Men
• [26:07] - Living Water at the Feast
• [28:34] - Christ the Light of the World
• [33:01] - Pentecost and the Spirit Within
• [37:41] - The Church as Eternal Dwelling
• [47:13] - Revelation and New Covenant Reality
• [51:36] - Living as God’s Tabernacle
• [61:27] - Four Final Statements

Bible Reading

John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” [06:25]

Leviticus 23:33-43
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, besides the Lord's Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.'” [12:28]

2 Corinthians 6:16
“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'” [09:12]

Revelation 21:3
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.'” [47:13]

John 7:37-38
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."'” [26:07]

John 8:12
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” [28:43]

Deuteronomy 16:13-15
“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.” [15:56]

Acts 7:48
“Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,” [53:42]

Observation questions

1. In Leviticus 23, what details are given about when the Feast of Booths was held, how long it lasted, and what the people were commanded to do during it? [12:28]
2. According to Deuteronomy 16:13-15, who was included in the rejoicing of the feast, and what tone does that give to the celebration?
3. In John 7:37-38 and John 8:12, what two images does Jesus use about himself during the feast, and what does he say those images provide to people who believe or follow him? [28:43]
4. What repeated words or ideas about “dwelling” appear across John 1:14, 2 Corinthians 6:16, and Revelation 21:3? [47:13]

Interpretation questions

1. If the booths in Leviticus 23 were temporary shelters that reminded Israel of the journey, what does that suggest about the difference between the old signs and the lasting reality found in Christ? [21:18]
2. Jesus says that living water will flow out of the believer’s heart. How does that reshape the idea of where God’s life and presence are now found? [27:40]
3. If believers are called the temple of the living God in 2 Corinthians 6:16, how should Acts 7:48 affect the way the church thinks about sacred buildings, meeting places, and God’s presence? [36:45]
4. Revelation 21:3 says the dwelling of God is with man. How does reading that as a present new-covenant reality change the way a believer thinks about nearness to God? [50:30]

Application questions

1. God’s presence is not a place to visit but a reality to live in. In what moments this week did it feel easy to forget that God is with you, and how might remembering that change the way you handle those moments? [52:57]
2. If the believer is the living tabernacle of God, what parts of daily life most need to come under that awareness right now—speech, private habits, work, relationships, or something else? [55:45]
3. The feast of ingathering pointed beyond crops to people being gathered to God. Who is one person already in your normal path of life that you could invite, encourage, or speak to about Christ? [24:33]
4. The woman who had truly seen Jesus became someone who said, “Come and see.” What usually keeps you quiet about Christ—fear, uncertainty, busyness, feeling unprepared—and what would a simple next step look like? [45:54]
5. Jesus said that out of the believer’s heart would flow rivers of living water. Where does your life currently feel dry, and what might it look like to come to Christ there instead of just pushing through? [26:36]
6. The Feast of Booths was marked by rejoicing. Is your walk with God more often marked by joy, strain, or routine right now? What might need to change so that righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit are more visible in everyday life? [57:19]
7. If God does not dwell in houses made with hands, reverence cannot stay inside a church meeting. What would it look like for your conduct outside the gathering to reflect the same honor for God that you want inside the gathering? [54:52]