THE SUKKAH THAT JACOB BUILT
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
Many years
passed. From Abraham came Isaac, from Isaac came Jacob and Jacob had
twelve sons, one of them was named Joseph.
The story of Jacob
is long and detailed. There are a million other stories inside the story
of Jacob. I will be short with the beginning and not tell it all
here. I will simply tell you that Jacob did something terribly wrong to
his brother for which he had to ask forgiveness from God, and then he had to go
to face his brother and make amends to their relationship.
Jacob did this
and it pleased God greatly to see that the two brothers were finally reconciled and
living in peace in the promised land that God had given to Abraham and his
descendants.
Jacob found that he
had to live outside of the land until he came back to make peace with his
brother. When the peace was made; Jacob rode back into the land God
promised his father Abraham and began to build a home. He had traveled
for many miles with his family and his livestock. The animals were hungry
and tired. These were the animals that God had blessed Jacob with in a
foreign land in spite of his many sins. These animals had made Jacob’s
family prosperous and happy. Jacob had to build them temporary shelters
to live in once they crossed the river and came into the land of Abraham.
Until Jacob, no one
in history had ever built a shelter for an animal. Until then cattle,
sheep and donkeys had to brave the elements. Whenever it was hot or cold,
dry or rainy, the cattle, sheep and donkeys were always outdoors, always
exposed to the harsh weather. Because Jacob built these temporary
shelters for his family as well as his animals, the first city that Jacob
dwelled in when he returned to the promised land was called Sukkot!
Sukkot is the
Hebrew word that is now used to describe the eight days when we celebrate the
Feast of Tabernacles! It means “temporary shelters.”
It is said that the
blessings of Abraham came from kindness. This can be seen by his desire
to feed and offer God’s stories to the Angels of God and the strangers and
pilgrims that wandered throughout the land.
It is said that the
blessings of Isaac came from self-sacrifice. For Isaac had been willing
to offer his life for the glory of God but an angel had stopped him and an
animal; a white ram, was provided as the sacrifice in the place of Isaac.
Because of Isaac’s willingness to give of himself and sacrifice himself for the sake of others, we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, which is the sound from a
ram’s horn. Some say it is the horn from the white ram that was caught in
the thicket which God provided in Isaac’s place. Mankind has possession
of one horn; God is keeping the other one to use one day at a feast in the
future.
It is said that the
blessings of Jacob came from his care and concern for the animals of God's creation. God had originally put Adam in charge of the animals and let him name them in The Garden of Eden when they were created; but Jacob was the first to provide a temporary shelter from the elements for them. Jacob carried on the purpose that God gave to Adam in tending to the creatures of the earth.
It was Jacob who
said to his son Joseph to “Please go check on the welfare of the sheep!”
We will hear more of that when we hear Joseph’s story. But Joseph, being
the youngest son of Jacob, was with him when Jacob returned to the promised
land. Joseph lived in the sukkah with Jacob and Joseph helped Jacob build
the temporary shelters (sukkahs) for the livestock.
Now close your eyes
and think far ahead many years past the times of Jacob and Joseph. There
was a young couple coming into the city to pay their taxes and to be counted
among their people for the census. Their names were Mary and Joseph. This was ANOTHER Joseph. Mary, his wife, came riding on a donkey, and she was great with child.
They had traveled into the area early in order to be there in time to spend Rosh Hashanah with some of their relatives. The relatives feared that Mary could not endure
the bumpy donkey ride for so long a journey. They were afraid she might be forced into labor because of the bumpy ride, and perhaps end up giving
birth to the child too early. So on the way they stopped often and rested from the journey. They spent time resting and celebrating Rosh Hashanah with their relatives who lived right outside the city of Bethlehem. Afterwards they rode on
into the city to find shelter during Sukkot, and to be counted in the census among their people who were of the City of David.
The city was very
busy and crowded.
It was the time of Sukkot! Everyone had entered Jerusalem to celebrate!
Sukkot was the Hebrew name
given for the festival we call The Feast of Tabernacles. In the days of
Mary and Joseph it was the time when all the men from everywhere came to
Jerusalem and built temporary shelters to dwell in for eight days in order to have a harvest festival before God. They
built shelters for themselves and their families, and they built shelters for their
animals and livestock in honor of the temporary shelters Jacob had built for his livestock when he had re-entered the
promised land.
Mary and Joseph had
not had enough time to gather together what they needed to build a shelter. Even if they had; they would not have been able to carry it with them on this long journey. They had planned on finding and building such a place when they arrived.
They had no
money and it was almost time for Mary to deliver the child!
They were
hoping to find an open door or room in an inn.
Frantically Joseph
knocked on the doors of inn after inn and house after house asking for a place
for his wife to lay down to give birth to their child.
Joseph did not tell
them the things that were racing through his head. He did not say “THIS
IS THE CHILD OF GOD!!!! YOU MUST LET US HAVE A PLACE!!! Joseph knew no
one would believe him, and they would probably just think he was crazy; so he
kept up his stressful search, house after house and inn after inn until he
realized he was not going to find a place.
Finally, in desperation, Joseph sat down beside
the road and buried his head in his hands. He did not want to go back to tell his
wife she must give birth to The Messiah on the side of the road. He
prayed for God to help!
When Joseph looked
up a kind man was standing next to him. “What is the matter my son?”
asked the kind man.
“My wife is with
child and will deliver any minute. I do not have a place for her. I
have tried to get into the inns in the city but with the harvest festival going
on everywhere, everyone is booked up, and every house is filled to the brim
with guests from out of town. There is NOWHERE for us to go. I do
not want to go back and tell this to my poor wife.”
“My son,” said the
kind stranger, “I do not wish to see you in such distress in the time of such a
joyful celebration and festival! Surely God has picked the perfect place
and time for the birth of this child. Come with me.”
And the kind
stranger led Joseph to a temporary shelter, a sukkah where the animals of the
people coming to the festival were kept.
Will this do for
awhile, until the child has come? The entrance is temporary and the roof
is only covered with palm branches, but in the back of this shelter is the
entrance to a cave. You can find water and privacy there, even though
people will be coming and going to look in on and use their animals. Will
this work for you?”
‘Yes!” said
Joseph. He thanked the man over and over and ran all the way back to
Mary. He loaded her up on the donkey and brought her into the little
temporary shelter where the animals were being housed. Joseph had
thoughts of his ancestor Jacob as he entered the place. God had started making a way for their provision many, many years ago! Joseph pondered how amazing this was. Now Mary would lie down on a bed of
soft hay and give birth to a perfect son in this little sukkah that backed up
to a cave that was located next to a well of fresh spring water.
Joseph made the
area as clean as possible. He lay blankets down on the hay. Mary
lay down with joy on the the fresh soft bed and looked up through the covering
of the roof of the little sukkah that was full of the creatures from God’s creation.
The animals quietly looked on with wonder, as if they knew the secret that Mary and
Joseph shared about the child that was being born that very night!
Mary
saw the stars of the sky twinkling through the covering of the shelter as if
they too were preparing their welcome for her little child that was soon to be
born. She could almost hear the stars saying “God always keeps His
promises, God always keeps His promises!” These words went through her
head and she repeated them to herself as she labored in childbirth.
When the little boy
was born they wrapped him in the cloth they had brought for him, and laid him
inside a soft hay-filled manger.
The livestock huddled around in wonder
at such a sight of a holy baby being inside their dwelling!
The animals and Mary and Joseph could
hear the angels singing, even though the people passing by did not even notice
the heavenly choir in the sky.
The stars were singing a lullaby to Baby
Jesus and Mary and Joseph gave thanks and praise to God.
Seven Shepherds appeared at the door of the shelter. They were there on that special night simply to look in on and to feed and water the animals in their charge. They
came into the shelter with excitement on their faces, telling the astounding stories of how they looked up into the sky from the
hills of their tents while keeping the feast and heard a glorious heavenly
announcement that a child would be born in Bethlehem and they would find him
laying in a manger.
Then the shepherds saw Jesus!
They fell on their knees with praise and adoration
when they entered the sukkah and saw the child the angels had sang about.
Mary and Joseph, though they were very preoccupied with the birth of the child, welcomed the seven shepherds into the little sukkah. They invited them to share their meals and to sing joyful hymns with them.
One by one the
seven poor humble shepherds who had only been able to come to the harvest
festival at the expense of their wealthy masters because they were given the
lowest of jobs, that of tending to the needs of the rich people’s animals while they
celebrated the feast, were the very first people who were invited to know Jesus.
One by one they
were all allowed to hold the Christ Child in their arms!
Those poor, humble,
uneducated men knew from God that a special miracle had happened at this feast
and in this sukkah.
Not one shepherd ever forgot that holy night.
Not one shepherd failed to pass the story on to their children and grandchildren.
They were reminded every Sukkot afterwards, and they filled their sukkahs with joy and praise for Christ the King, the One the Angels of Heaven sang about
that night on the hills of Bethlehem.
After the child was
born on the first day of the feast, Joseph took their offering of two turtle
doves up to the temple and gave them to the priest. Then Mary and Joseph
watched and listened to the whole world in joyful celebration of the harvest
coming and going outside their little temporary shelter.
From a distance
they could hear the parades as the people took their offerings up to the
temple. They could hear the songs, the hymns from the Psalms of David,
and they knew there was dancing. The people were celebrating the end of a
good harvest year and the beginning of a brand new year.
Joseph and Mary
smiled at one another, knowing that from this moment on, the blessings of the
world were going to be so much greater!
God always keeps
His promises!
Jacob had passed
away long ago, but the legacy of his sukkah lived in Bethlehem that night and
the descendants of Abraham saw the coming of The Promised Messiah.
The Messiah had
come down to earth to dwell with mankind and hardly anyone even noticed he had come, but the form of a little tiny baby was laying in a manger inside a temporary
dwelling in Bethlehem!
AND THE STARS KEPT
SHINING, AND THE WAVES OF THE SEA KEPT BRUSHING THE SAND ON THE SHORE, AND THE
ANGELS KEPT SINGING FOR JOY BECAUSE GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES!
