Lesson at Succoth--Final for Counseling, Psychology, and the Christian

Randall Q. Lawrence
Faith Bible College
Psychology, Counseling, and the Christian
Dr. H.
12/7/2010

Lesson at Succoth: Learning to Live as a Pilgrim (Pilgrimage)

A pilgrim is defined as a “traveler on a sacred journey” and a pilgrimage as “a journey to a sacred place” (see Webster’s dictionary—“a person who travels to a shrine or holy place as a religious act”) We are all called to a “pilgrimage or sacred journey”. We are called to keep our focus on the calling of God on our lives—our pilgrimages.

This is the calling for Abraham, the calling for the Israelites, and the calling to us today. Abraham obeyed the voice of God and journeyed from family and home to the Promised Land to dwell in tents (tabernacles, Succoth, booths). We see the faith and pilgrimage of Abraham described in Hebrews 11—the faith “hall of fame” chapter.

Hebrews 11:8-10, 13

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Hebrews 11:16 speaks of a “better country….heavenly….he [God] hath prepared for them a city.” Later in Hebrews 12:22, it describes it as the “…city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,…” while Revelation 21:2-3 illustrates this concept further with, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,….Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people….”

The Israelites were called to journey from Egypt and dwell in tents (tabernacles, Succoth) in the Wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. The setting forth of the covenant with Moses and the Israelites set up a tabernacle for the Presence of God in their midst during their Exodus (leaving of Egypt) and on their pilgrimage. Thus, the tabernacle of God in the wilderness and the feast of tabernacles (booths, Succoth) show a foreshadowing for the ultimate goal of “children of Abraham” (children of covenants with God)holy city of God, heavenly Jerusalem—continuous Presence of God in our midst.

So the covenant of Abraham in Genesis gets connected to the city of God in Revelation. The tabernacle by Moses and the Israelites in their “pilgrimage” through the wilderness (Exodus) foreshadows God in His tabernacle with His people in a New Heaven and on a New Earth (Revelation 21:1).

1 Peter 2:11 challenges, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Interestingly enough, this is the same phrase used in Hebrews 11:13.

Peter challenged the early church (the “strangers and pilgrims”) to abstain from “fleshly lusts”. This was the challenge for the Israelites in getting out of Egypt—as our book says, “To get Egypt out of people” (p. 33) They (the Israelites) had spent years and years in bondage in Egypt. After the Exodus through God’s mighty works and wonders, then one of the biggest issues with the Israelites or Hebrews (word for passers-by and pilgrims) was to not look back, not murmur, not desire the “

Jesus spoke about a similar situation in putting your hand to the plow and not looking back (look up verses….)

The lesson of Succoth was for the Hebrews (Israelites) coming out of Egypt to separate themselves from the world and from their past—it’s a lesson not only for the early Christians but also for us today in pilgrimage.
This has been an ongoing struggle whether it is in the form of Abraham separating himself from his family and going to another land to which God directed him, Lot and family leaving the destruction of Sodom, the Israelites in “Exodus” from Egypt to the call in Revelation for future believers to separate themselves from Babylon and its enticements.

This was a challenge that Peter had in focusing on the Christ vs. focusing on the circumstances and world (see Peter with denial of Christ 3 times, Peter walking on water, Peter cutting off ear of high priest’s servant vs. Peter on Pentecost, Peter before the Sanhedrin, Peter in Temple). Hebrews 11:13 calls Abraham a pilgrim in the earth.