Living In Tents

Living in Tents

For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23:42-43

The Word became human and made his home among us.

John 1:14

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”

Revelation 21:3

Spending a night or two in a tent out in the backyard or at a campground can be fun. But much longer than that and most people find themselves dreaming of the comfortable surroundings of home. Camping in a tent can remind us to be grateful for a soft bed, a hot shower, and four solid walls.

In Old Testament times, God set up a special holiday for the Jewish people—the Festival of Shelters (or Feast of Tabernacles)—to remind them of how he provided for their ancestors and was with them during the forty years they wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt. For this special holiday, he told them to make little shelters out in the open or on their rooftops and live in them for seven days. Living in the tents or shelters was a reminder of what it was like for the people in Moses’ day to live in tents in the wilderness without homes to return to. It reminded them of how God provided their ancestors with manna (a breadlike food that miraculously appeared on the ground every day in the desert) and guided them from place to place with the cloud of his presence.

Living in a comfortable house with plenty of food in the refrigerator, we can forget that God is providing for us. It is easy to start thinking that our jobs give us the money we need or that we can take care of ourselves. It’s easy to forget that we are dependent on God, that our homes, our jobs, our food—everything we have—all come from him. The Festival of Shelters serves as a reminder that life here is only temporary, and this earth will not be our home forever.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What are the fun parts and not-so-fun parts of sleeping outside in a tent?

What are some ways we can celebrate and remind ourselves of God’s provision and presence?

When do you find yourself forgetting your dependence on God and living like this world is your home?