Love and Purity 20: Sukkot and Wilderness Joy!

After celebrating the fall feast of Sukkot, Brayden and Tali share what they are learning about this festivals primary themes - joy and the wilderness journey! It seems like a oxymoron... This feast is kept in remembrance of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and yet we are commanded to rejoice. We have a choice of how we look at this wilderness journey... We can look at it disparagingly as a season of hardships and trials or we can look at God's loving care for Israel as He woos His Bride and prepares her for entering into the fullness of her inheritance (The Promised Land). God refers to this Wilderness season as the Betrothal season (Jeremiah 2) and it is a season where love is either lost or cultivated. It is no coincidence that we find ourselves in a similar Betrothal season as we wait for the fullness of the promise (Messiah's return!). We are offered a similar option: Rejoice in God's loving care as He prepares us for our coming King or get discouraged by the trials and hardships that come in the refining process. Let us grow in the likeness of Yeshua and rejoice in the plan of God, even if it means laying down our lives for imperfect people! Disciples of Yeshua are encouraged to have His joy in them. What a thought! The very oil of joy spoken of in Psalm 45 that anoints Yeshua because He love righteousness and hates wickedness is meant to flow over our hearts as well. Rejoice in the Lord always!