Jesus' half-brother James encourages us, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
In his October 9th message, The Feasts of Tabernacles and Unleavened Bread, David Grabbe, in showing the chiasmic symmetry of the holy days, states that Unleavened Bread focuses upon cleansing, sincerity, and feeding on Christ, the Bread of life. Consequently, when we remove food from our dwellings, we purify every sphere of authority under God, thereby building a spiritual house upon Christ.
Tabernacles, in contrast, emphasizes impermanence and humility, dwelling in temporary booths, reminding us of our dependence on God's daily provision in the wilderness. Together the permanence of houses and the transience of booths teach us that security lies not in possessions or in comfort but in Almighty God's sustaining presence. The physical symbols of food and dwelling illustrate some divine paradoxes.
During Unleavened Bread, self-sufficiency and sin, but during Tabernacles, housing lacks permanence, worldly security, and control. Through abundance and lack, permanence and transience, God's people learn to dwell in His presence, feed on His Word, and trust in His timing.
