The Feast of Tabernacles, Waterfalls, and Eternal Life—Part 1

 

The High Falls at the Minnesota-Canadian Border

A Vacation Inspiration

Some years ago, my husband and I vacationed at Gooseberry Falls State Park, north of Duluth, Minnesota. As we drove along the North Shore of Lake Superior, I was struck by how many waterfalls we encountered. After seeing so many, I wondered whether there were any spiritual lessons to draw from them. 

According to the Jewish calendar, it was the start of the fall feasts. The first feast of the season is the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), and Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, would be observed ten days later. The Feast of Tabernacles would occur at the end of the season's observances, five days after Yom Kippur. I decided to focus on the Feast of Tabernacles, a topic I had already been studying.

The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates God's miraculous provision for the children of Israel during their time in the wilderness after being freed from slavery in Egypt. As they journeyed toward the promised land (a symbol of eternal destiny), they dwelled in tents and relied entirely on God for their supplies. Their wilderness experience reflects the temporary Christian life on Earth. God once tabernacled among His covenant people, and now Christ dwells among His followers.

And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth 

— John 1:14

The Pool of Siloam by James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

The Ceremonial Pouring of Water

The Feast of Tabernacles included a ritual performed by biblical priests that illustrated God's eternal life flowing down from heaven, like a river to the sea. The priests would go to the "Pool of Siloam," fill water pitchers, and carry them up to the Temple. They would then pour the water into a silver funnel high above the altar, and it would flow back down to the pool. 

In biblical terms, flowing water is called living water. Waterfalls illustrate water flowing from above, nourishing and giving life wherever they go. Jesus, who came down from heaven to dwell temporarily in a flesh tent, observes the "Feast of Tabernacles" in the Gospel of John.

Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand ... On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

— John 7:2,38-39 

Baptism River at the base of the High Falls. Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

Water: A Symbol of Life

Jesus claimed to be the source of living water that came down from heaven, from which the Holy Spirit would flow, filling all things.

He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. 

— Ephesians 4:10

Just as a river flows to the lowest point and fills it, so man's heart, deep as an endless abyss, is insatiable. Jesus invites us to come to the source to drink and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

— Romans 5:5

Water is an essential element of life. Our bodies are about 75% water, the same as Earth. Water is vital to our existence, a "can't live without it" ingredient. A person can go well over a month without food, but only about a week without water. Just as we need water, we also need Jesus, our Savior, and His Holy Spirit dwelling in us to survive in any real spiritual or eternal capacity. Our spirits can only be made alive and sustained by Christ. He tells us He is the Source, and we need Him as desperately as we need water.

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

— Psalm 42: 1-2 

 

Rivers Nourish

In Scripture, rivers of water are often associated with peace, comfort, provision, refreshment, nourishment, and healing. Life tends to thrive along riverbanks, even in desert landscapes. The waters that refresh and nourish are what Jesus tells us He is! John gives us a glimpse of this in the book of Revelation, focusing on the themes of Living Water and Tabernacles, imagining God dwelling in us and with us for eternity.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son ... And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 

— Revelation 21, 22 

 

This account shows how the Living Water flows into eternity. Living Water is meant for eternal life.

The One Who Was and Is And Is To Come 

Notably, a river is perpetual and continuous, symbolizing eternity. The Hebrew word for river is "nahar נהר," and its pictographic revelation confirms this idea. Its first letter is "nun נ."

An image of a seed symbolizes "nun נ," representing something that sprouts yet remains linked to its origin. It illustrates continuity, perpetuity, and eternity in life.

The final two letters form the word "har הר," spelled with a "hey ה" and a "resh ר," the Hebrew word for mountain or the highest place. We see "nahar" as a picture of something continual, perpetual, and eternal, flowing down from the highest place, emerging from the throne of God, and remaining connected to its eternal source.

The thread connected to this larger tapestry begins in Genesis.

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, 

— Genesis 2:8-10 

The Feast of Tabernacles connects us to past, present, and future realities that align with the message throughout the entire Bible. God desires that we Tabernacle with Him now by believing in the salvation of Jesus, our source of life, through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, establishing a relationship that extends into eternity. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Everything starts with Him, and everything concludes with Him. 

All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 

— Colossians 1:16-18

 A river, "In the Beginning," flowed through the garden of Eden, and the tree of life flourished along its banks. Christ is the one who is, the one who was, and He is the one who is to come. He desires to dwell in us, or "Tabernacle" within us, by His Holy Spirit. The pure and living water comes from heaven and flows directly from His throne. God takes man full circle from the garden to the new Earth and the new heaven to live forever in eternal joy with the one who has loved him all along.

Resurrection

When the water reaches its lowest point, it is not the end of the story or the process. The water evaporates, showing us the resurrection. Just as Jesus, the source from heaven, poured out his life (Spirit), descended, and flowed into the deepest, darkest corners of this planet and the human heart, he was also resurrected to His heavenly home. As droplets of water rise into the sky, form a cloud, and then release rain back to the Earth, so is the picture of the Holy Spirit of the resurrected Christ now poured out upon all flesh. 

In the evaporation process, water is distilled, leaving impurities behind. When we turn to Jesus, our Savior and source, we move from a dead life into a new one. There is more to death than simply ceasing to exist. Death is corruption and disintegration—constantly moving backward and downward, deconstructing and decomposing.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 

— 1 Corinthians 15:42-43

We clearly see a vivid picture in this feast and in the creation processes, which testify to who He is and affirm His Will to reveal Himself to us and dwell with us once again.

His plan has always been and always will be to bring us back to that position we once had in the garden, where His life was in us and dwelt with us, a place where His love and goodness were not a question. They were a matter of fact. A place where the rivers of living water will fill and satisfy every part of us.

... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

— Ephesians 3:17-19 

The Woman at the Well by James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

The Woman at the Well

Let's examine one more story in which Jesus declares Himself the "Living Water": the story of the "Woman at the Well." The Samaritan woman in this story was likely living a worldly life, disconnected from a relationship with the Source of Life. She was getting her needs met through tangible things she could feel and see in the natural world, but they were not satisfying. She was drinking from the wells of relationships and the feelings they produced, hoping they might give her a drop of what she was searching for. 

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 

— John 4:7-15

There is so much more to life than what we can see, feel, taste, or touch with our physical senses. This woman realized that her thirst extended beyond physical water. Her desperation ran much deeper than the well she was drawing from. "The well is deep, and you have nothing to draw with," she tells Jesus. Like us at times, she wondered what Jesus could possibly offer to satisfy her. He showed her that the things she was consuming would never quench her insatiable thirst. If we only recognize who He is, "The Source," we would ask Him to give us the living water.

We are all like this woman, on a quest to satisfy our thirst in our own ways. We have become like travelers crossing a desert, misled by mirages of resources that seem to offer the water we desperately need. Instead, we end up feeling betrayed, deeply disappointed, and ultimately empty.

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. 

— Jeremiah 2:13

His cry is "Come to me," "Come to me," "Come to me." There is no other "Source."

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk.
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.

— Isaiah 55:1-2

We also see an underground water source in John, chapter four. Fountains come from underground water sources. How do we get this Living Water? First, through the saving work of Jesus, and second, through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

"He who believes in Me (Faith in Jesus), as the Scripture has said, out of his heart (underground source) will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit ... " 

— John 7:37-39

Fun Facts and Bonus Insights About Lake Superior

Here are some fun facts about Lake Superior that relate to our topic: it is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It covers 31,829 square miles, has an average depth of 483 feet, and reaches a maximum depth of 1,332 feet. It is 350 miles long and holds three quadrillion gallons of water. The other four Great Lakes and three Lake Eries could fit into Lake Superior. The water in Lake Superior could flood the United States to a depth of one foot. 

God shows us that He is a far superior source of fresh, life-giving water. He is better than anything we could devise to satisfy us. All other sources are temporary, insufficient, and far inferior. Our God is El Shaddai. He is the all-sufficient God—the God who is enough. He is the largest and most superior source of provision in the universe.

A note from the November 2009 newsletter of "Jewish Jewels" about the name El Shaddai, meaning "God Almighty," emphasizing that He is the source of all blessings, a Life-giver, and one who pours forth life. 

For the earth will be filled 

With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, 

As the waters cover the sea. 

— Habakkuk 2:14 

 

Concluding Personal Reflections

One final note: my husband and I attended the Feast of Tabernacles service at a Messianic congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota. We passed a sign that read, "Hidden Falls." On the way up, I happened to be reading an article by "Jewish Jewels" titled "Hide and Seek" about the "Feast of Tabernacles." It discussed being hidden in God's Tabernacle, in His presence. Isn't it comforting to think we can hide in Him and in the Tabernacle, in His secret place?

As I reflected on these things, I realized I had spent my entire life trying to hide. I remember being just four years old, searching for a secret place where no one could find me. It felt safe, peaceful, and quiet. It was a place I needed to find. I believe He was revealing to me that Jesus, our "Eternal Source" of "Living Waters," our safe hiding place, must be sought.  

One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion (Tabernacle); In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 

— Psalm 27:4-5 

Seeking demonstrates our faith because, according to Hebrews 11:6, "without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." God can do nothing for us without faith. That is how His Kingdom operates. I won't pursue something I don't believe in. He asks us to activate our faith, enabling us to see the unseen in this natural realm. 

Jesus is "The Source," "The Hidden Falls," and the "Living Water," the one who came down from heaven, filling all in all and quenching the thirst of all who come to Him. He is far greater than anything else we could ask or think. His Spirit is pouring forth from the throne as we speak, calling everyone to come to the living waters and be healed, cleansed, and refreshed. May we seek Him with all our hearts.

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the Tabernacle of the Most High.

— Psalm 46:4

 © 2010 Tamarajo

Links to Both Articles in This Series

Sources

(1)http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/NT/Gospels/John/John07.37-39_HolySpirit.html Scriptures all taken from the King James Version of the Bible. All bold type, italics, or parentheses are mine. 

(2) Lake Superior info obtained from an article submitted by Al Batt in the Albert Lea Tribune, Saturday, October 10, 2009. All Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version, all parentheses, or bold