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From the very beginning we see that God’s divine purpose for man includes being in community. Indeed, it was God Himself who said, "It is not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). God declared everything else in creation tov—good—but He apparently thought it was a problem that Adam didn’t have any fellowship. So, what did He do? He established the very first community of believers by creating Chavah (Eve), thus showing that His divine will for man is perfected in the fellowship and unity of His people.
One of the greatest temptations of mankind is to exalt ourselves. We want people to think we're the smartest, coolest, and most talented. We want to be seen and admired for our gifts and talents. It's natural to desire acceptance and affirmation from others, but there's a danger of idolatry when we make God's work about us instead of Him.
In chapter one of Acts, Luke speaks of the miracles that Yeshua did to prove He was alive after He was resurrected. He appeared to the disciples and many others for forty days and taught them about the kingdom of Yahweh. This chapter is also where Yeshua tells the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the gift that the Father had promised—the receiving of the Holy Ruach (Spirit).
Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote how there is a time for everything. There’s “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). The season of Sukkot is not the time of weeping and mourning. That time was during the month of Elul leading all the way up to Yom Kippur. Sukkot is the time of laughing and dancing. Indeed, God explicitly commands us to “rejoice” in this season!
A consistent theme that we see in the Scriptures is God’s call for His people to make up their minds. God spoke through the prophet Elijah, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow Him” (1 Kings 18:21). God sovereignly chose these words to appear in His Holy Scriptures to be read by us today. He’s asking us the same question: How long before we decide whom we want to follow?
