Righteousness before reward: Preparing the nation for its double portion

(This column is based on the author’s presentation at the Feast of Tabernacles, Oct. 8, sponsored by the Intercessors for the Philippines, at the Benguet Sports Complex, La Trinidad Valley.)

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We offer no excuses, but perhaps it is time to give greater weight to the spiritual dimension of our nationhood, given all the fundamental happenings in the Philippines today.

Contrary to common perception, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated this year from Oct. 6 to 13 - is not only for the Jewish people. Scripture in Numbers and Chronicles records that nations were invited to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during this season. Zechariah foretells that all nations would one day ascend to Jerusalem for this feast.

Yet this sacred occasion is more than a festival of joy and harvest. It is a mirror for nations.

It reminds us that no blessing, personal or national, can endure apart from righteousness.

REMEMBERING DELIVERANCE

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, celebrates deliverance, provision, and the abiding presence of God. Beyond its rituals and temporary shelters lies a timeless truth: only a righteous people can sustain the blessings God desires to pour out.

In Scripture, the Feast recalls Israel's 40-year journey through the wilderness. The Israelites lived in tents fragile dwellings that testified to divine faithfulness. When there was no food, manna fell from heaven. When there was no way forward, God opened one.

"You shall dwell in booths for seven days... that your generations may know that I made Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:42-43).

That passage is not ancient history, it is our mirror. We, too, live in a nation that often feels like a wilderness: corruption unchecked, inequality widening, institutions weakened. Yet God's faithfulness remains. The Feast reminds us that our real dwelling place is not in transient power structures but in the enduring presence of God.

DELIVERANCE WITHOUT DEPENDENCE