I Need A Savior

Flight 1549 in the Hudson River

In a church setting, the statement "I need a savior" makes us think big picture, as in Jesus Christ returning to save all of mankind from destruction, or saving all believers from death. After all, it's built right into His name - Jesus (Joshua or Yehoshua in Hebrew - Strong's(Yehoshua) [1]) means "Jehovah will save". But saving someone can be less grand than that. Remember Captain  Chesley Burnett (Sully) Sullenberger who was forced to land a plane, US Airways Flight 1549, in the Hudson River in 2009, and no one was lost - Wiki(Sully) [2]. He was a savior to the 155 people on that flight. Remember the Akedah, where Isaac was saved by an angel at the last second from being sacrificed by Abaham Gen 22:1-14.

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I fell and broke my hip at the beginning of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles 2024. Friends helped me off the floor and into bed. The next morning, those same friends and more helped me to a car, and drove me to a hospital near home, where I spent the last day of the Feast, receiving  hip replacement surgery 24 hours after my fall. I think of  those friends and the surgeon as  saviors.

I needed saviors.

One Sick Puppy

We think of the Feast of Tabernacles as picturing God's Kingdom, His millennial reign here on the earth. How then can something like this happen DURING the Feast? How can it be that a boy is hospitalized for months due to a car accident on the way to keep God's Feast? I saw many people get ill during the Feast that year, including my wife and me. Some people seem to get sick every year when exposed to hundreds of people at church services. How Millennial is that?

That boy needs a savior.

We have all had savior experiences in our lives, where we were unable to help ourselves, but someone happened along and rescued us, maybe something as simple as helping with a flat tire. Maybe you've had angelic help in your life, like a friend who while driving heard a voice say "stop", and was saved from getting hit by a car running a red light. On June 20th 2024, four-year-old Cristian Ramirez went missing near Huntington Lake in Fresno, CA, while playing with other children. After searching for him, his family called 911. Cristian needed a savior. The good news is that he was rescued after 22 hours later unharmed - Crosswalk [3]. Imagine the anxiety his parents felt, and then the relief when he was found. His father described it as a miracle. And we like hearing those miracle stories, but I'm sure some who hear such stories say to themselves "where's my miracle", "where's my savior"?

Cristian Ramirez and His Saviors

Sherlock Holmes

Whether by nature or nurture, we all want to be saviors, especially men, who want to protect their families, to rescue them in time of need. It's part of the draw of becoming a soldier or a fireman or policeman, or a doctor or ambulance driver (EMT), or even a lawyer or judge. A teacher can save a child through education. TV Detective shows are popular because they appeal to our desire to see justice done, to see the innocent saved from tragedy, to see the guilty brought to justice. But that's TV. In real life? How about Chicago, Illinois? Here's Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson speaking to Congress.

In D.C., Johnson claimed that everything was going well and crime was down in Chicago, but, Chicago authorities are once again rigging crime statistics by not recording crimes, not making arrests and not solving crimes. Johnson shut down ShotSpotter which helped detect homicides. And only 1 in 7 violent crimes ended in an arrest. Chicago authorities now claim that they have cleared 60% of murders. Last year they claimed to have a clearance race of 54%, but the actual clearance rate for murders that ended in an arrest is only 23%. Or less than 1 in 4 murders. Daniel Greenfield(Chicago) [4] 

And it's not a problem isolated to one city in America. Consider Essex, England.

The Essex police have stopped answering calls about drug dealing and a Sun column noted that, "in the last year, Essex police have solved just 1 in 8 robberies and violent assaults, a mere 1 out of every 10 sexual assaults and 1 in 15 burglaries. Daniel Greenfield(Essex) [5] 

 

Most of the victims needed a savior, but none came.

Some people view Donald Trump as the savior of America. Even if he kept every campaign promise, got the US out of all wars, rescued the economy, secured the border, etc., he can't do it all. He can't lead the country to the repentance that God wishes to see. Especially when half the country thinks that repentance means going to church on Christmas and Easter. True repentance will take THE Savior.

For every story of rescue, there are stories where a savior never came. I think of the 21 Christians who were beheaded by Muslims in 2015 - Wiki(Copts_martyr) [6]. I think of Adam and Eve, who lost their son Abel - Gen 4:8-16. Seth was a replacement - Gen 4:25, but I imagine they thought of Abel often. I also think of Job, who lost his fortune and his 10 children in one day. At the end of the book of Job, his fortune was restored double, and he had 10 more children. But I'm sure he never forgot the first 10. I know people who have had to bury a child. They have told me they think of them every day, even 50 years later.

For many, their savior didn't show.

We often turn to the book of Job to help understand trials. Until recently, I thought of Job as a one time event that happened probably during the time of the patriarchs. But now I'm thinking it's more than that. Job argues his case with his friends in chapters 3-37. My summary of Job's arguments is "it's not fair". And the arguments of his "sorry comforters" (Job 16:2) could be summed up, "you must have done something". But maybe Job represents every man. Every man is "right in his own eyes", and wants to judge God. We wouldn't express it that way, but we would likely say "it's not fair", which really means we think we know better than God. Again, I no longer think Job's experience was a one time thing. Satan is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) , which says he is accusing US day and night not unlike the way he accused Job. And sometimes, God allows Satan the adversary to try us just like Job. Maybe it isn't fair.

Job needed a savior. We all need saviors.

But of all times, why do these trials happen at the Feast of Tabernacles, when we are picturing the peace and safety and abundance of the Millennium? I find one answer in Lev 23, where Moses records how to keep the Feast. I'll quote three verses here.

Lev 23:39 Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 

 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Sukkah

These verses point us back to the Exodus, our ancestors living in booths, huts, sukkot in Hebrew. These huts were temporary structures, picturing our frail human bodies as "earthly tabernacles" - 2 Pet  1:14.  Israel was saved from Egypt, but wasn't taken out of the world. Shortly after crossing the Red Sea, they had to fight the Amalekites themselves (Exo 17:8-16). And we aren't taken out of the world even during the Feast, maybe we have extra protection, extra blessings, but we are still in these frail sukkot, still subject to the elements. At the end of Israel's sojourn in the wilderness, Moses tells them God's perspective.

Deut 8:2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

But a few verses later he also tells Israel this.

Dt 8:7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land

The trials in this life, even at the Feast, are not the end of the plan. He is bringing us into a "good land" as well.

Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We believe that the Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 picture the plan of God, some already fulfilled, but Trumpets, Atonement, and the Feast of Booths (aka Tabernacles) lie ahead. The major prophetic events to come which are foreshadowed by the Holy Days are Jesus' return, binding of Satan, the Millennium and the White Throne Judgment. So yes the Feast does picture the Millennium, but we can't forget the symbolism of dwelling in a sukkah for seven days, of dwelling in an earthly tabernacle for seven decades. We picture the Millennium, but we are still in this world, looking for THE Savior to usher in His Kingdom, to right all the wrongs.

For all of those throughout history who hoped for a savior who didn't come, well, He is coming.

Rev 21:4 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.

References

1. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3091.htm

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Sullenberger

3. https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/topics/positive-stories/dad-speaks-about-the-miracle-of-finding-his-missing-son-after-22-hours.html

4. http://www.danielgreenfield.org/2025/03/chicagoillegaland.html

5. https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2024/11/thought-police.html

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_kidnapping_and_beheading_of_Copts_in_Libya

No Hot Showers

While keeping the Feast of Tabernacles this year - Holidays or Holy Days [1], the water heater at our accommodation failed on the first day. The owner did not manage to get it replaced during the Feast, so we never did get a hot shower for the eight days we were there. 

I commented that Israel never had a hot shower for 40 years when they left Egypt. It turns out that having hot showers indoors is a very recent innovation. 

According to BackThen History [2],

The first shower that we would recognize today didn’t come about until 1767

And indoor plumbing didn't really become commonplace until the early 20th century, nearly universal by 1960. For all but the last 100 years or so, mankind has not had hot showers. The indoor bathroom has gone from a novelty into a universal household fixture in the span of 100 years - VoxBlend [3]. We live in an unusual time in history.

Many of us still remember housing without bathrooms.

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Because of the no hot shower situation, our conversation turned to “what was life like for the Israelites when they came out of Egypt?” After all, the Bible gives us this reason for dwelling in booths during the Feast.

Lev 23:42 You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born* in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt.

Besides not having hot showers, what was it like? Well, it was much like camping - camping that never ended for 40 years.

Have you been camping? In a tent? With no plumbing nearby? In the desert? With a million other campers?

The Muslims do it every year. During the annual pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj, the pilgrims dwell in tents in Mina. Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.

The Mina valley is an open space covered with more than 100,000 air-conditioned tents and it can accommodate more than 2.6 million people, extending over 2.5 million square meters (8+ sq mi) - NationalNews [4].

 

Tent City Near Mina

The Mina Valley is located 8 kilometers to the east of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Inside the valley, as far as the eye can see, the open space is covered with tents. WelcomeSaudi [5]

The number of Pilgrims in one Mina tent varies according to the Pilgrim’s Hajj package and travel facilities. The highest category Mina tents have around 10 Pilgrims, while the lowest category [some] tents can have up to 100 Pilgrims. BlessedNights [6]

Inside a Hajj Tent

Pilgrims share communal areas, toilets and bathrooms. They have access to freezers and fridges at receptions, serving cold water, snacks and ice-cold refreshments free of charge throughout their stay. [4] 

I bet they have hot showers...

I contacted with a friend who has made the Hajj pilgrimage. She told me they only stay in the tents for a couple days during the ten day Hajj.

But that's not really sustainable for 40 years in the desert. A more accurate comparison is to refugee camps. When Israel came out of Egypt, they were international refugees, people displaced from their homes with no country of their own - YET.

During the Hajj, people are separated by gender into tents, up to 100/tent. Israel was organized by families, as are modern refugee camps.

The  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has guidelines for refugee camps. Israel would have had similar needs. The following information is from Wikipedia(wiki_refugee) [7].

According to UNHCR vocabulary a refugee camp consists of settlements, sectors, blocks, communities, and families. Sixteen families make up a community, sixteen communities make up a block, four blocks make up a sector, and four sectors are called a settlement.

Sleeping accommodations are frequently tents or huts, a minimum of 3.5 sq m (37 sq ft) of covered living area per person (about a sheet of plywood) . Shelters should be at least 6 ft apart.

Aerial View Of Za'atari Refugee Camp Jordan

Refugee Children Carrying Water

Hygiene facilities, such as washing areas, latrines, or toilets:  one shower per 50 persons and one communal latrine per 20 persons. Distance for the latter should be no more than 150 ft from the shelter and not closer than 20 ft. Hygiene facilities should be separated by gender.

Places for water collection: Either tanks off-loaded from trucks, or water tap stands connected to boreholes.  One tap stand per 80 persons that should be no farther than 600 ft away from households.

Each refugee is supposed to receive around 5 gal of water a day, but some may get as little as 2 gal per day.

I bet they have hot showers...

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides food rations twice a month: 2,100 calories/person/day.  Ideally, it should be:

9 oz (260 g) whole grain (maize or sorghum)

7 oz (200 g) milled grain (wheat flour)

1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons pulses (beans or lentils)

Note this is less than half an omer, that is half the daily quantity of manna each Israelite was allotted in the wilderness - Wikipedia(Omer) [8].

According to Al Jazeera, the largest refugee camp is about a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

As of July 2023, at least 931,960 Rohingya refugees lived in 33 camps in Bangladesh’s border district of Cox’s Bazar. The sprawling network of camps, which is prone to landslides, covers a tiny area of about 24 square kilometres [10 sq mi]. Al Jazeera [9]

Reminder

Lev 23:43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt.

So what was it like? Like a refugee camp – an organized refugee camp. Numbers 2 gives instructions on how Israel was to camp around the tabernacle. 

The Tabernacle is in the center of the camp, the Levites camped around the Tabernacle. The twelve tribes camped in a particular order around the Levites. This is a summary of the size of the camps.

Levi center 22,300
Judah+Issachar+Zebulon on the East 186,400
Rueben+Simeon+Gad on the South 151,450
Ephraim+Manasseh+Benjamin on the West 108,100
Dan+Asher+Naphtali on the North 157,600

Some depict the camps as spokes.

Israel Camp As “Spokes”

Some depict the camps as rings.

Israel camp as "Rings"

Some argue the camps formed a cross.  

Israel Camp As A Cross

None of them seem accurate when you consider that 600,000 men left Egypt (Ex 12:37, Num, 2:32). Consider this image.

Israel Camp Pictures NOT To Scale

This picture shows the camp of Kohath which has 8600 males (2750 over 20),  (Num 3:28) is smaller than the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle including courtyard was about 75 ft x 150 ft (Ex 27:9,13)or about 11,000 sq ft. This image gives about ONE sq ft per male. The box for Judah represents 74,000 males. The other images have similar inconsistencies.

Assuming 600,000 is correct. 
Assuming one man = one family = one tent.
Assuming 20 x 20 tent space + setback.
Assuming no roads, level ground.

600,000 males means approximately 800 tents x 800 tents.
800 tents x 20 feet/tent  =~ 3 mi.
600,000 tents is 3 mi x3 mi =~ 10 sq mi.

Add trails and roads like city blocks, add 20 ft in one direction every 2 tents, 20 ft in the other direction every 10 tents means that 600,000 tents is about 15 sq mi.

The cross arrangement is based on population sizes and would take about 60 sq mi. Some people would have to walk up to 5 miles to reach the Tabernacle.

And it's probably worse than that. Consider these items would require even more space.

Add hygiene facilities (water, latrines) 
Add flocks and herds, where were they?
Add the mixed multitude, where did they camp?
Where did they gather manna? In their “front yard”?

Water In The Desert

Providing water was a great miracle. Hiking in the desert requires one quart of water per hour, less if you're sedentary - SurvivalSavior [10]. No matter what you do, a couple million people in the desert will require a LOT of water. Remember,  UNHCR suggests 2-5 gals per person per day. Two million people x 2 gals is  8 Olympic swimming pools worth of water - PoolResearch [11] EVERY DAY, that's 400 tanker trucks - TruckGuider [12]. Flocks and herds also require LOTS of water.

I think it's safe to say that God didn't provide tanker trucks or “water tap stands”, nor that Israel found abundant springs and wells in the desert. Nor rainfall. Some kind of miracle occurred every day. Where Israel got water for 40 years is debated, one theory centers on 1 Co 10:4.

1 Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

The Rock Was Christ

This carefully says the “spiritual drink, spiritual rock”, but Jewish tradition of the time speaks of a rock that accompanied them that gave physical water. So was Paul was citing tradition - Living Faith [13]?  I can't say.

For many reasons, God wants us to know that He made Israel to dwell in tents. We live in age that is very far removed from the trials of camping in the desert. We are shocked that someone would have to go the entire Feast of Tabernacles without a hot shower. But ours is the only generation that could even have that expectation. Our past, our roots as a people, our “tribe” began as campers in the desert. And because we are so far removed from life in the desert, it's all the more important that we not forget what their lives were like.

Final Thought

Here's another reason to understand life in tents on a large scale - It's going to happen again. Prophecy says Judah and Israel (America included) will be taken captive, but God will deliver us. Refugee camps like never before.

Jeremiah 16:14 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt’, but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ 

Is 11:11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord

Will set His hand the second time to recover [first time was Exodus]

The remnant of His people who will remain,

From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,

And from the islands of the sea.

12 And He will lift up a flag for the nations

And assemble the banished ones of Israel,

And will gather the dispersed of Judah

From the four corners of the earth.

Refugee camps like never before. That day may soon be upon us.

References

1. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/holidays-or-holy-days-does-it-matter-which-days-we-observe

2. https://www.backthenhistory.com/articles/the-history-of-the-shower

3. https://voxblend.com/when-did-indoor-plumbing-become-common

4. https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/saudi-arabia/2022/07/05/minas-city-of-tents-ready-to-welcome-pilgrims-for-hajj-2022

5. https://welcomesaudi.com/activity/mina-tented-city-hajj-makkah

6. https://theblessednights.com/hajj-stats

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_camp

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omer_(unit)

9. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/8/25/what-is-life-like-inside-the-worlds-largest-refugee-camp

10. https://survivalsavior.com/how-much-water-do-you-need-to-survive-in-the-desert/?expand_article=1

11. https://poolresearch.com/size

12. https://truckguider.com/how-many-gallons-does-a-tanker-truck-hold/

13. https://living-faith.org/2017/08/11/the-rock-that-followed-them