 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning. 5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, 6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.
The Feast of Weeks9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. The Feast of Booths13 “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lordyour God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. 16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lordyour God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. Justice18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Forbidden Forms of Worship21 “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates. Meditation Christian, hear the good news: Justice has been satisfied. The penalty for sin has been paid by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. God is just, demanding the penalty of sin be paid. God is the justifier, paying the penalty for sin Himself by dying in our place (Romans 3:21-26). Believers are free to celebrate and seek justice. Israel’s wilderness generation failed, with no reason to be reconciled with God outside of God’s abundant mercy. Yet God renewed His covenant and invited His people into ceremonial celebration (1-19) and civil order (18-20). God had redeemed Israel from Egypt (1) and wanted to renew celebration through the annual rhythm of the Feast of Passover (2-8). After redemption, the Feast of Weeks celebrated the giving of the law at Saini (9-12) and the feast of Booths celebrated God’s faithfulness through the frustrating years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness (13-17). These rhythms of redemption were given so Israel would “all together be joyful” (15) in life in the land. Like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness after being redeemed from Egypt, we often forget God’s grace and grumble, or disregard, God’s faithfulness. We forget justice has been satisfied! And Jesus gives the feast of the Lord’s Supper to Christians as a constant reminder of God’s steadfast love, for us to be joyful in life (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). At the table Christians are nourished by God’s grace, strengthened by God’s Spirit, and fortified by God’s faithfulness as we remember our redemption through Christ, in whom God’s justice has been satisfied. Richly Dwelling -Why is it significant that God gives ceremony to celebrate redemption accomplished, and justice satisfied, after the rebellion in the wilderness? What does this reveal about God’s covenant faithfulness? -Why is it difficult to celebrate God’s covenant faithfulness when we forget justice has been paid for and we are made right with God through the work of Jesus Christ? -How does the sacrament of the Lord’s supper renew our faith and feed us with grace, not only that we may remember but also rejoice? Key Verse 1 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night… 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Comments are closed.
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