Deuteronomy 15:19-16:21
The children of Israel were told to set apart the firstborn males of their herds and flocks for the Lord. If, however, the animal had a blemish, they were not to sacrifice it to the Lord, for they must only offer the best to Him. How important this is for us too, for we ought to give our best to the Lord, being constrained to do so by His matchless love.
Next we have the mention of some of the feasts of the Lord which the children of Israel were to observe. First of all there was the Passover. They were never to forget that they were once slaves in Egypt, and the cost of their deliverance. How needful it was for them, and for us too, to be reminded of what we were by nature, and of the grace that sheltered us from judgment. Moreover the Passover was to be killed in the place where the Lord put His Name. They were to eat it with the bread of affliction (unleavened bread), for this would be the constant reminder of the solemnity of the occasion, which God intended them to feel. They were to kill it in the evening, roast it, and eat it before the Lord, and then return to their tents in the morning. It was a solemn observance.
The Feast of Weeks
Then there was the feast of weeks. In this feast they were to rejoice in the blessings of the harvest, and to give their freewill offering to the Lord according to the way He had blessed them. This beautifully represents Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came down to bring us into the good of what is ours in Christ. In the measure in which we lay hold of this, praises return to the Lord. We are led to say like David of old, “Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Their sons and daughters and even their servants, and all in connection with the household were to rejoice too. May we who are saved be exercised that those in our family circles, and those with whom we come in contact should share in the joys we have found, that they may be saved and led into the path of the truth. The people were then exhorted to obedience, for we need to be careful not to allow things in our lives that hinder our joy in Christ.
The Feast of Tabernacles
Next there was the feast of tabernacles. It was the last feast of the year, and tells us of the fullness of the blessing, as they thought of all the Lord had done for them the whole year through. Thus the Spirit of God would lead us to enjoy the fact that we are even now, “blessed ... with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). He would have us know what is “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of our blessings even now, and the love of Christ that passeth knowledge, too. But there is a day coming above when we shall “know even as also we are known,” and then we shall be able to relax and enjoy all that is around us in fullness, without any hindrance. This is the day for which we wait, and when we apply the feast of tabernacles to ourselves, it looks on to that day — for Israel, to their future blessing on earth.
The people were to see to it that justice was maintained in all their cities, and thus blessing would come to them. They were also warned not to plant any grove of trees near an altar to the Lord, for this would be copying the heathen, and God warned them against these beginnings of idolatry.
Further Meditations
1. What was the Passover meant to remind Israel of?
2. We’ve learned that the feast of weeks foretold the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God came to dwell in the church. What are some of the services that the Spirit of God performs for the believer?
3. You can get good, simple and in-depth teaching on the feasts mentioned in this chapter from the book The Seven Feasts of Jehovah by G. C. Willis.