Exodus 23:13 – 17 “Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips. Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me. You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed. You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.”
Anyone who has ever served in the military knows that as soon as a commanding officer appears, the next most ranking officer will call out “Attention!,” and everyone will stand tall and salute the commanding officer. Those present will hold the salute until given the command, “At ease!” Now God, the Supreme Commander of the Universe, is calling His people to attention. Why?
God has gotten the Israelites out of Egypt, but now God has to get Egypt out of the Israelites. In preparing to give instructions about the three central celebrations of the Jewish religious year, God wants to first make certain that His people are going to worship Him and no other deities. God knows that His people are going to be sorely tempted when they encounter the fertility cults of the Canaanites, and He doesn’t want sacred feasts to turn into orgies by the invocation of the names of other gods.
The three festivals described follow the agricultural year: the planting, the first harvest, and the second harvest. Passover not only celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, but it also celebrates the time of planting. But how could the Jews be sure that Passover would always come in the spring? Dennis Prager explains:
“The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, and therefore a year has 354 days, not 365, as does the solar calendar. The Hebrew lunar calendar is therefore adjusted by adding a leap month seven years out of every nineteen (as opposed to a leap day every four years in the solar calendar). Otherwise, Passover would fall eleven days earlier each year.”
“No one may appear before Me empty-handed.” The men are to appear in a place of worship, bringing a ritual offering. Nobody is allowed to say, “Hey! I’m poor. Let the rich people bring their offerings.” God is not so interested in the magnificence of an offering as He is in the obedience of the worshipers.
“ You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field.” This feast is called Shavuot. Although Shavuot has fewer rituals associated with it, it is vitally important. First fruits are just that, the beginnings of a harvest. But there is always the possibility that those first fruits may turn out to be all that will be harvested that year. So although this feast seems less significant, in fact, it is actually a risk – takers’ festival. Those bringing their first fruits are taking the risk that God is going to give them more to replace the things they are bringing as an offering. This festival really is a test of obedience on the part of the worshipers.
“And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.” This festival is Succot, when the harvested crops are gathered in. The name “Succoth” means “booths” or “huts” and refers to the temporary structures the Israelites lived in while they were traveling through the desert. Later in Deuteronomy 16:15, God tells the Israelites that “The Lord God will bless you in all your produce and in all the works of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.” The Torah commands the Jews to “have nothing but joy” on this holiday.
“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.” At first, this sounds discriminatory! What about the ladies? But these commands were given at a time when travel was difficult and dangerous; in addition, it was women who maintained the households and cared for the children Many women did accompany their husbands to celebrate the festivals. Luke 2:41 mentions that both Jesus’ parents had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. This command also would ensure that men would take their responsibilities as spiritual leaders in their own households seriously.
APPLICATION: For those of us who are not Jewish, these feasts may not seem as significant; however, the Passover celebration is intimately bound up with Easter. The Last Supper was actually a celebration of the Passover Seder. The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost took place at the celebration of Shavuot in Jerusalem. And many believers in rural areas have historically had harvest celebrations.
The three themes that bind these feasts together is the need for corporate worship and celebration, the need to offer our best to God, and the need to take time to be grateful to God and to celebrate His goodness. Just as we need Sabbaths for rest, we also need worship and celebration and gratitude to God. How can you make these values a reality in your life?
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for knowing our needs before we do! Help us to worship you, to celebrate you, to enjoy you, and to be grateful to you. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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