JULY 7, 2021 MERCY 129: GOD’S GOT YOUR BACK!
Exodus 34: 22 – 24 “And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.”
There are NO flat places in Israel. Visit Israel, and you rapidly see why the Bible speaks of Jesus going “up to Nazareth” or “down” to Bethsaida. The elevation of Nazareth is 349.05 meters or 1145.18 feet and the elevation of Bethlehem of Galilee is 171.93 meters or 564.08 feet, which is a difference of 177.12 meters or 581.1 feet.
At 695.8 feet below sea level, the Sea of Galilee is in that valley that actually extends all the way down and into Africa as the Rift Valley. The difference between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee is 1841 feet! Now imagine that you are living somewhere in rural Israel and that you are an observant male Jew who must visit Jerusalem three times a year for the major feasts. True, you are going to enjoy a wonderful celebration, but getting there is not going to be easy or simple.
God is ordering all Jewish men to appear before the Lord God in Jerusalem for Passover, for the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost) and for the Feast of Ingathering (Sukkot.) Each of these feasts is actually tied to the agricultural calendar year. Passover takes place in the month of Abib, the month of Spring when lambs are readily available. Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, marks the wheat harvest. Sukkot takes place in the Fall and is a celebration at the time of the major harvest. Sukkot is also known as the “feast of booths,” a time when Jews are commanded to eat and live in temporary shelters to remind them of the shelters the Israelites lived in during the 40 years in the wilderness. Even today, Jewish congregations will make some effort to erect some kind of a shelter to remind themselves of God’s great working in the lives of the Israelites.
Actually, many families eventually travel to Jerusalem together; in fact, when Jesus is twelve, his family and he go to Jerusalem for Passover. While Mary and Joseph leave for Nazareth, Jesus remains in the Temple, discussing religious questions with the teachers. (Luke 2: 41-50)
But what’s going to happen if all these men leave their families to travel to Jerusalem? That’s when the next set of promises becomes significant. “For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.” God Himself promises to watch the homes and the land of the men who travel to keep His feasts. What a guarantee!
APPLICATION: In the early 1960’s nobody in my home area used to lock the doors of their houses for any reason. I don’t even remember having keys to the doors for the old house in which I grew up. In August 1961, my family took their first vacation trip ever out to the West. We were gone two weeks and we visited the Badlands of South Dakota, rancher friends in Montana, and Glacier National Park, as well as a host of other tourist sites in between. We returned home to find a strange family having a picnic on our lawn and using our toilet facilities. Nothing was missing from the house and these people were perfectly nice. Our unexpected visitors were traveling and needed a place to make a pit stop. Our yard with its huge maple trees and flowers looked like a perfect spot, and it was. My parents chatted with the visitors, they finished their meal, and they continued their trip refreshed.
God protected our home all the time we were out on that trip. Sadly, today nobody would dream of leaving their home unlocked as we did. As the years went by, my mom died, my dad remarried and moved to the house that had been my grandparents’ home. In that new location on a major road, Dad and my beloved step mom Mary did lock their home. But even then, God continued to protect my parents and keep them safe.
Let’s face it; there is no amount of insurance that can totally protect you. Security systems are good, and there are apps that allow you to view the hidden cameras from your smart phone. But security systems can be hacked or worked around. Cameras can be disabled or destroyed. Psalm 127:1-2 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat— for He gives sleep to His beloved.”
At a point, you have two choices: live in a state of perpetual anxiety or trust God. Certainly, insurance is a good idea as are security lights, security systems, and other measures. But at the end of everything, remember that ultimately, your security must rest in the One who created you and who knows you best.
PRAYER: Father God, we live in a world filled with anxiety! Even when we want to worship you, we fear for our lives, our families, and our possessions. Thank You, that You are faithful, that You are true, and that You care more for us and for our families than we do ourselves. Help us to find our rest in You. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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