Deu 16:1-2 | KingComments | STEP | With of this chapter, the section that started in Deuteronomy 12:1 is closed. It is its climax. This is not about the priests, but about the people in connection with the place the LORD has chosen to make His Name dwell. From onwards the constitutional aspect of the life in the land is discussed more, and this is directly correlated with the LORD’s dwelling place. They have to find that place. The significance of the place is underscored by the obligation for all men to go there, three times a year, to celebrate there before the LORD. These feasts occur four times in the books of Moses. This does not happen as a mere repetition, but in accordance with the character of each of those books. 1. In Exodus 23 and Exodus 34 the feasts are mentioned a. in connection with the laws God has given Moses (Exodus 23) and b. in the covenant confirmation after the history with the golden calf when God acts in grace toward His people (Exodus 34). The feasts are connected with the covenant. 2. In Leviticus 23, the three feasts are called ‘appointed times’. They are in the priest’s book. The feasts are an opportunity to bring offerings during a holy convocation. There we also see the feasts in their prophetic context. They refer to time periods in God’s plan with His people. 3. In Numbers 28-29 the feasts are spoken about to the people in the wilderness, on their way to the land. God asserts His rights over the people. He calls the sacrifices on the occasion of these feasts, “My offering” ( ). That is to show what God desires for Himself. That is beautiful, especially in a wilderness situation. 4. In Deuteronomy 16 the feasts are connected with the place where God dwells. The whole people come together, not at the entrance of the tent of meeting as in Leviticus and Numbers, but in Jerusalem, near the temple. Our meetings have characteristics of Leviticus. In our meetings with the brothers and sisters we express the unity of God’s people. It also knows the characteristics of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy everything is in the singular. It is not primarily about doing this together with all the other Israelites, but about a personal meeting with the LORD at that place. Thus, when we come together, we corporately, but also personally, bring our sacrifices of praise and thanks to God. God sees the heart of each of His own. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread belong together, it is a unity. The Feast of the first fruits is part of the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of the first fruits always is in the week of unleavened bread. Seven weeks later, in the third month, the Feast of Weeks is celebrated. In the seventh month, also three feasts are celebrated. So the three great feasts are in the first, third and seventh month. These feasts are linked to the harvest. The Feast of the first fruits is celebrated when the barley harvest has ripened. Then comes, seven weeks later, the wheat harvest. Then the Feast of Weeks is celebrated with the first fruits of the wheat harvest ( ) in the form of the two loaves of bread. The next stage of the harvest is the wine harvest. Finally, the olives are harvested. When the entire harvest has been harvested, the Feast of Booths is celebrated, the feast of the entire collection. Then the harvest has already been processed: the pressing of the grapes and the threshing of the wheat has taken place. From the very beginning to the final phase, from the first to the seventh month, are the harvest months. The feasts mark the beginning and the end of it: “Also [you shall observe] the Feast of the Harvest [of] the first fruits of your labors [from] what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in [the fruit of] your labors from the field” ( ). “Abib” means ‘green ears’. That speaks of a new beginning, it is as it were Spring. It starts with the sacrifice of the Passover. This is mentioned six times in the Bible and every time from a different point of view, i.e. aligned with the character of the book in which it is mentioned. 1. In Exodus 12 the Passover is called for the first time, there the feast is kept for the first time ( ). All subsequent times it will be a feast of remembrance, but the first time it will be the reality of salvation. It is the first feast mentioned in connection with entering the land. In Egypt it is celebrated in the houses. In the land, and that is what it is about in this book, it may only be celebrated in the place where the LORD dwells. What once happened in the houses of the Israelites takes place in the land in connection with the house of God, the temple. It represents the central idea that God’s intention was to save a people in the midst of which He can dwell. He has not only freed a people from judgment, but done so with a purpose. This purpose is presented here, while we think back to what we can call ‘the birth’ of God’s people. 2. In Leviticus 23, the Passover is the starting point for achieving the sabbatical rest ( ). The Passover is the beginning of the months ( ). In the prophetic application of Leviticus 23, the sabbath refers to the time when God can rest in all the creation. 3. In Numbers 9 the Passover gives strength to traverse the wilderness and reach the end of the journey ( ). 4. In Deuteronomy 16 it is related to the land and the meeting with the LORD ( ; ; ). 5. In Joshua 5 the people entered the land and the Passover serves as a retrospective to the starting point ( ). 6. In 1 Corinthians 5 it is said that Christ is the Passover ( ). Our feast as Christians is only one feast. That one feast is when we gather around the Lord. All feasts, the feast character, are expressed par excellence in the worship meeting. Christian holidays do not occur in the Bible. Unfortunately, in the course of Israel’s history, both the Passover and the Feast of Booths have increasingly lost their significance for the people of God. At the end of their history, when King Josiah celebrates the Passover, it appears that the meaning of the Passover has been lost since the days of Samuel: “There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet” ( ). For the Feast of Booths this is true even since the days of Joshua ( ). The Passover is “to the LORD”, that is to say, in His presence, with Him ( ). He desires that His people should come to Him. Thus the Lord Jesus speaks of “My guest room” ( ), a room where He and His disciples will celebrate the Passover. The LORD fervently desires that they should celebrate for Him and bring Him what is due to Him, a rich sacrifice service of burnt offerings and sacrifices of thanksgiving. It is said here to the individual Israelite. This section begins with “bread of affliction” (or “bread of misery”) in and ends with “altogether joyful” in . When we come to Him, we do not only speak of the glories of the Lord Jesus, but also of our affliction or misery. We must not forget that, or think it is something inferior. At the end of his life, the great apostle Paul, who spoke of so many blessings, speaks of himself as the greatest of sinners ( ). And the chapter on worship in this book, Deuteronomy 26, also speaks about that ( ). We never must forget where we come from. There is no exalted level without the ‘bread of affliction associated with it. We see this also in Ephesians 1 where we read about sonship, but connected with “the redemption through His blood” and “the forgiveness of our trespasses” ( ). This is the “Paschal aspect” of the Lord’s Day when we gather as a church to celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the Lord’s Table. Passover is what God was for me, how He turned away judgment and delivered me from Egypt and brought me into the land. The Lord’s Supper has to do with the Lord Jesus’ request to remember Him in what He has done. In the Lord’s Supper we remember Him Who is the Lamb and has surrendered Himself in accordance with the will of the Father. The Lord also wants this remembrance not only to take place at His Supper, but “all the days of your life” ( ). We must never forget that He redeemed us at the expense of Himself and made us His property. The period of “seven days” ( ) represents our whole life. Throughout our lives there may be present “in all your territory”, that is in all areas of life, nothing unleavened, that is something of sin. I have to think about that at the place where the Lord Jesus dwells. Nothing that defiles thoughts and hearts should be allowed throughout the land. That’s why we always have to add that ‘bread of affliction. This will lead us to be impressed by our salvation over and over again, and not to resorting to old feelings. The Passover may not be celebrated at one’s own discretion or at a place of one’s own choice ( ). The first letter to the Corinthians is the only one addressed in the full sense of the word to a local church ( ). In that letter is written about the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the Lord’s Table ( ). This celebration is part of the local revelation of the body of Christ. There believers come together, not just in their own cities, but based on the oneness of the church. There He is in the middle. We celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the houses. We may live, seven days, on from the Passover. This period is at the same time also a preparation for the next Passover. The place where the LORD dwells is a wonderful point of attraction for the whole people. This is in the heart of Hezekiah. He sends out the invitation to all twelve tribes ( ). The whole people must be welcome in that place. Some of them come to Jerusalem ( ). Then he can celebrate, even though many have not come. The Passover is celebrated at the end of the day, at sunset ( ). It symbolizes that the death of the Lord Jesus is a conclusion. The old is past. The evil powers have been defeated. The liberation is a fact. In it seems as if the people return to their tents after eating the Passover. Nevertheless, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is part of it all. On the last day there is a solemn assembly ( ). Then the feast is over, i.e. after seven days, and the people return to their tents ( ).

‏ Deuteronomy 16:1-2

Introduction

With Deu 16:1-17 of this chapter, the section that started in Deuteronomy 12:1 is closed. It is its climax. This is not about the priests, but about the people in connection with the place the LORD has chosen to make His Name dwell. From Deu 16:18 onwards the constitutional aspect of the life in the land is discussed more, and this is directly correlated with the LORD’s dwelling place. They have to find that place.

The significance of the place is underscored by the obligation for all men to go there, three times a year, to celebrate there before the LORD. These feasts occur four times in the books of Moses. This does not happen as a mere repetition, but in accordance with the character of each of those books.

1. In Exodus 23 and Exodus 34 the feasts are mentioned

a. in connection with the laws God has given Moses (Exodus 23) and

b. in the covenant confirmation after the history with the golden calf when God acts in grace toward His people (Exodus 34).

The feasts are connected with the covenant.

2. In Leviticus 23, the three feasts are called ‘appointed times’. They are in the priest’s book. The feasts are an opportunity to bring offerings during a holy convocation. There we also see the feasts in their prophetic context. They refer to time periods in God’s plan with His people.

3. In Numbers 28-29 the feasts are spoken about to the people in the wilderness, on their way to the land. God asserts His rights over the people. He calls the sacrifices on the occasion of these feasts, “My offering” (Num 28:2). That is to show what God desires for Himself. That is beautiful, especially in a wilderness situation.

4. In Deuteronomy 16 the feasts are connected with the place where God dwells. The whole people come together, not at the entrance of the tent of meeting as in Leviticus and Numbers, but in Jerusalem, near the temple.

Our meetings have characteristics of Leviticus. In our meetings with the brothers and sisters we express the unity of God’s people. It also knows the characteristics of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy everything is in the singular. It is not primarily about doing this together with all the other Israelites, but about a personal meeting with the LORD at that place. Thus, when we come together, we corporately, but also personally, bring our sacrifices of praise and thanks to God. God sees the heart of each of His own.

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread belong together, it is a unity. The Feast of the first fruits is part of the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of the first fruits always is in the week of unleavened bread. Seven weeks later, in the third month, the Feast of Weeks is celebrated. In the seventh month, also three feasts are celebrated. So the three great feasts are in the first, third and seventh month.

These feasts are linked to the harvest. The Feast of the first fruits is celebrated when the barley harvest has ripened. Then comes, seven weeks later, the wheat harvest. Then the Feast of Weeks is celebrated with the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Exo 34:22) in the form of the two loaves of bread. The next stage of the harvest is the wine harvest. Finally, the olives are harvested.

When the entire harvest has been harvested, the Feast of Booths is celebrated, the feast of the entire collection. Then the harvest has already been processed: the pressing of the grapes and the threshing of the wheat has taken place. From the very beginning to the final phase, from the first to the seventh month, are the harvest months. The feasts mark the beginning and the end of it: “Also [you shall observe] the Feast of the Harvest [of] the first fruits of your labors [from] what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in [the fruit of] your labors from the field” (Exo 23:16).

Passover and Unleavened Bread

“Abib” means ‘green ears’. That speaks of a new beginning, it is as it were Spring. It starts with the sacrifice of the Passover. This is mentioned six times in the Bible and every time from a different point of view, i.e. aligned with the character of the book in which it is mentioned.

1. In Exodus 12 the Passover is called for the first time, there the feast is kept for the first time (Exo 12:11). All subsequent times it will be a feast of remembrance, but the first time it will be the reality of salvation. It is the first feast mentioned in connection with entering the land.

In Egypt it is celebrated in the houses. In the land, and that is what it is about in this book, it may only be celebrated in the place where the LORD dwells. What once happened in the houses of the Israelites takes place in the land in connection with the house of God, the temple.

It represents the central idea that God’s intention was to save a people in the midst of which He can dwell. He has not only freed a people from judgment, but done so with a purpose. This purpose is presented here, while we think back to what we can call ‘the birth’ of God’s people.

2. In Leviticus 23, the Passover is the starting point for achieving the sabbatical rest (Lev 23:1-5). The Passover is the beginning of the months (Exo 12:2). In the prophetic application of Leviticus 23, the sabbath refers to the time when God can rest in all the creation.

3. In Numbers 9 the Passover gives strength to traverse the wilderness and reach the end of the journey (Num 9:1-14).

4. In Deuteronomy 16 it is related to the land and the meeting with the LORD (Deu 16:1-2; 2Chr 30:1-5 ; 2Chr 35:1 ; 16-19; Ezra 6:19).

5. In Joshua 5 the people entered the land and the Passover serves as a retrospective to the starting point (Jos 5:10-11).

6. In 1 Corinthians 5 it is said that Christ is the Passover (1Cor 5:7b).

Our feast as Christians is only one feast. That one feast is when we gather around the Lord. All feasts, the feast character, are expressed par excellence in the worship meeting. Christian holidays do not occur in the Bible.

Unfortunately, in the course of Israel’s history, both the Passover and the Feast of Booths have increasingly lost their significance for the people of God. At the end of their history, when King Josiah celebrates the Passover, it appears that the meaning of the Passover has been lost since the days of Samuel: “There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet” (2Chr 35:18a). For the Feast of Booths this is true even since the days of Joshua (Neh 8:18).

The Passover is “to the LORD”, that is to say, in His presence, with Him (Deu 16:1-2). He desires that His people should come to Him. Thus the Lord Jesus speaks of “My guest room” (Mk 14:14), a room where He and His disciples will celebrate the Passover. The LORD fervently desires that they should celebrate for Him and bring Him what is due to Him, a rich sacrifice service of burnt offerings and sacrifices of thanksgiving. It is said here to the individual Israelite.

This section begins with “bread of affliction” (or “bread of misery”) in Deu 16:3 and ends with “altogether joyful” in Deu 16:15. When we come to Him, we do not only speak of the glories of the Lord Jesus, but also of our affliction or misery. We must not forget that, or think it is something inferior. At the end of his life, the great apostle Paul, who spoke of so many blessings, speaks of himself as the greatest of sinners (1Tim 1:15). And the chapter on worship in this book, Deuteronomy 26, also speaks about that (Deu 26:5-8). We never must forget where we come from.

There is no exalted level without the ‘bread of affliction associated with it. We see this also in Ephesians 1 where we read about sonship, but connected with “the redemption through His blood” and “the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:5-7). This is the “Paschal aspect” of the Lord’s Day when we gather as a church to celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the Lord’s Table.

Passover is what God was for me, how He turned away judgment and delivered me from Egypt and brought me into the land. The Lord’s Supper has to do with the Lord Jesus’ request to remember Him in what He has done. In the Lord’s Supper we remember Him Who is the Lamb and has surrendered Himself in accordance with the will of the Father. The Lord also wants this remembrance not only to take place at His Supper, but “all the days of your life” (Deu 16:3). We must never forget that He redeemed us at the expense of Himself and made us His property.

The period of “seven days” (Deu 16:4) represents our whole life. Throughout our lives there may be present “in all your territory”, that is in all areas of life, nothing unleavened, that is something of sin. I have to think about that at the place where the Lord Jesus dwells. Nothing that defiles thoughts and hearts should be allowed throughout the land. That’s why we always have to add that ‘bread of affliction. This will lead us to be impressed by our salvation over and over again, and not to resorting to old feelings.

The Passover may not be celebrated at one’s own discretion or at a place of one’s own choice (Deu 16:5). The first letter to the Corinthians is the only one addressed in the full sense of the word to a local church (1Cor 1:1-2). In that letter is written about the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the Lord’s Table (1Cor 10:14-17 ; 1Cor 11:23-26). This celebration is part of the local revelation of the body of Christ. There believers come together, not just in their own cities, but based on the oneness of the church. There He is in the middle.

We celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the houses. We may live, seven days, on from the Passover. This period is at the same time also a preparation for the next Passover.

The place where the LORD dwells is a wonderful point of attraction for the whole people. This is in the heart of Hezekiah. He sends out the invitation to all twelve tribes (2Chr 30:1). The whole people must be welcome in that place. Some of them come to Jerusalem (2Chr 30:11). Then he can celebrate, even though many have not come.

The Passover is celebrated at the end of the day, at sunset (Deu 16:6). It symbolizes that the death of the Lord Jesus is a conclusion. The old is past. The evil powers have been defeated. The liberation is a fact.

In Deu 16:7 it seems as if the people return to their tents after eating the Passover. Nevertheless, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is part of it all. On the last day there is a solemn assembly (Deu 16:8). Then the feast is over, i.e. after seven days, and the people return to their tents (2Chr 30:21 ; 2Chr 35:17).