Deuteronomy 16 – The Three Major Feasts

A. The observance of Passover.

1. (1-2) The sacrifice of the Passover.

“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. Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name.

a. You shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD…in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name: At the first Passover, each family in Israel sacrificed the Passover lamb at their home. But when Israel came into the Promised Land, the sacrifice was to be made at the tabernacle (and later, the temple).

i. The Passover sacrifice could come from the flock or the herd. At a Passover in the days of Josiah, there are goats and bulls mentioned in reference to sacrifice, not only lambs (2 Chronicles 35:7). At Hezekiah’s Passover, bulls are also mentioned in sacrifice (2 Chronicles 30:24). Either God accepted Passover sacrifices other than lambs, or these refer to sacrifices associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or these were “extra” sacrifices in addition to the Passover lambs.

b. For in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night: Exodus 12 describes the first Passover, when Israel was delivered from Egypt, and God sent His judgment upon the firstborn of Egypt. God passed over the homes which obediently sacrificed the Passover lamb and applied its blood to the door posts of the home.

c. Keep the Passover to the LORD: Prophetically, the feast of Passover clearly presents Jesus as the Passover sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7), the Lamb of God who was sacrificed, and whose blood was received and applied, so the wrath of God would pass over those who believe.

2. (3-4) The Feast of Unleavened Bread, associated with Passover.

You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning.

a. For you came out of the land of Egypt in haste: For the first Passover, the unleavened bread was a practical necessity because they left Egypt in such haste there was no time to allow for the dough to rise.

i. “Unleavened bread can be made in less time than leavened bread (and it keeps better); so it is reminiscent of the precipitate nature of their departure from Egypt after the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians.” (Kalland)

ii. That you may remember: “The value of the passover feast was to educate that conscience and to bring to life for each individual the great fact of national deliverance, compelling the children of each new generation to accept the obligations of a redeemed people.” (Thompson)

b. And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days: The symbolism of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, following Passover, continued to be important. Leaven was a picture of sin and corruption, because of the way a little leaven would influence a whole lump of dough, and also because of the way leaven would “puff up” the lump – even as pride and sin make a person “puffed up” with self-importance.

i. Significantly, God called them to life an “unleavened” life after their initial deliverance from Egypt. Symbolically, they were being called to pure living in the sight of God.

ii. Some people also suggest that removing all the leaven once a year benefitted the health of Israel. At that time, they normally used a piece of dough from the previous batch to make the bread for that day and did so repeatedly. This could allow harmful bacteria to grow in the dough, therefore it was good to remove all leaven and start all over at least once a year.

iii. The purity of the feast of Unleavened Bread followed upon the blood-deliverance of Passover. The people of God can only walk in purity before the LORD after their blood-deliverance at the cross.

c. You shall eat no leavened bread with it: Prophetically, the feast of Unleavened Bread relates to the time of Jesus’ burial, after His perfect, sinless sacrifice on the cross, during which He was received by God the Father as holy and complete. Jesus was the Holy One who would not see corruption (Acts 2:27), perfectly accomplishing our salvation.

i. The burial (or actually, entombment) of Jesus was an essential part of the message of the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

3. (5-8) Regulations for Passover.

“You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt. And you shall roast and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it.

a. At the place where the LORD your God chooses: This repeats the command previously stated in verses 5-6 of this chapter. The Passover sacrifice was to be offered at God’s sanctuary, the tabernacle, and then at the temple that replaced it.

i. This means that when Israel gathered at the tabernacle or temple for Passover, thousands of lambs were sacrificed, one for each household.

b. At twilight, at the going down of the sun: This repeats the command stated in Exodus 12:6 and Leviticus 23:5. The Passover lamb for each family was to be killed at this time of day.

c. Six days you shall eat unleavened bread: The feast of unleavened bread started immediately after Passover.

B. The observance of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).

1. (9-10) The Feast of Weeks.

“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 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.

a. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain: The Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) was a feast associated with the joy of the start of harvest, during which Israelites brought a freewill offering to the LORD, as a demonstration of the thanks in their hearts.

i. “It has a variety of names in the Old Testament, ‘the feast (pilgrimage) of weeks’ (Deuteronomy 16:10; Exodus 34:22), ‘the feast of harvest’ (Exodus 23:16) and ‘the day of the first fruits’ (Numbers 28:26; cf. Exodus 23:16; 34:22).” (Thompson)

ii. “The phrase ‘fifty days’ in Leviticus 23:16 in the LXX [Septuagint] led to the designation of the Feast of Weeks as Pentecost.” (Kalland)

b. Which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you: The amount each individual Israelite brought as a freewill offering was determined by the proportion in which they had been blessed. Those who had been blessed with more were expected to offer more.

2. (11-12) The joy of Pentecost.

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 gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

a. You shall rejoice: There was no ritual of animal sacrifice commanded at Pentecost. Instead, it was a time of joyful thanksgiving for the harvest, and a generous heart-response to God.

i. Rejoice: “The offerings of the Israelites were to be eaten with festivity, communicated to their friends with liberality, and bestowed on the poor with great generosity, that they might partake with them in these sacred repasts with joy before the Lord.” (Clarke)

b. You shall remember: The joy of Pentecost was made greater by remembering the bondage Israel had escaped and blessings God had given. This was a blessing to all, especially the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.

i. “All the members of the community, regardless of their social or economic status, were invited to participate in the festivities. The most disadvantaged among them were, in fact, especially to be welcomed, for Israel must remember their own bondage in Egypt and how the Lord had freed them so that now they could enjoy such blessings.” (Merrill)

c. And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes: Leviticus 23:15-21 describes how, at the feast of Pentecost, Israel was to celebrate by bringing a new grain offering and the waving of two loaves of leavened bread to the LORD. Prophetically, this is a powerful picture of the work of God in the new covenant, fulfilled at the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

i. No atoning sacrifice was necessary because the price had already been paid by Jesus.

ii. With 3,000 having come to faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:41), there was a great harvest to God, and great thanksgiving for that harvest.

iii. The response to God on the day of Pentecost was not made out of obligation to a particular law. It was the sincere heart-response of God’s people to Him (Acts 2:37).

iv. The church, founded on the day of Pentecost, would include the “leavened bread” of the Gentiles, presented as holy before God, and made holy by the work of Jesus the Messiah.

C. The observance of the Feast of Tabernacles.

1. (13-15) How to observe the Feast of Tabernacles.

“You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.

a. You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days: This was to happen on the fifteenth day of the Jewish month Tishri (on the Jewish ceremonial calendar). The Feast of Tabernacles was a time to rejoice in God’s deliverance and provision for Israel during the time of wilderness wandering; a time when having come into the Promised Land, they could look back with gratitude on all God had done to deliver and provide in the difficult times of the wilderness.

i. “Whereas the Feast of Weeks marked the first of the harvest season for wheat, the Feast of Tabernacles signified its culmination. At the same time, almost all other crops of field and orchard matured by this time and were likewise gathered in (cf. Leviticus 23:40).” (Merrill)

ii. Leviticus 23:39 says of the Feast of Tabernacles, on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. The Feast of Tabernacles began and ended in rest. It was centered on celebration, rest and refreshment, and remembering what God had done. This rest was welcome after the hard work of bringing in the harvest.

iii. “The third feast of the year was in some ways the greatest of all. It is called in Leviticus 23:39 ‘the feast of Yahweh’ and in Ezekiel 45:25 ‘the feast’…. Thanksgiving for the harvest and festive joy were the keynotes of this festival also (Deuteronomy 16:14; Leviticus 23:40).” (Thompson)

b. Your male servant and your female servant: God commanded great social good through the Sabbath and in the Feasts. In most other ancient cultures, there were no regular days of rest, and there were no holidays. In His goodness, God commands days and weeks of rest, all centered on Him.

c. Observe the Feast of Tabernacles: Prophetically, the feast of Tabernacles points to the Millennial rest and comfort of God for Israel and all of God’s people. From beginning to end, it speaks of peace and rest.

i. The Feast of Tabernacles is specifically said to be celebrated during the Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-19).

2. (16-17) The command to observe each of these three feasts.

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

a. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: This chapter mentions only three (four, if one counts the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a separate feast) of the seven feasts of Israel. Not mentioned in this chapter are the feasts of trumpets, of firstfruits, and the Day of Atonement.

i. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed: “The observance of each of these feasts was a recognition of what the people owed to God…. in every one of them, they were called upon to bring gifts to God…. Where the full hands of worshippers are the results of hearts full of love, however poor intrinsically our gifts may be, they are very precious to Him.” (Morgan)

b. All your males: The feasts mentioned in this chapter were the ones which every Jewish man, to the best of His ability, was required to attend at the place of God’s choosing, where the tabernacle or temple stood and God’s altar was present.

i. Jesus was obedient to this command. He made the trip from Galilee to Jerusalem to be at these feasts (Luke 2:41, John 7:2, 10).

ii. Males are specifically said to be required to attend these feasts, but females were not excluded. “The lack of such distinction in gender in the longer festival passages and, indeed, direct reference to female participation (cf. e.g., Deuteronomy 16:11, 14) make clear that only the males were required to attend but that females were welcome and, indeed, encouraged to do so.” (Merrill)

3. (18-20) The appointment of judges and officers.

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

a. You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates: God knew the importance of just judges and officials to a nation. Therefore, God commanded that they shall not pervert justice nor show partiality, and not take a bribe.

i. Judges and officers: “Judges, shophetim, among the Hebrews, were probably the same as our magistrates or justices of the peace. Officers, shoterim, seem to have been the same as our inquest sergeants, beadles, &c., whose office it was to go into the houses, shops, &c., and examine weights, measures, and the civil conduct of the people.” (Clarke)

ii. The recognition of judges and officers shows that justice doesn’t just spontaneously happen in a community, even with the best laws. There must be men who will carry out the law, using appropriate wisdom, zeal, and mercy to see that the law is honored and fulfilled in both specific command and by principle.

b. Follow what is altogether just: In contrast to partial and bribe-taking judges, God commanded those judges to be guided by the rules of justice. This would help guarantee that Israel prospered in the land God gave to them.

i. “‘Show partiality’ renders the Hebrew figure ‘recognize faces’ (Exodus 23:3; Leviticus 19:15; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Psalm 82:2; Proverbs 18:5; Malachi 2:9).” (Kalland)

4. (21-22) Prohibition of idol trees and pillars.

“You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the LORD your God. You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.

a. You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image: Such sacred totems were common among the Canaanites. In sympathy or sensitivity to the Canaanite culture, Israel may have been tempted to add such items to their worship of the God of Israel.

b. Near the altar which you build: Canaanite forms of worship (a wooden image or a sacred pillar) were prohibited anywhere in Israel. They were especially wrong at God’s altar. It was even more important to guard the holiness and integrity of the house of the LORD.

i. “Groves were planted about idol temples for the purposes of the obscene worship performed in them (see Deuteronomy 12:3). On this account God would have no groves or thickets about his altar, that there might be no room for suspicion that any thing contrary to the strictest purity was transacted there.” (Clarke)

ii. “The worship of the Lord must not be with the paraphernalia of the gods of Canaan in an eclecticism that would allow Asherah poles and sacred stones alongside the altar of the Lord who hates those items of worship.” (Kalland)

0 Shares