REMEMBER....

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord. Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning. Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." Exodus 23:14-19

In today’s scripture, God has concluded His reinforcement of the law by way of additional commands and turns attention toward three special festivals that He expected the people to celebrate every year. Each of these festivals represented an important event in history for the people of Israel and God’s intention was for them to never forget how He delivered them and provided for their needs. Let’s take a look at each of these festivals:

Festival 1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread. God’s guidance in Exodus 23 was as follows, "for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt." This festival would occur right around the time of the barley harvest and was intended to commemorate the beginning of the exodus…God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. And this wasn’t the first time that God had told His people they were to celebrate this feast. You’ll recall in Exodus 12 that God provided the following guidance just before the people of Israel prepared for the Passover:

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread." Exodus 12:17-20

So the guidance was clear and so was God’s expectation. It was up to the people of Israel to comply. The feast lasted for seven days beginning with Passover and today, this feast is still celebrated as careful preparation is made to ensure nothing no leavened bread is present in the household in preparation for the Passover.

Festival 2. The festival of the Feast of Harvest, also referred to as the Feast of Weeks. Here’s God’s word from Exodus 23, "Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field." This festival was held seven weeks after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and thus why it was often referred to as the Feast of Weeks. During this celebration, God expected the people of Israel to bring to Him the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. You’ll recall that the matter of firstfruits runs prevalent in scripture and it refers to us giving God our best first in reverence and honor to Him. One point of special interest…in the New Testament, this celebration would end up being called "The Day of Pentecost". More guidance on this feast as well as the others can be found in Leviticus 23.

Festival 3. The festival of the Feast of the Ingathering, also referred to Feast of the Tabernacles or Feast of the Booths (because the people of Israel lived in temporary shelters when God delivered them from Egypt). Again, here was the word of God, "Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field." This festival came at the end of the year in early autumn as the olives and grapes were harvested or ingathered. The festival was meant to pay homage to the desert wilderness wandering that the people of Israel endured during the exodus.

So three major festivals…each having to do with the harvests (celebration of God’s goodness, providence and provision) and historical (in remembrance of all God has done or them). And one other important point…attendance wasn’t optional for we read God’s commanding, "Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord." And they weren’t just to appear but come prepared to offer something to God (God commanded that "No one is to appear before me empty-handed.")

Fast forward to today and other times of remembrance. At this moment, we are in the midst of the Lenten season…a 40 day period of reflection on Jesus, our Savior. We also reflect and remember God’s goodness, providence and provision for truly He so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall never perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Easter Sunday is quickly approaching as we joyfully celebrate Jesus rising from the tomb, defeating death through resurrection and paving the way for us to follow. Keep in mind however that before we get there, we must go through the dark sadness of Good Friday and Jesus’ crucifixion. Both equally need to be on our mind as we move through Lent for as a former pastor used to say, "You can’t have Easter without Good Friday." In other words, you couldn’t have had the resurrection without the crucifixion. Remember this as you reflect on Jesus and the love of the Father for the remainder of this Lenten season and beyond. He gave it all for you and I but not before living life to the fullest…all in service to anyone who was in need…always in the spirit of love. All thanks, glory, honor and praise are to Him, now and forever more. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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