Feasting on Faith: Obedience and Celebration in Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 16:1-17 emphasizes the importance of keeping the appointed feasts — Passover, Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). These celebrations are not mere rituals, but opportunities to remember God's deliverance and renew our covenant with Him. "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." (Deuteronomy 16:1)

These feasts are occasions for joy and gratitude. We are to appear before the Lord with our offerings, expressing our thankfulness for His blessings. "Rejoice before the Lord your God you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites who are within your gates, and the strangers, the orphans, and the widows who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name." (Deuteronomy 16:11)

Deuteronomy 16 also stresses the importance of justice and equity in our dealings with others. "You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall the fat of my feast remain until the morning." (Deuteronomy 16:25) This speaks to the purity and holiness required in our worship, mirroring the need for integrity in our everyday lives. We are called to be just and fair in our interactions, ensuring that everyone is treated equitably, regardless of their social standing. "Justice, justice you shall pursue, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Deuteronomy 16:20)

Deuteronomy 16:16-17 instructs us to give generously. "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed," (Deuteronomy 16:16) Our offerings are not merely financial contributions, but expressions of our devotion and commitment to God. They show our willingness to invest in His kingdom.