(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 16:1-22)

16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

The Passover (Festival of Unleavened Bread), Festival of Weeks (Shavuot/Pentecost), and Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot/Feast of Booths) were times of celebration and remembrance built into the Law, so that Israel would remember the Lord’s provisions, leading, and His presence in their time from Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land.

These times of celebration were built into the Law because it would be so easy with the new life they would have in the Promised Land, and the hustle and bustle of daily life, to forget to remember what the Lord had done. If Israel were to forget what the Lord had done then perhaps they would soon forget the Lord all together, or attribute all that they had to themselves.

This is a reminder for us as well that celebrations are not just for having fun, letting loose, and enjoying one another’s company, but rather to remember what the Lord has done for us.

Whether they are personal celebrations with family and friends like our birthdays, or church-wide celebrations like Easter, Christmas, or church anniversaries, may we remember that in addition to having fun, we are to remember the Lord, remember His blessings, so that we may never forget Him.

For the church, in addition to Easter and Christmas, we also have Holy Communion, which is an important time to remember the death of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world, and for our sins. It is easy to forget why we are celebrating the Lord’s resurrection, His birth, and His death on the cross, especially when these festivals for the church repeat year after year, or in the case of Holy Communion, month after month.

If we approach these church events focusing on what type of bread we eat, what type of juice we drink, who is playing Santa Claus this year, or if we can find all the colored eggs for Easter, then perhaps we have forgotten the Lord, and turned what was intended to be a time of remembrance, into a time to just for fun and enjoyment.

Moses said to Israel regarding these festivals,

No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Perhaps this is a good reminder that during our church events and church celebrations, it is us that should be presenting and giving gifts to the Lord in proportion to the way the Lord has blessed us, rather than see who can get the best prize from the gift exchange or gift raffle.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy 16