Deuteronomy 16:13-22 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 16:13-22. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 (NIV)
13 Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
14 Be joyful at your Feast–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.
15 For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
On verses 13-15: What does the Feast of Tabernacles tell you about God and His purpose for our lives? To understand the purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles and how it relates to us today, click HERE.
Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (NIV)
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man 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.
On verses 16-17: After summarizing the big 3 feasts of the Jewish calendar, Moses tells this current generation of Israelites that at these feasts no one should appear empty-handed, but rather bring a gift proportional to how God has blessed them. Likewise, since Jesus Christ gave up His life for us, whenever we gather to worship God, let’s not come empty handed but with something to offer. It’s the least we should do in light of all that Jesus Christ has done for us.
Deuteronomy 16:18-20 (NIV)
18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.
19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
On verses 18-20: Do you need to make a tough decision between right and wrong? Let verse 20 guide your decision-making: follow justice and justice alone. Practically that means not accepting bribes or showing partiality (v19). It means doing what is right regardless of the consequences and trusting God to work it all out in the best way. That way we can “live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you” (v20).
Deuteronomy 16:21-22 (NIV)
21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God,
22 and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates.
On verses 21-22: Asherah poles and sacred stones were common objects used in Canaanite worship. Moses tells the Israelites not to set up one of these beside the altar where they worshiped God. Likewise, may we be careful not to set up idols that compete with our devotion to God. This goes back to one of the big themes of Deuteronomy: worship the Lord alone.
Thank You Father that You value partying and celebration, justice and true worship. More and more may Your values become my values too. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
