January 17, 2014 - Friday

Start Time: 5:05 A.M.

End Time: 5:51 A.M.

Title: The Passover Unleavened Bread Festival

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 16:1 – 22 

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ Moses continued reminding the people about the month of Abib when they are to keep the Passover to the Lord their God.  The Passover offering from their flock or their herd is to be given to the Lord their God in the place marked out by Him as the resting-place of His Name.  Take no leavened bread with it; for 7 days let their food be unleavened bread that is the bread of sorrow for they came out of the land of Egypt quickly so the memory of that day when they came out of the land of Egypt will be with them all of their life.  It is not to be cooked anywhere else but only to the place God has chosen.  On the 7^th day, there is to be a holy meeting and no work is to be done during the feast.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants us to remember the Victories He gave us!  God knows us very dearly and He knows that we are easily swayed by our emotions or the things that we don’t see or the things we see in our environment.  So He makes sure that we set a time to remember our victories in Him!  He wants us to recall every detail that He did to set us free from our enemy and won the battle!  He wants us to celebrate!  This is a Feast of God’s victories in our lives!

→ Another festival that God wants them to remember is the festival of weeks.  They are numbered 7 weeks from the first day when the grain is cut then keep the feast of weeks to the Lord their God, with an offering freely given to Him from the wealth He has given them.  Then they are to be glad before the Lord their God, they and their son and daughter, their man-servant and woman-servant, and the Levite who is with them, and even the foreign resident who lives with them, the orphan, and widow who are living with them, in the place that the Lord their God marked as a resting-place for His Name.  They are to keep in mind that they were a servant in the land of Egypt.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants His people glad before Him! God wants us to set a time to celebrate the Feast of Weeks; it is when everyone in your family and city together with the orphans, widows and foreigners who lives with you, gather together before the Lord and remember the good things God did in our lives and we are to be GLAD before Him.  Being glad is a result of being with Him and remembering the good things He has given or done in our lives!  What a great God we have that He ensures that we remember and celebrate the good things in our lives so that we may be GLAD!  Hallelujah!  Even in this celebrations that God wants His people to do, the end result is for His people to be glad!

→ They are also to keep the fest of tents for 7 days after they have got in all their grain and made their wine.  They are to keep the feast with joy, them and their son and daughter, their male and female servants, the Levite with them, the widow, foreigners and orphans that live with them.  They are to keep the feast for 7 days in the place marked out by the Lord because the blessing of the Lord their God will be on all the produce of their land and all the work of their hands and they will have nothing but joy!  3 times in the year, let all their males come before the Lord their God in the place God named; these are during the feast of the unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and the feast of tenths; and they are not to come before the Lord with nothing in their hands.  Every man is to give as he is able, in the measure of the blessing which the Lord their God has given them.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants to give us joy!  God wants His people blessed but moreover He wants us to have JOY in us!  So He told His people to celebrate the feast of tents where we have the opportunity to celebrate with joy as we offer Him our offerings.  God knows that with His provision and blessings in our lives, it will yield joy in us.  That’s why He commanded us to come before His presence 3 times and celebrate the 3 feasts: Feast of the unleavened bread (Victory from slavery); Feast of the Weeks (celebration of good things God did in our lives); Feast of the tenths (celebration of our firstfruits – with joy).  All these feast are for our own benefit as always!  We are commanded to come and celebrate in His presence and in turn we receive joy, gladness, victory and blessings from our Lord God.  Who is other than the Lord who will ask his people to celebrate to be blessed?  None!  Great Jesus!

→They are to make judges and overseers in all their towns which the Lord their God gives them, for every tribe and they are to be upright men, judging the people in righteousness.  They are not to be moved in their judging by a man’s position, they are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.  Let righteousness be their guide so that they may have life and take for their heritage the land which the Lord their God gives them.  God also said not to allow any tree that is not holy be planted by the altar of the Lord their God which they will make.  They are not to put up stone pillars, for they are hated by the Lord their God

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants to be involved in our justice system!  God commanded us to appoint judges and overseers but the requirement for such position is righteousness.  However since all men have fallen short, this only means that this righteousness comes from the Lord so those men appointed must be direct contact with God for His righteousness only dwells to those who are close to Him. 

Application / Realization:

Ø God wants His people to celebrate three feast: Feast of the unleavened bread which is the feast of remember how God brought us out of slavery! The Feast of Weeks, which is a celebration for the people to remember the good things God made and we are to be glad before the Lord; The Feast of the tenths which is the feast of the firstfruits because God wants to give us joy! 

Ø God is the only God who tells His people to celebrate so that He may blesses them!  What a great and wonderful Lord God we have!

Ø God wants to be involved in our lives including our justice system for HE knows justice is only achieve in His righteousness

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Amazing Lord, wonderful God, magnificent Father, almighty King!  How grateful I am to be Your child.  You never fail to amaze me every day of Your love, favor and grace.  Even in the old testaments, I clearly see how Your love overshadows all Your other characters.  God You are truly a loving and gracious God and I am blessed to be even considered part of Your family.  Holy Spirit, help me to remember to always celebrate Your victories in my life, Your good works in my life, and my firstfruit that comes from You.  Help me to remember that all these celebrations are done to make me glad, give me joy and to bless the works of my hands!  What a great God I serve!  Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!