COME ON AND CELEBRATE
Opening Prayer
God, remind me of Your goodness.
Read Leviticus 23:1–14
The Appointed Festivals
23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
The Sabbath
3 “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present a food offering to the Lord. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”
Offering the Firstfruits
9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How good is your memory? How easily do the truths about God flee from your mind?It is very easy to forget. The memory of things quickly fade and important things drift into the background. God’s people are prone to forgetting important things, particularly who their God is. Leviticus 23 details the feast days that the Israelites were to celebrate in the regular rhythm of life: reminders for the people to stop them forgetting.
The Sabbath (3): a regular reminder that God was their creator. In not working on the seventh day, the people declared their trust in God to provide, and looked forward to a greater rest that was to come. Remember God as the creator of the world.
The Passover (4–8): celebrated once a year, reminding them of their rescue from Egypt. They remembered how God saved his people from the death of the firstborn and rescued them from Egypt. Remember God who has rescued you from sin and death through Jesus.
The Feast of the Firstfruits (9–14): reminding God’s people that he is the one who provides, that it was God who gave them the land and caused its harvest to ripen. It provided an opportunity for the people to give back to God in worship some of what he had provided for them. Remember God who gives all good gifts.
Apply
Thank God for who he is: the creator of the world.
Thank God for what he has done: rescuing you from sin and death.
Praise God for what he provides: everything we need.
Closing prayer
Holy God, I praise You for who You are. I am so thankful that I belong to You.
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