Deuteronomy - Remember What God Has Done and Said , Sarah Barry
CELEBRATE AND REJOICE
Passage: Deuteronomy 16:1~17  
Key verse: 1
The Passover(A)
16 Observe the month of Aviv(B) and celebrate the Passover(C) of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.(D) 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,(E) because you left Egypt in haste(F)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.(G) 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening(H) of the first day remain until morning.(I)
5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a](J) of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast(K) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly(L) to the Lord your God and do no work.(M)
The Festival of Weeks(N)
9 Count off seven weeks(O) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.(P) 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice(Q) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name(R)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites(S) in your towns, and the foreigners,(T) the fatherless and the widows living among you.(U) 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,(V) and follow carefully these decrees.
The Festival of Tabernacles(W)
13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor(X) and your winepress.(Y) 14 Be joyful(Z) at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival 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(AA) will be complete.
16 Three times a year all your men must appear(AB) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(AC) the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.(AD) No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:(AE) 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 16:6 Or down, at the time of day
Cross references
- Deuteronomy 16:1 : 16:1-8pp — Ex 12:14-20; Lev 23:4-8; Nu 28:16-25
- Deuteronomy 16:1 : S Ex 12:2
- Deuteronomy 16:1 : S Ex 12:11; 2Ki 23:21; Mt 26:17-29
- Deuteronomy 16:2 : Dt 12:5, 26
- Deuteronomy 16:3 : Ex 12:8, 39; 34:18; 1Co 5:8
- Deuteronomy 16:3 : S Ex 12:11
- Deuteronomy 16:3 : Dt 4:9
- Deuteronomy 16:4 : S Ex 12:6
- Deuteronomy 16:4 : S Ex 12:8; Mk 14:12
- Deuteronomy 16:6 : S Ex 12:42
- Deuteronomy 16:7 : S Ex 12:8
- Deuteronomy 16:8 : Ex 13:6; S Lev 23:8
- Deuteronomy 16:8 : Mt 26:17; Lk 2:41; 22:7; Jn 2:13
- Deuteronomy 16:9 : 16:9-12pp — Lev 23:15-22; Nu 28:26-31
- Deuteronomy 16:9 : Ac 2:1
- Deuteronomy 16:9 : S Ex 23:16
- Deuteronomy 16:11 : Dt 12:7
- Deuteronomy 16:11 : S Ex 20:24; S 2Sa 7:13
- Deuteronomy 16:11 : Dt 12:12
- Deuteronomy 16:11 : S Dt 14:29
- Deuteronomy 16:11 : Ne 8:10
- Deuteronomy 16:12 : S Dt 15:15
- Deuteronomy 16:13 : 16:13-17pp — Lev 23:33-43; Nu 29:12-39
- Deuteronomy 16:13 : S Lev 2:14
- Deuteronomy 16:13 : S Ge 27:37; S Ex 23:16
- Deuteronomy 16:14 : ver 11
- Deuteronomy 16:15 : Job 38:7; Ps 4:7; 28:7; 30:11
- Deuteronomy 16:16 : Dt 31:11; Ps 84:7
- Deuteronomy 16:16 : S Ex 12:17
- Deuteronomy 16:16 : S Ex 23:14, 16; Ezr 3:4
- Deuteronomy 16:16 : S Ex 34:20
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
Life in the Promised Land would be a joyful celebration of God's grace for his people. They were to assemble at the place of God's choosing three times a year, bringing their offerings and rejoicing before him. The Passover was the remembrance of God's deliverance from their slavery in Egypt. It was the demonstration of his mighty power. It was also his grace when he chose them out of all nations to call his own.
2. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt (9-17)
The Festival of Weeks was celebrated seven weeks after the harvest began. It was a remembrance that they were slaves in Egypt, but now they were blessed abundantly by God. The Festival of Tabernacles celebrated the end of the harvest. For seven days, they were to live in booths as they had in the wilderness and remember God's grace in the desert. The life of the Israelites would be a remembrance of God's grace and a celebration of life.
Prayer: Lord, help me to always remember your grace and live with a joyful heart.
One Word: Celebrate God's grace