In the Place Which the Lord Chooses
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 16:9-17 (NASB)
9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
13 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. 15 Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
16 “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.
SUMMARY
Moses explained to the Israelites the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths concerning harvest and produce. Moses taught them to celebrate the feasts in the place which God chooses and to share the joy not only with their sons, daughters, and male and female servants, but also with the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. He encouraged the Israelites to give offerings to God as every man is able, according to the blessing God has given them.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
As I read and meditated on these passages, I tried to put myself in the perspective of Israelites who were on the journey into their Promise Land. They ate manna as daily bread, and they lived in the tents in the wilderness. Festivals of Weeks and Booths were probably something way beyond their imaginations that they can cross over the Jordan River, conquer the land of milk and honey, harvest crops of their own, and that they can dwell in their houses and no longer wandering. How exciting and encouraging that must have been! Then, Moses reminded Israelites the feast is to help them remember how God brought them out of Egypt in haste; the feast is to show joy and thankfulness for God’s blessing of harvest; the feast is to memorialize the journey from Egypt to Canaan. They should not forget God is the center of the celebration, and they shall celebrate in the place which God chooses. The feasts shall also include servants, Levites, strangers, orphans and widows.
The verse that really resonates with me is “you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the heard, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name.” (Deut.16:2)
Moses asked the Israelites to set up sacrifice and honor God in a certain way, at a certain place where God Himself chose to establish His name. Back then, it was a physical location that Moses was referring to. However, now God establishes Himself in our hearts, and sets His seal of ownership on us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross, our bodies have become “temples of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 6:19) God chose us, established Himself in us, and continues to work with us in love to make us more into His likeness. His light shines in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory. The very place God chose to establish His name is in our hearts.
I felt that Moses was bringing God’s people back to the heart of worship--remembering that God is good and His provisions are perfect. From remembering His goodness, people of God can walk forward in faith trusting that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I felt that he was teaching them not to worship on their own terms, but to worship in a way that is pleasing and honoring to God. “In the place the Lord chooses” he said , and in my heart I prayed that I will not reduce worship to my own terms and conditions, but always worship in a way that brings Him most joy by remembering His goodness, His sovereignty, and His provision.
When I reflected my life, I realized that I have been hoping and praying for the post pandemic time to come. My heart longs for festivals of corporate worship and freedom from fear. I thank God for the very message He gave me in my quiet time. I was reminded that I shall not forget God is the center of it all. God will choose the place, time and format for our church reopening. He wants me to remember the strangers and people in need around me once we may return to physically worship Him altogether.
APPLICATION
I am very grateful for the opportunity of sharing on the QT blogs. Seven months have passed. This blog is like a journal we wrote together in our journey during pandemic. I thank God for every brother and sister who pour out their heart to share and support each other in prayer when reading others’ blogs. My application would be to continue journaling down what God has spoken to me through my quiet time. One day in that post pandemic time I can read it and remember God is always in control. Remember His grace, His hand of protection, His guidance, His help and His people.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word. Help me meditate on Your Word, not meditate on my own thoughts. May the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
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