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Deuteronomy Chapter 16 Commentary
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
Just a reminder to us; we are still waiting for Israel to enter the land of Promise. Moses is still reminding them of all the law commandments; both sacrificial and ceremonial. We shall see in this chapter:
• The feast of unleavened bread, the passover supper
• The feast of weeks, the beginning of the harvest
• The feast of the tabernacles, after the harvest is complete
• The setting up of the civil magistrates, apart from the spiritual leadership
• Another warning against idolatry
We remind everyone; the month Abib is the first month of the Jewish calendar, and it does not correspond with our calendar, which has the first month being January.
• Ex 12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
• Ex 13:4; 3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
We see that scripture certifies this is what God has commanded for Israel. It is a reminder to us that God doesn't reckon time as we do. Isn't it something to think; man doesn't even live by God's calendar? It shows how out of tune lost mankind is from God.
Adam Clarke's Commentary: The month to which this verse refers, the month Abib, answers to a part of our March and April; whereas it is supposed that previously to this the year began with Tisri, which answers to a part of our September; for in this month the Jews suppose God created the world, when the earth appeared at once with all its fruits in perfection. From this circumstance the Jews have formed a twofold commencement of the year, which has given rise to a twofold denomination of the year itself, to which they afterwards attended in all their reckonings: that which began with Tisri or September was called their civil year; that which began with Abib or March was called the sacred or ecclesiastical year.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. 3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: 6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and
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go unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
"2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd,"
An annual reminder, to Israel, of that sacrificial lamb at the first Passover supper, where the
application of the blood to the doorpost and lintel saved them, from the death of their firstborn; both man and beast.
It is a reminder, to us today, that the blood, of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is what has freed us from the penalty of death for sin. Therein, lies our remission of sins, and we are given, in the New Testament, the need to do this regularly, so we don't forget either, seen in: 1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
I would point out; in the New Testament, we are not given a set time to have the Lord's Supper.
Among the Primitive Baptist faith; it is usually kept, either annually or quarterly. I believe, to be consistent with the commandment of God, we should at the very least keep it annually. However, in scripture it has been noted to have been kept daily, weekly, and at various other times and seasons.
"in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there." We notice that God is going to choose the place for the feast of the unleavened bread to take place. No other place will do. I believe, this is an emblematic picture; that the Lord's Supper is to be kept in and by the church, in its organized settings. Why? Jesus Christ established the church and its organization. The Church of Salvation by Grace is the place that Jesus chose for his people to assemble and worship God. This is not hard to understand. It is also why we practice; what many define as closed communion, which is confined to church membership only.
"3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it" The unleavened bread was not tasty like leavened bread. It was a reminder, to Israel, of the tastelessness of being a slave in Egypt. It is a reminder, to us today, of the tastelessness of Jesus dying upon the cross, and suffering the burden, of the debt of sin for all of God's people.
"that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life." We point you to the previous instruction concerning the passover supper and God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, seen in: Ex 12:26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the
Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. Next I point out that the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt is comparable to the day when you were born again, and delivered from under the bondage of sin. With this thought in mind; I ask you this question;
do your children know of your experience of being born again? Have you told them; how you came to be delivered from your sin debt, and were given eyes to see your need of Jesus? Do they know the
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glory God deserves for your new birth? If they don't, they should; for this brings glory to the name of God.
"and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents." From this text; it appears that all Israel assembled in one place; and the sacrificial lamb was killed for all and eaten that night. The text here indicates that in the morning they were to "turn and go unto" to their own tents. The word turn is here defined as: to face, to look, to behold. It is an indication that their focus was to be upon God's commandment, and in worship of God, even as they went to their own homes. We see an application to Israel; all that you have just did in the passover, take these things and remember them when you come into your house. It is, to us the same thing, indicating all our focus is to be upon Christ our Saviour, first, and then all other things will be added as seen in scripture in: Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
"thou shalt do no work therein." This was a reminder to Israel; the application of the blood was their salvation, and wrought their release from bondage in Egypt. This is an emblematic reminder, to us; we did no work for the remission of our sins. The remission of our sins was accomplished by the work of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, on the cross at Calvary, as seen in:
• Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
• Lu 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
• Ac 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
• Ro 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
• Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
Apparently, there was a space of about seven weeks, in which the annual harvest of the different meats came to fruition. The firstfruits, of each of these, were to be presented, to the Lord, as a sacrificial offering.
This was a reminder to Israel; you were once in bondage, and you did not reap the harvest of the earth to yourselves, but to your masters in Egypt. Now, you are freed from that yoke of bondage, and under the care and blessing of God; therefore, bring the firstfruits to God, in sacrificial offering of thanks and praise to God, for his blessing in fruitfulness of harvest, and thankfulness for freedom from bondage.
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The same message is true for each born again sinner today. We should never forget the wonderful blessing of salvation by grace and being born again, being delivered from the sin debt that we could not pay. Thank you, Father God, for this wonderful blessing.
"11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God," This was to be for all Israel and those among her, a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving. Herein, we see something, which I believe the church should be doing when it assembles today. Certainly, it should be a time of rejoicing, when God's people gather together. A time of: acknowledging the blessings of salvation by grace; rejoicing that God has given them health, strength, hearts, and minds, to abound in the joy of salvation by grace. God's people should rejoice at the preaching of the gospel, when they meet a fellow Christian, when they sing of God's marvelous works, and for all the blessings of God, seen and unseen.
The word "rejoice" is used in the bible 183 times. The word "rejoiced" is used in the bible 45 times.
The word "rejoicing" is used in the bible 28 times. The word "rejoice" is used in various other forms of the root words many times; which indicates that we should be mindful of the blessings of God and give him thanks and praise for the multitude of blessings and mercies extended to us. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
Israel is reminded; after your harvests are completed; you are to observe a feast of tabernacles for seven days. Again we see; it is a time of rejoicing, sharing thy joy with all those; of your families, of your servants, of your spiritual ministers, of the strangers, of the widows and orphans. Again, it is pointed out; in the place God chooses.
Surely, this gives us the picture, of the joy we should have in assembling in God's house to worship, and praise, him, for the finished work of our Saviour, and Lord, Jesus Christ. We can but rejoice that Christ has secured our eternal salvation, and poured out the blessing, of this knowledge upon us in regeneration.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
Israel is again reminded; the males are to present themselves, as a nation in its entirety, before God at least three times per year. We have a similar commandment in New Testament scripture in:
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that
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promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:
and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. This is self-explanatory; it needs no elaboration to get the meaning of it.
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
God has already given Israel their spiritual leadership, and judges, in the tribe of Levi, and the heads of each tribe. Here, God is setting up a civil system of judgment, by giving judges and officers, to make righteous judgments between people in dispute, throughout the cities and tribes of Israel.
We notice in particular; the judges are required to use just judgments. This would mean; they were people, who were well taught the statutes and principles of godliness. They are to receive no bribes, or presents, from anyone, as this may pervert their righteous judgments.
This is comparable to the filling of the offices of Elders and Deacons in the church. As we see in the New Testament scriptures of those to fill the offices: 1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
As we clearly see; the judges and officers were to be well versed in all the commandments of God, so we also see the same principle in the New Testament scriptures; for officers in the church to be well grounded in the scriptures.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.
Finally, God reminds them that they are not to plant groves of trees, in the place where God chooses to place the altar of God for sacrifice. Why? Because, this is exactly what the idolatrous nations and peoples did, when they built altars to their false Gods. It is another piece of defensive armor, which Israel should put on, to keep them in favor with God.
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The same is true for us today, in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to take up worldly wants, and means, in worshipping God almighty. We are to come in the way established by Jesus Christ, only.
Dear God, our heavenly Father, we thank you for all these reminders, which you have given us in both the Old, and New, Testaments of scripture. We pray; the Holy Spirit will stir up our minds in remembrance of thy holy commandments, and keep us dressed in the defensive armor, which you have provided for us here. May we, truly, bring glory, and honor, to thy name in all we say, and do.
Praise and glory to your name, without end! Hallelujah!
Elder Clarke Lee, 2021-03-31
