Once again in chapter 22, God wants to receive the best. Only the best, so everything in this chapter shows us what is acceptable and unacceptable. This is followed by all the festivals and events that the Israelites were to experience in the normal religious year. I think we are remiss as a church (the worldwide church) that often we do not live by these special days – holy days – holidays. The church should be celebrating what God has done. The nation of Israel was to celebrate God's creation and rest (Sabbath), His role in the escape from Egypt (Passover), thanksgiving (Firstfruits), various feasts of fellowship (trumpets, tabernacles and weeks) and a day of salvation (Atonement). Their year was structured around events of God. He was their structure and meaning. Unfortunately, many of us miss the meaning. He should be our structure and life goals.
Every seven years, the Israelites would take a year off to reestablish their fields and to give the land a year to rebound. Every 50 years was the year of Jubilee where they celebrated what God had done by releasing slaves and giving back what had to be done for survival over the past 49 (like selling a field to raise money for food). Their goal was not just to be guided into His ways in mind, but to act it out, to live it out.
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