Remembering God's Sacrifice

September 3, 2019

Remembering God's Sacrifice

Deuteronomy 16:1-12

Brandy Stafford

Central Truth

We should praise the Lord continually for giving us His free gift.

"You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes."

Passover

1 Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose, to make his name dwell there. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning. 5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, 6 but at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the LORD your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it.

The Feast of Weeks

9 You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

In this passage, Moses discusses two of the three yearly feasts: Passover and the Feast of Weeks, which would later become Pentecost. He gives strict instructions to those under the law on exactly how these feasts are to be observed. God brought His people out of Egypt and freed them. These feasts were to be a reminder of this deliverance and a reminder that God is always faithful.

I know I think about the sacrificial Passover lamb. I am such a lover of animals. I am one of those who takes my dog (who is nearly as big and fuzzy as a lamb) with me everywhere and makes sure he is never too hot, cold, or hungry. I cannot imagine using most of our family's resources to purchase this lamb and live with it for a few days, knowing it would soon be killed as a temporary covering for MY sins. Lambs died as a substitute for sins for centuries—to prepare for the day when God would sacrifice His own Son to pay for our sins permanently (Romans 5:8). As Christians no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14), we now receive His undeserved love because of Jesus' death for our sins. We should now be rejoicing in the Lord always for giving us this free gift!

Friends, I admit I take this free gift for granted. Sure, we have Christmas and Easter on our calendars to remind us of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But what about the rest of the year? Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 of a similar tradition to remember and honor what Jesus did for us—we call it the Lord's supper. Praying before each meal can be a great way to constantly remember what God did for us through Jesus!

1. What sacrifices have you made for God?

2. What traditions do you celebrate to remind yourself of God's faithfulness?

3. Since we have the ability to go to God immediately when we sin to ask for forgiveness—instead of waiting for a scheduled time of sacrifice like Passover—do you think we take this for granted? If so, why?