DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 16

Chapter 16
Summary:	Moses' speech continues: "Observe the month of Abib* and keep the passover unto the Lord your God, for it was in the month of Abib that the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. You shall therefore sacrifice a lamb or an ox to the Lord at the sanctuary in the place where the Lord has chosen to place his name. You shall eat no leavened bread with it; for seven* days shall you eat unleavened bread with the animal sacrifice. You are to eat unleavened bread as a reminder of the bread you ate as you left Egypt in haste. You are to remember that day for all the rest of your life. There shall be no trace of leavened bread to be found with you for these seven* days, neither shall any of the passover lamb be left until the following morning. "You are not to sacrifice the passover lamb within your homes, which the Lord has given you, but only at the sanctuary which the Lord shall choose to put his name upon shall you sacrifice the passover lamb at evening, at sundown, in the season that you left Egypt. You shall roast and eat the sacrifice in the sanctuary that the Lord your God shall choose, and you are then to return to your homes in the morning. Six days are you to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You are to do no work that day. "Seven* weeks after the harvest begins you shall observe the 'Festival of Weeks' with a tribute of a freewill offering to the Lord your God, in proportion to the amount of crops he has blessed you with. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God with your children, your slaves, the Levites in your community, the strangers amongst you, the orphaned, and the widowed amongst you at the sanctuary of the lord your God. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall observe and obey these statutes. "You shall observe the 'Festival of Tabernacles' for seven* days at the end of the harvest season after you have gathered your corn and grapes. You shall rejoice in this feast along with your children, your slaves, the Levites in your community, the strangers amongst you, the orphaned, and the widowed amongst you. For seven* days you are to keep a solemn feast unto the Lord your God in the sanctuary that the Lord has chosen. Because the Lord your God shall bless you with a good harvest and in your works, you shall surely rejoice. "Three times each year every male must appear before the Lord your God at the sanctuary he has chosen; for the 'Feast of Unleavened Bread', the 'Feast of Weeks', and the 'Feast of Tabernacles', and they shall not appear before the Lord empty handed. Every man is to give what he is able to, in proportion to the blessing that the Lord your God has given them. "Judges and officers are to be appointed from amongst each tribe for all of the cities which the Lord you God is giving you. They are to administer their judgments justly. They are not to twist judgment to benefit a rich man, nor are they to take bribes, as such gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just must be followed, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving to you. "You are not to plant a grove of any trees near the altar of the Lord your God, which you are to build. Nor shall you construct any image, which the Lord your God hates."
Notes:	1.) Abib is the first month of the Hebrew calendar corresponding with mid April in our current calendar. 2.) Yet more references to the mystical significance of the number seven in the bible.
Thoughts:	Moses lays out a series of three festivals that the Israelites have to celebrate. Beginning with passover, he reiterates that no one is to eat bread made with yeast products for seven days (there's that number again) afterward. Moses says that they are to eat unleavened bread as a reminder that they had left Egypt in a hurry. Some interpret this as meaning that they simply didn't have time to wait for the bread to rise, however, God clearly demanded the consumption of unleavened bread in Exodus 12:8 rather than it being a necessity due to a lack of time. Regardless, Moses punctuates this demand stating that not even a trace of yeast should be found during this week, nor shall any of the lamb be left overnight for the following morning. Moses adds that the lamb is not to be sacrificed or eaten at home, but at the sanctuary and is to be sacrificed at sundown. For the next six days unleavened bread is to be eaten, and on the seventh day a sabbath is to be observed and no work is to be done. The next feast Moses describes is the "Festival of Weeks" which is to begin seven weeks (again with that number) after the first harvest begins. Moses demands a "freewill offering" (despite there being nothing remotely "freewill" about a demand) consisting of a percentage of the first crops to be offered to the sanctuary. This offering is to be eaten at the sanctuary along with the person's entire household, slaves, neighboring Levites, foreign visitors, orphans, and widows. Moses once again reminds the Israelites that they were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and therefore by that reasoning they are to observe and obey God's laws. The final festival Moses describes is the "Festival of Tabernacles", which is to be observed for seven (again with that number) days at the end of the harvest season after all the grain and grapes have been harvested. Again, the people are to feast at the sanctuary along with the person's entire household, slaves, neighboring Levites, foreign visitors, orphans, and widows. This feast is to be repeated for the next six days so that God will bless the Israelites with a plentiful harvest. Every male amongst the Israelites is to appear before God at the sanctuary during these three festivals and they are not to show up empty handed - God wants them to fork over a percentage of their crops. Moses then changes topics to state that judges and officials are to be appointed from amongst each tribe for each city in the "promised land". Moses demands that judges are to rule justly and are not to twist their judgment to benefit the rich, nor are they to take bribes. These requirements must be followed so that the Israelites may live in and inherit the "promised land". Moses closes out the chapter by demanding that the Israelites are not to plant any trees near God's altar, nor are they to construct an image which God hates.