Deuteronomy 16:13

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

"Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress: and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow that are within thy gates. Seven days shall thou keep a feast unto Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah shall choose; because Jehovah thy God will bless thee, in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful. Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah 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 Jehovah empty: every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee."

In addition to the requirement regarding the central Sanctuary, another thing that dominates these chapters is the commandment to "REJOICE!" It was evidently intended by the Lord that a great portion of Hebrew wealth and prosperity was designed to be spent in the celebration of God's rich and overflowing blessings upon the people. This same quality of "rejoicing" is also one of the cardinal principles of the New Covenant. When the Jewish people turned away from this central admonition to "rejoice" and adopted instead all kinds of fasts and days of MOURNING, they made the most fundamental departure from God's will. The most familiar picture of Judaism today is that mournful scene at the "WAILING WALL." (For a full discussion of this preoccupation of the Jews with fasting and mourning see in Vol. 4 of our series of commentaries on the minor prophets, pp. 100-102,122.)

The parallel Scriptures with instructions on these three great feasts are:

Passover: Exodus 12; Leviticus 23:4-8; Numbers 28:16-25

Pentecost: Leviticus 23:15-21; Numbers 28:26-31

Tabernacles: Leviticus 23:33-43; Numbers 29:12-38

"Shall not appear before Jehovah empty ..." (Deuteronomy 16:16). This has reference to appearing before Jehovah to worship him without any kind of gift or sacrifice. How many Christians are put to shame by this? How many are there who exercise no care whatever to give of their substance to the support of the gospel of Christ! And, if no Israelite was permitted to appear before God without an offering, what kind of conceit is it that makes an "alleged Christian" suppose that he may worship continually without giving anything at all, or at most a mere pittance which he throws in as it may please him?

Even in this matter of the pilgrimages three times a year to the central Sanctuary, Cousins found a reminder of the suzerainty treaties, which "required vassals to report periodically to renew their oath of allegiance."[14] Kline also stressed this: "These verses bring into relief the character of the pilgrimages as tributary trips to the throne of the God-King (Deuteronomy 16:16b)."[15]