85_Gathering before the Lord
Ex 23:14-17 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. 16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.”
A certain man spent years working tirelessly, never taking a break, never pausing to reflect or celebrate life. His self-worth was measured solely by his productivity. One day, exhausted and disillusioned, he realized that he had lost touch with himself, his family, his faith, and his purpose in life. Surrounded by constant demands for our time and energy, we may easily forget to step out and rejoice in God who gives rest. The trap of endless toil ignores the set times for rest, recollection, and rejoicing in the presence of God who gives us life and happiness.
In Egypt, the Israelites moved to the crushing rhythm of Pharaoh’s slavery. They had no seasons, no feasts, and no days of rest. Under Pharaoh’s rule, every day was the same relentless cycle of labor, devoid of worship and divine communion. When Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh and declared, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness'” (Exodus 5:1), Pharaoh scoffed. “They are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’” Pharaoh saw no value in worship, no purpose in rest. To him, the Israelites existed only to serve his agenda. “Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!” (Exodus 5:4). The world demands that we never pause, never cease striving, never turn our attention to the One who truly matters.
But God’s program for his people was always different. Man’s life on earth began with a day of rest, amid a feast of plenty, provided by the bounteous hand of God. Here, too, God appointed sacred times—holy gatherings that marked their journey through each year. These reminded them of redemption and encouraged communion with Him. These were not elaborate meals; they were divine appointments, opportunities to step away from daily toil and enter into God’s purposes.
The seven feasts of the Lord—Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles—formed a prophetic calendar, revealing His plan of salvation, culminating in Christ’s work. But among them, three stood out, where every Israelite male was required to present himself before the Lord: the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Passover feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were the first of these. They marked the beginning of Israel’s spiritual journey. On the night of the Exodus, the blood of the lamb signaled their protection from the destroying angel, while he set them free from Egypt’s grasp. This feast remembered their deliverance while foreshadowing the Messiah, the true Passover Lamb whose blood redeemed the whole world from slavery to sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolized the renewed holy walk with God as redeemed people. In our death with Christ, we left behind the old life. “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7). True freedom is not just being spared from judgment; it is being free from the bondage of sin.
The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, celebrated the harvest’s firstfruits. On the fiftieth day from the Passover, the Israelites presented their firstfruits to the Lord. The people offered with thanksgiving, acknowledging God the provider, and looking ahead eagerly to the full harvest. Centuries later, on this very day, the Spirit came upon the church (Acts 2:1-4), marking the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy that in the last days God would pour out his spirit on all flesh. Romans 8:23 describes it this way, “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” The indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that the fullness of our redemption is yet to come. As we rejoice in God’s provision, and experience the Spirit’s work in our lives, we long for the day when we shall be raised incorruptible, glorious, and immortal, in his likeness, to see him as he is. The great harvest is still ahead.
The final pilgrim feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, was a joyous celebration of God’s provision in the wilderness. The Israelites built temporary shelters, remembering their journey and God’s sustaining grace. It is a reminder that our true home is in His presence. “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” (John 1:14). God dwelt in the midst of Israel in the wilderness. In Christ, he became man so that one day, as Revelation 21:3 declares, God will dwell among man forever. He will dwell with them and walk with them, and be their God, and they will be his people.
These appointed times of the Lord were not mere rituals; they were divine invitations to experience His presence, His provision, and His promises. They were weak prototypes of Christ, the powerful fulfillment of God’s promises. Paul reminds us, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17). While we may not observe these feasts in the same way today, God calls us to sacred times of worship, reflection, and renewal.
In all three pilgrim feasts, God commanded, “No one shall appear before me empty-handed.” (Exodus 23:15). We need to come to God with a heart of worship, bringing the fruit of obedience to him. Paul exhorts, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1). Our offerings are not merely material sacrifices, but lives devoted to Him—our time, our talents, our love, and our obedience. True worship is not a matter of an hour or a day, a gathering or a celebration. It is a continual offering of ourselves to the One who redeemed us, with the gifts of repentance, faith, and love, demonstrated in tangible and costly ways in our daily lives.
The world, like Pharaoh, demands that we live burdened, restless, and miserable lives. It seems that we cannot afford to pause, to reflect, to repent, to rest, and to worship. But God’s appointed times remind us that life is not just about work and survival. The kingdom of God begins with repentance and rest in his goodness, and continues in following him. He calls us to rest in His finished work, to rejoice in His provision, and to walk in his footsteps as we wait with fervent patience for the eternal dwelling He has prepared for us. Let us not be deaf to these sacred invitations. Let us not refuse the king. Let us take time to appear before him with hearts and hands full of gratitude, offerings, and joyful submission to his good and perfect will. God bless.