Deuteronomy 16

As with much of what we’ve covered to date in the book of Deuteronomy, today’s reading may seem very familiar to you. That’s because Moses repeats the instructions for keeping the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). There were a couple of interesting additions to the details of the Passover:

·       “…nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning” (v. 4). We will visit this verse again when we review Deuteronomy 21, but to whet your appetite, think about the circumstances after Jesus’s last breath on the Cross, as documented in Luke 23:50-53. 

·       Speaking of the crucifixion, we read in Luke 23:45-46 that “the sun’s light failed” in the moment Jesus “breathed his last.” You know what time the Passover sacrifice was to be offered? The Israelites were commanded to “offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:6). God delivered the Israelites from slavery when the sun went dark, and similar circumstances surrounded the sacrifice of the Lamb of God (whose death freed us from bondage to sin).

As we make our way to the end of chapter 16, we read of God’s directive for Israel to appoint judges and officers in every town who “shall judge the people with righteous judgment” (v. 18). These leaders were not to circumvent justice by showing partiality or accepting bribes in return for favorable rulings. Although we may not serve in such roles in our communities, the body of Christ—reflecting the heart of God—ought to be ones who “Adhere to the principles of justice, act by the rules of justice, countenance the demands of justice, imitate the patterns of justice, and pursue with resolution that which appears to be just.”[i] In other words, be just, as God is just. 

How can we avoid the pitfalls of injustice? Look back to verse 19: “You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.” Quite simply, when we desire man’s approval or accolades, we will be much more likely to gratify “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life”, things that are “not from the Father but [are] from the world” (1 John 2:16). The cure to an unjust heart begins with recognition that our old man has died with Christ Jesus (Galatians 2:20), and we have now been raised to “walk in newness of life” with Him (Romans 6:4). 

By the way, bribery, at its core, is accepting something in return for compromising what one knows to be true, right, and just. This doesn’t always manifest in financial payoffs, but can also take the form of looking the other way when your child does something wrong (because you want their acceptance), allowing someone to be in your debt because you helped them circumvent company policies (because you like the control you have over them), or voting to elect a politician who does not live according to God’s Word (because you value the comfort and ease that they have promised). Like all other evils, we must flee these temptations and hold fast to what we know to be right and true. Help us, Holy Spirit! 

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Journal responses to the following prompts:

·       The repetition of these feasts in today’s passage affirms God’s desire for His people to recall His faithfulness. What have you done lately to remind yourself that you can trust Him fully and completely?  

·       In what areas of your life do you see a propensity to be partial, unjust, and/or willing to compromise your biblical values for worldly gain? 

[i] Henry, M. (2014). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible. (Vol. 1). Hendrickson Publishers. p. 618.