The Appointed Feasts

16:1 Observe the month Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month he brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to locate his name. 16:3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly. You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt. 16:4 There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning. 16:5 You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages that the Lord your God is giving you, 16:6 but you must sacrifice it in the evening in the place where he chooses to locate his name, at sunset, the time of day you came out of Egypt. 16:7 You must cook and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses; you may return the next morning to your tents. 16:8 You must eat bread made without yeast for six days. The seventh day you are to hold an assembly for the Lord your God; you must not do any work on that day. 16:9 You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain. 16:10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering that you will bring, in proportion to how he has blessed you. 16:11 You shall rejoice before him – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name. 16:12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes. 16:13 You must celebrate the Festival of Temporary Shelters for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest. 16:14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. 16:15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, for he will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; so you will indeed rejoice! 16:16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed. 16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Israel’s feasts were appointed by the Lord to remember his rescue, give thanks for his blessing, and rejoice before him. Worship was to happen at the place he chose, and the celebration was to include the whole community, especially the vulnerable.

Moses tells Israel to keep the Passover in the month of Abib. This feast remembered the night the Lord brought them out of Egypt. They were to eat bread without yeast for seven days because they left in haste and because the feast marked their affliction and deliverance. They were also to remove yeast from the land and not leave the sacrificial meat until morning.

The Passover was not to be offered in any village. It had to be sacrificed at the place the Lord chose for his name. This showed that worship belonged to God’s appointed place, not to human choice.

The Feast of Weeks came after seven weeks, counted from the beginning of the grain harvest. The people were to bring a freewill offering in keeping with the blessing the Lord had given them. They were also to rejoice before the Lord with their families and with the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. Their joy was to be shared, not kept private. They were to remember that they had been slaves in Egypt, and that memory should lead them to careful obedience.

The Feast of Temporary Shelters lasted seven days at the time of harvest. Again the people were to rejoice before the Lord in the place he chose. The Lord promised to bless their work, and that blessing was to lead to joy and gratitude.

The section ends with a summary. Three times a year, all the males of Israel were to appear before the Lord for these feasts. They were not to come empty-handed. Each one was to give according to his ability and according to the blessing the Lord had given. The Lord’s gifts were to be answered with fitting worship.

• The Passover remembered the Lord’s rescue of Israel from Egypt.
• Bread without yeast reminded Israel of haste, affliction, and deliverance.
• The feasts had to be kept at the place the Lord chose.
• Worship included rejoicing before the Lord, not only sacrifice.
• The celebrations were to include Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
• Offerings were to be given according to the Lord’s blessing and each person’s ability.
• The Lord’s people were to remember their slavery in Egypt and obey carefully.

• Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord.
• Do not eat yeast with the Passover meal.
• Remove yeast from the land during the feast.
• Do not leave the sacrificial meat until morning.
• Sacrifice the Passover only at the place the Lord chooses.
• Count seven weeks from the start of the grain harvest.
• Bring a voluntary offering for the Feast of Weeks in proportion to the Lord’s blessing.
• Rejoice before the Lord with your household and with the vulnerable among you.
• Celebrate the Feast of Temporary Shelters for seven days.
• Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
• Give according to your ability and according to the blessing the Lord has given you.

The passage shows that the Lord redeemed his people, gave them the land, and ordered their life around remembrance, gratitude, and joy before him. It also fits the wider biblical pattern in which Passover becomes an important redemption theme, while still keeping its original meaning in Israel’s covenant life.

God’s people should remember his saving works in clear, concrete ways. Gratitude should be shown in worship, giving, and shared joy. The passage also warns against self-made worship and against treating God’s blessings as private property instead of stewardship before him.

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