Devotional: Celebrate to Remember Deuteronomy 16

“You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statues” (Deut. 16:12, NASB).

When I was a little boy our family traveled from Columbia, Tennessee to Nashville, Tennessee almost every year. We travelled to the Parthenon Pavilion to observe the nativity scene that was set up in the park during the Christmas season. I’m sure that there are a lot of details that I do not remember about the nativity scene as it was displayed. I’m sure that that my parents thought of our visit as a vital part of our Christian understanding of the difference between the secular side of Christmas and the religious side of Christmas.

I remember the festivities of Christmas that took place in our home. Yes, there was the Christmas tree. The toys under the tree that the children got up early in the morning to see what they got for Christmas. We knew about jolly Saint Nick and Santa Claus. However, mom and dad rarely talked about these personalities. Mom and dad wanted their children to enjoy the festivities and the toys. The visit to the nativity scene was the ultimate acknowledgement that the birth of Jesus was God’s gift to the world. This is the most important reason that we celebrate Christmas. God gave His Son to the world.

In Deuteronomy 16 Moses instructs the Israelites to celebrate three specified Feast. The instructions are very specific. In reading this chapter one can get caught up in the details of the manner in which the activities surrounding the feast are to be carried out. At the same time it is easy for one to overlook the reasons that the people are to observe them every year continually. Every head of the household is to make sure that everyone participates in the celebration (v. 11).

Everyone is to remember that God freed them from their bondage in Egypt. In verse fourteen Moses repeats that everyone in the household is to participate in the celebration. When Moses says that the people are to remember, he is also saying that celebrating the feast every year becomes a means of teaching the oncoming generations about their God and all that God does for us.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we are thankful for Your love for us that You demonstrated by giving Jesus to us for our redemption and reconciliation to God. Amen.