Deuteronomy 16: The Appointed Feasts and Righteous Judgment

Deuteronomy 16: The Appointed Feasts and Righteous Judgment

Chapter With Audio

Passover

16 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning. 5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, 6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.

The Feast of Weeks

9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

The Feast of Booths

13 “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

Justice

18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. 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. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Forbidden Forms of Worship

21 “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

Chapter Analysis

Deuteronomy 16: Celebrate the Lord's Feasts and Uphold Justice

Overview

Deuteronomy 16 instructs Israel concerning the three annual pilgrimage feasts, the appointment of judges, and the importance of justice and pure worship. These celebrations reminded the nation of God's redemption, provision, and faithfulness, while the judicial instructions ensured that righteousness would characterize life in the Promised Land.

The annual feasts centered Israel's worship on God's saving acts and His continual blessings. At the same time, Moses commanded the leaders to administer justice impartially and warned against every form of idolatry.

The chapter teaches that true worship and righteous living belong together. A people devoted to God must also reflect His justice, holiness, and integrity.

I. Verses 1–8: Celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Moses instructed Israel to observe the Passover each year during the month of Abib.

The Passover commemorated God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

The Passover sacrifice was to be offered only at the place the Lord chose.

For seven days the people were to eat unleavened bread.

This bread reminded them of their hurried departure from Egypt.

No leaven was to remain among them during the feast.

The first and seventh days were to be sacred assemblies devoted to the Lord.

These observances continually reminded Israel that their freedom came through God's mighty redemption.

II. Verses 9–12: Celebrate the Feast of Weeks

Seven weeks after the beginning of the grain harvest, Israel was to celebrate the Feast of Weeks.

The people were to present freewill offerings according to how the Lord had blessed them.

Everyone was invited to rejoice before the Lord, including:

  • Sons.
  • Daughters.
  • Servants.
  • Levites.
  • Foreigners.
  • Orphans.
  • Widows.

Moses reminded Israel to remember that they had once been slaves in Egypt.

Their gratitude for God's redemption was to produce joyful generosity toward others.

III. Verses 13–17: Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles

After gathering the harvest, Israel was to observe the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days.

This feast celebrated God's faithful provision and His blessings upon the harvest.

Again, everyone was invited to rejoice together before the Lord.

Three times each year every male Israelite was to appear before the Lord at the place He chose during:

  • The Passover.
  • The Feast of Weeks.
  • The Feast of Tabernacles.

No one was to appear before the Lord empty-handed.

Each person was to give according to the blessings the Lord had provided.

IV. Verses 18–20: Appoint Righteous Judges

Moses instructed Israel to appoint judges and officers throughout their towns.

The judges were commanded to:

  • Judge fairly.
  • Show no partiality.
  • Accept no bribes.

Bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and corrupts justice.

Moses declared:

"You shall follow what is altogether just."

Righteous justice would enable Israel to live securely in the land God was giving them.

V. Verses 21–22: Reject Every Form of Idolatry

Israel was forbidden to plant a sacred wooden pole beside the Lord's altar.

They were also prohibited from setting up sacred pillars used in pagan worship.

Such practices were hateful to the Lord.

God demanded pure worship free from every trace of idolatry.

Major Lessons in Deuteronomy 16

Worship Should Remember God's Salvation

The annual feasts continually reminded Israel that the Lord had redeemed them from slavery and faithfully provided for them.

Joy Is Part of Worship

God desired His people to celebrate His goodness with thankful and joyful hearts.

Gratitude Produces Generosity

Remembering God's blessings should lead believers to give freely and care for others.

Justice Reflects God's Character

God's people are called to administer justice with honesty, fairness, and impartiality because these qualities reflect His own righteous nature.

Pure Worship Rejects Compromise

The Lord alone deserves worship, and His people must reject every form of idolatry and false religion.

Overall Summary

Deuteronomy 16 instructs Israel to faithfully observe the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles as joyful celebrations of God's redemption, provision, and covenant faithfulness. Moses also commanded the appointment of righteous judges who would administer justice without partiality or corruption and warned the people to reject every form of idolatry. The chapter reveals that true covenant life includes joyful worship, grateful generosity, righteous justice, and wholehearted devotion to the Lord. These principles find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose redeeming work is the foundation of the believer's worship and whose righteous kingdom is marked by justice, holiness, and joy.