20140109 Thursday, January 9 2014
Deuteronomy 16: The Holy Days Of Jesus Christ, The LORD

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

The LORD was and is Jesus Christ (see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God). The true Biblical Holy Days have always been Christian. They were created by Jesus Christ as prophetic observances and celebrations of the Salvation that He is offering to those who repent and truly follow Him (see Why Call Me, Lord, Lord, and Do Not The Things Which I Say?).

The Holy Days begin in spring with Passover (see Exodus 12: The First Passover and Nisan 14: The Sacrifice Of The Lamb Of God; also Exodus 11: The Passover Moon At Midnight) and the Days of Passover / Days of Unleavened Bread (see The Passover 'High Day' Sabbath, Unleavened Bread: Why Observe The True Christian Holy Days? and The Two Sabbaths Of Passover Week).

"16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 16:2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. 16:3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 16:4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

16:5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: 16:6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 16:7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 16:8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein." (Deuteronomy 16:1-8 KJV)

Pentecost completes the spring Holy Days (see Pentecost: The Christian Feast Of Firstfruits and Pentecost: Unto The Morrow After The Seventh Sabbath).

"16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 16:10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 16:11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 16:12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes." (Deuteronomy 16:9-12 KJV)

The autumn Holy Days continue and complete the prophetic observances of true Christianity (see The Christian Feast Of Trumpets: The First Day Of Salvation, Why Do Christians Observe The Messiah's Day Of Atonement?, Why Christians Observe The Messiah's Feast Of Tabernacles and The Eighth Day: Empty Cemeteries).

"16:13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 16:14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 16:15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee." (Deuteronomy 16:13-17 KJV)

The Holy Scriptures were originally written without chapters and verse numbers (they were devised by European printers when Bibles began to be published - chapters were made from about 800 years ago and verses from about 500 years ago). The verses below begin and continue their context into the next "chapter" - and could just as well have begun there, in accordance of the intent of how they were originally written.

"16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 16:20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

16:21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth." (Deuteronomy 16:18-22 KJV)

Fact Finder: Why did the Messiah use agricultural harvests as prophecies of the Salvation that He is offering to the repentant?
See The Harvests Of Salvation; see also Holy Day Calendar