THE ANNUAL FEASTS The goal of the divine commandment is to transform the believer’s life into a perpetual feast; as according to what he says in this chapter: “You shall surely celebrate” (15), The prophet Moses talks to us about the three great annual feasts (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Leviticus 23); which could be called ‘the feasts of sojourning;’ in which the people remember their sojourning with joy and pleasure, offering gifts to the house of the Lord, as much as they could afford. These are: The feast of Passover (1-8) which symbolizes the redemption; and in which humanity rejoiced for its conquest over the devil. The feast of the weeks or the Pentecost (9-12): which symbolizes our joy for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit on us. The feast of the Booths (13-17) when we dwell here, as though in booths, anticipating the perfection of glory in Christ. He did not refer here to the other major feasts, like the feast of the horns, and the day of atonement; just mentioning the feasts during which the people assemble together in the house of the Lord. We have already dealt with the feasts in our study of the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus; their spiritual concepts, their rites, and systems. For study the feasts (numbers 28-29) Here, he concentrates on the communal joy, and the collective worship at the place chosen by the Lord; and on how the believer should not appear empty-handed in the house of the Lord. He ends that by confirming the fairness of justice in the house of the Lord, and on not mixing between the worship of God and that of the idols. A sign of faithfulness to the covenant is giving the heart to God, through practicing joy and rejoicing. By that, the Law mixes the heart giving by the perpetual joy in the Lord, with the practice of justice as a sign of faithfulness to God the Just who refuses oppression; not discriminating between the statutes that apply to the believers, and those pertaining to worship. We notice this all along the whole book. No justice and love without pure worship; and no accepted worship without justice and mercy toward the brethren. By that worship mixes with behavior, to work together as one integral holy life. 1. The feast of Passover 1–8. 2. The feast of the weeks 9–12. 3. The feast of the booths 13–15. 4. The feasts and the giving 16–17. 5. The feasts and the justice 18–20. 6. Not mixing between the worship of God and that of idols 21. 1. THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER The feast of the Passover for the Hebrew people has a special meaning, as they remember in it, the exodus of ancestors from the land of Egypt to cross over to the wilderness, setting forth toward the Promised Land. It is the feast in which the foundation is established of setting the people as a nation, born in Egypt, in a foreign land, then set forth to the wilderness as a foreign young girl betrothed to her Groom. According to the words of the Lord in the Book of Jeremiah: “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown” (Jeremiah 2:2). It is as though, the feast of Passover is the remembrance of the setting forth of the young girl, born in a foreign land, to a state of maturity, to be a spiritual bride to the heavenly Groom. 7 That is what made the event of the “Exodus,” or the “feast of the Passover,” the backbone of the Holy Bible, being a shadow of the Exodus, realized for us by our Passover Jesus Christ; Who brings us over from the land of servitude to the wilderness; heading to heaven; as a heavenly bride adorned for her Man (Revelation 21:2). The Book of Exodus has already dealt with this feast in chapter 12. The law of the Passover has its special sanctity; the people are committed to keep the whole month, although the feast is only celebrated for one week in the middle of the month. “Observe the month of Abib by keeping the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night” (Deut. 1:1) In the Septuagint version, it came as: “Observe the month of the new things, and observe the Passover to the Lord your God.” The time of shadows has come to an end, and the old things have become vain. Now, the month of the new things is within our hands. It is fitting for everyone to observe the feast in obedience to Him1. Pope Athanasius the apostolic The month of Abib, the month of the new fruits (between the months of March and April), is the month in which the people enjoyed the exodus from the land of Egypt, and the setting forth from the servitude. It became the beginning of the Jewish year (Exodus 12:2). If God Himself likes the feast and calls for observing it; it is not fitting, brethren, to be reluctant in celebrating it, or to do that slothfully; but we should approach this heavenly feast actively and zealously2. Pope Athanasius the apostolic It was called the feast of Passover, because the destroyer angel, at midnight, passed over the gates, sprinkled with blood, spared everyone; and struck down all the firstborn of the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:29). Thus, the Egyptians urged the Israelites to hasten their departure from the land. In this feast, we spiritually depart from ‘Rameses” of Egypt, which, according to Origen means “confusion;” set forth from the corruption and confusion, to where the inner peace and holiness are. The feast of the Passover is a call to evaluate the connection of the soul to the true Passover – the unique sacrifice of Christ, which alone, can bring us over to the bosom of God the Father; bearing the righteousness of our Savior, to find in Him our perpetual joy, eternal peace, and our living heavenly fellowship with the Holy One Himself. Let us spiritually set forth, as though by midnight, amid the pitch darkness, to enjoy the pledge of heaven, that needs no sun, moon, or a lamp to give it light, as the Sun of righteousness Himself shines in it; sets in us His heavenly kingdom, reflects the splendor of His glory on us, and keeps the forces of darkness from approaching us. With every Sunday; and with every breath of our life, we celebrate the feast of the Passover; as we experience the resurrection of Christ our Passover; to live the risen life that challenges the last enemy; namely, death! God transforms all our days into incessant feast, and shines in midnight amid darkness, to let us enjoy the splendor of His glory in our sojourn. “You shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose as a dwelling for His name. You 1 Paschal Letters, 19:1. 2 Paschal Letters, 6:1. 8 must not eat with it any leavened. For seven days you shall not eat unleavened bread with it – the bread of affliction – because you came out of the land of Egypt in great haste, so that all the days of your life you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt. No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, and none of the meat of what you slaughter on the evening of the first day shall remain until morning. You are not permitted to offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you. But at the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name, only there shall you offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, the time of the day when you departed from Egypt. You shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose; the next morning you will go back to your tents. For six days you shall continue to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day, there shall be a solemn assembly for the Lord your God, when you shall do no work” (Deut. 16:2-8) We have already dealt with the rite of this feast in our commentary on the Books of Exodus 12 and Numbers 28. Here we shall concentrate on the following points: 1. The sacrifices of the feast should be offered at the place that the Lord chooses as a dwelling for His name (2, 6, 7). Here, he did not refer to Jerusalem; as the temple was not yet built, which confirms that this book was written before the time of David, when Jerusalem was chosen as the city of God, for Solomon the son of David to build the temple of God. The sacrifices are offered at the place that the Lord chooses as a dwelling for His name (2), confirming that the house of the Lord is a gift from God to His people. He chooses the place to proclaim His dwelling among His people. So, looking in His depths, man sees within him a temple chosen by the Lord, for the sacrifices of love and thanksgiving to God may be offered, through the cross “the sacrifice of the Passover.” Within us is the spiritual Jerusalem chosen by God Himself as His holy city; where he sets His temple; and where He receives our offerings. The commandment is still there: “You shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, at the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name” (2). What is this place but “the Golgotha,” where the unique sacrifice of the Passover was offered. Any offering or sacrifice offered outside the Golgotha, will not be received by God the Father as a smell of pleasure and content. This is the work of the Holy Spirit of God, who turns the Church into a Golgotha where the Crucified One encounters His beloved who comes to carry with Him His cross. There, the true sacrifices of love are offered. The Holy Spirit also works to set out of the soul, a Golgotha, and to build an altar, not built of stones; but is an exalted altar; where our Christ proclaims His cross, and the soul enjoys encountering with Him, saying: “With great delight I sat in His shadow, and His fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (Songs 2:3, 4). Let us not offer our sacrifice at the place we choose, bur at that chosen by the Spirit of the Lord, out of which He sets a true Golgotha! 2. In verse 2 he refers to offering the sacrifice on the first day of the feast from the flock (of sheep) and the herd (of cows); to be eaten during the meal of the Passover; and nothing of it is to remain until the next morning. Whereas, on the rest of days of the feast, any other kind of beasts could be slaughtered. He connects the feast to sacrifices. The Passover itself is a sacrifice; and Christ, our Passover, has been slain for our sake (1 Corinthians 5:7); and other sacrifices were offered during the rest of 9 the seven days of the feast (Numbers 28:19). During every Divine Liturgy of the Eucharist, celebrating the feast of our Passover; namely, the cross of the Messiah and His resurrection, we enjoy fellowship with the victim Christ; and offer our given life as a sacrifice of love, accepted through the cross. Whoever does not accept to be crucified together with the crucified Christ, would not experience the joy of resurrection together with Him; and would not taste the ‘feast of the Passover.’ That is why St. Augustine, looking at the altar which carries the given Lord’s body and blood; asking us to receive His sufferings practically, says: [You are on the altar; you are in the chalice.] 3. For seven days they are to eat unleavened bread (3, 4, 8). They should not only refrain from using leaven during the whole week; but they should not even allow its presence in the house (1 Corinthians 5:7). 4. That unleavened bread he calls “the bread of affliction,” being not easy to digest, and not nice to the taste. Probably referring to their affliction in the land of bondage. As they ate it, they would remember how their fathers got out of Egypt in a haste, before their bread had the chance to be leavened. According to the Jewish rite, the head of the house breaks the unleavened bread, and hands to every member of his family a piece of it, saying, ‘This is the bread of affliction which your fathers ate in the land of Egypt.’ The apostle Paul believes that in the unleavened bread, there is the reference that the celebration of this feast should be with the spirit of loyalty without the leaven of hypocrisy (1 Corinthians 5:7). The seven days of that feast refers to the whole week; namely, to the whole life. The Christian sees in all his days a feast of Passover, when he receives the victim Christ in His depths, as a cause of incessant heavenly joy. In saying “you go back to your tents” (7); is a clear indication that this book was written when the people were still dwelling in tents. Yet this expression was used later on to refer to the dwelling places either tents or buildings (1 Samuel 13:2; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 8:66 etc.). Christ our Passover The feast of the Passover used to bring to the Jews a special joy once a year; when hundreds of thousands of lambs were slain; that were incapable of purifying the inner depths. However, the true men of God, looked forward to the true Lamb that alone can purify to perfection, and can pour joy over the believers all along their days of sojourn, and even in heaven itself. St. John the beloved saw in the middle of the throne, “a lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered” (Revelation 5:6). And seeing Jesus approaching him, St. John the Baptist said: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). And of Him, the apostle Peter says: “You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Before our fall into sin, the Word of God, by His own will, chose to offer Himself as a Passover Lamb to bring man who was going to fall, over to glories. The apostle Paul, on the other hand, very clearly, calls the cross of Christ a “Passover feast;” saying: “For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival” (1 Corinthian 5:7, 8). By this, our Savior Jesus Christ, by His cross, has turned our life into a perpetual Passover; not to eat a lamb unable to resurrect; but to eat His given body and blood, to enjoy the risen paschal life; to eat it, not with bitter herbs, but with the 10 Spirit of true repentance, to enter into the joy of His heavenly Kingdom. Not to sprinkle blood over the posts of the gates of our houses, but the Spirit of God to sprinkle it in our depths; to have the gates of heaven opened before us; and to have the right to enter into the bosom of God the Father, in the worthiness of the blood and righteousness of Christ. 2. THE FEAST OF THE WEEKS The feast of Passover is connected to an historic event; which is the setting forth of the people from bondage; as a symbol of the freedom that we were to have in Christ Jesus. Whereas, in the feast of the booths or the weeks, there is a thanksgiving offering for God’s work that pours over us through the inheritance from the land He granted us. The first feast is the feast of the reconciliation between God and man through the blood; whereas the second feast is that of equality between mankind; as all partake together of the joy before the Lord; also through the sacrifice of Christ. The feast of the weeks; namely, the Pentecost; is celebrated seven weeks after the feast of Passover (the fiftieth day). In it, messengers are sent to collect a bunch of barley, to be offered to the Lord as firstlings (Leviticus 23:10). Some believe that this feast celebrates God’s care for the land; from which the harvest is reaped in its proper time, through God’s care of the weather conditions. How is the feast celebrated? “You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the festival of weeks to the Lord your God, contributing a free-will offering in proportion to the blessing that you have received from the Lord your God” (Deut. 16:9,10) 1. Bringing an offering to the Lord, “in proportion to the blessing …” an optional offering, like a tax given to the King “God Himself,” the owner of the land, he granted to the people to work it; a “free-will offering,” left to the believer to give, joyfully and freely, according to his own discretion with no limitation. As the Lord is giving him generously, blessing his crop (10); it is fitting for him; likewise, to offer freely of what he has granted him. As it is a feast of thanksgiving to the Lord, who freely gives; It is fitting to celebrate it, not only by worship, but the believer should do like his God, by giving freely to his needy brother. 2. mixing the giving with rejoice “Rejoice before the Lord your God – you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, the Levite resident in your towns, as well as the strangers, the orphans and the widows who are among you – at the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name” (Deut. 16:11) The believer should translate his thanksgiving practically by giving freely to his brother; and by his joy in giving, with the spirit of praise, to rejoice, together with his brethren. The goal of the feasts is to let the believer enjoy the spiritual joy, to live as though in heaven; and to reflect this joy on the life of his family, his relatives, and those working with and under him. He should practice this rejoicing in his house, his worship, his work, and his encounter with others; especially the poor and the needy. Rejoicing before the Lord, should not stop at praising Him by the mouth; but he should express his joy and thanksgiving to God by his whole being. Rashi1, a Jewish interpreter, believes that God requests from the believer to 1 Joseph Parker: The People’s Bible, vol. 4, Deuteronomy 16:11. 11 bring joy to eight hearts: four on his own side – the son, the daughter, the male and female slave –; and four on God’s side: the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. The believer should so celebrate the feast, sitting among his family, the slaves, the men of God, the strangers, and the needy. Just as he cares to have his own family share the joy of the feast with him, he should not forget those working with and under him; those who minister to the Lord, and those for whom the Lord cares: the orphans and the widows. Whoever lacks family love, is haughty toward the lowly slaves, disregards the ministers of the Lord, does not open his house before the strangers, or does not care for the needy, thus would not be able to celebrate the feast. By that, the celebration of the feast comes to be an icon of heaven, where all assemble around God, and enjoy His bosom. The believer finds himself as though among his own family; with no discrimination between a master and a slave, a male and a female, a Jew and a Gentile, a rich and a poor, a priest and one of the congregation. This feast is connected to worship; particularly in offering sacrifices of peace, and of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. The heart comes to bear the nature of joyful thanksgiving. He distinguishes the kind of joy by saying: “rejoice before the Lord;” because the worldly rejoice based on having fun, and not being committed to responsibility, etc., would not be accepted by the Lord; and would not fulfill the soul; but would probably turn into grief. 3. Meditating on the salvation work of the Lord: Of the important factors that brings inner joy to the soul, and that make us keep the divine commandment, is to remember God’s dealings with us in our life, and His amazing salvation for us. “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and diligently observe these statutes” (Deut. 16:12) He connects between joy and the salvation work of the Lord, together with the life of thanksgiving and obedience to the commandment. They are all melded aspects of one fact; namely, ‘the fellowship with God the Savior.’ A Pentecostal church In the Passover feast, we saw a symbol of the Lord Christ, the true Passover, who transformed our life on earth as though in heaven, into an incessant feast. When we see Him, our souls rejoice and our whole being utters the new song of the Lamb. As to the feast of the Weeks or the Pentecost, we see the Church celebrate it all the days of her sojourn on earth; offering to God the Father, and to Christ the Firstborn, an amazing offering of thanksgiving, on account of all believers. And as the apostle says: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died” (1 Corinthians 15:20). This is the first and the greatest crop, accepted by God the Father, and the object of His pleasure; those who unite with Him, come to be, together with Him, ‘first fruits,’ who are called, “ the first converts in Achaia”(1 Corinthians 16:15); or according to the apostle James, “He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of His creatures” (James 1:18). Of them it is also said: “These follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). The Church thus becomes in a state of perpetual feast, in which she presents Christ her First Fruit, the first head of grain, “he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord”, an offering of thanksgiving, accepted by God the Father. 3. THE FEAST OF THE BOOTHS 12 These three feasts integrate together by proclaiming our need for God’s sanctification of all the stages of our work in this world. The Jews used to celebrate the feast of the Passover with the first strike of the sickle, as a sign of the beginning of the harvest; and the feast of the Pentecost when the harvest comes to an end, as a sign of the continuation of God’s blessing of our work; and the feast of the booths at the end of the agricultural year, as a sign of putting the seal of God’s blessing on our work at the end of the road. It is as though God’s blessing is accompanying us at the beginning, during the work, and up to the end. In the feast of the Passover, the believer enjoys the reconciliation with God. In the feast of the Weeks, he offers his thanksgiving to God for His generosity to his brethren, and for his feeling of the equality among the believers. And in the feast of the booths, the believer rejoices for his sojourn, longing to set forth to heaven. These three feasts are not separable from each other; and form a kind of unity between God, man, and heaven; a unity that produces a mutual and a personal joy, and would not be realized except through the sacrifice of the Lord Christ on the cross. He reminds them of certain rites related to the feast of the booths that he has already dealt with (Numbers 29:12); and clarifies the following points: Connecting between making the booths, and gathering in the produce from the threshold floor and the wine press: 1. “You shall keep the festival of the booths for seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshold floor and your wine press” (Deut. 16:13). As, when God blesses our crops, and pours a flood of His temporal gifts through His exalted blessing, He fears lest our souls would connect to the world, and not to its Creator. That is why, when we enjoy the good gifts, it is fitting for us to set for ourselves the ‘booths,’ to remember that we are strangers and sojourners on this earth, on which we shall not settle down forever. 2. Connecting between the feeling of sojourning, and the heavenly joy in the Lord: “Rejoice during your festival, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, as well as the Levites, the strangers, the orphans, and the widows resident in your towns. Seven days you shall keep the festival to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord your God will choose; for the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce, and in all your undertakings, and you shall surely celebrate” (Deut. 16:14, 15) This festival is a call to realize the real position of man in this world – that he is a stranger; and according to the Psalmist: “For I am your passing guest, an alien, like all my forebears” (Psalm 39:12). It is not a pessimistic view; as it goes hand in hand with a looking forward toward the open heaven, and the arms of God outstretched to the believers; calling them to set forth to find comfort in Him. And according to the apostle Paul: “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). The feeling of sojourning with hope in heaven produces an inner joy. That is God’s wish, to rejoice before Him, together with others. If it is fitting for those under the Law to rejoice and to bring joy to the lives of others; What would be more fitting for us, who have entered into the era of grace, and have enjoyed the perpetual dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us; He who grants us His fruits; namely, love, joy, etc. The believer rejoices for the sake of the blessings and gifts given to him by God. He also rejoices that he is giving others; his joy in giving more than for taking; 13 counting the joy of his brethren as his own. In the festival we rejoice for the sake of the Lord, who is Himself our feast, for the sake of His gifts that proclaim His love for us; and for the sake of His granting us the blessing of giving to others to bring joy to their hearts. We also rejoice for the sake of His true and honest promises that we gain when He brings us into the bosom of God the Father, instead of the booths under which we live here; and enjoy the fellowship of glory together with Him. Here, we only know the inner spiritual joy, with which “we shall surely celebrate” (15). 4. THE FEASTS AND THE GIVING He gives us general features of those three annual feasts, as it came in Exodus 23:16, 17; 34:23. (1) Practicing the collective life in the Lord: “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose: at the festival of unleavened bread, at the festival of weeks, and at the festival of booths” (Deut. 16:16) The appearance of the males three times a year at the central location of worship, refers to the confirmation of unity in the Lord, and fellowship together with the spirit of communal joy. 2. The giving: “They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed; all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that He has given you” (Deut. 16:16, 17) This giving is a sacrifice of thanksgiving offered to the Lord of what He gives us; everyone as he is able; and as much as his heart floods with thanksgiving to God, and his love for his brethren, to fulfill their needs, and to bring joy to their hearts; the way God is fulfilling his needs and bringing joy to him. The apostle Paul tells us: “Now concerning the collection for the saints… On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn…” (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2).. And about the Macedonians he says: “I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints--, and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord, and, by the will of God, to us” (2 Corinthians 8:2). A marvelous portrait of giving; giving the soul to God and to His beloved, before the material giving; namely giving love and joy before the visible giving; coming from true longing and desire to give; given according to their means, and even beyond their means; counting it an honor and glory, to enjoy the grace of giving, and partaking of the ministry of the saints. In this they followed the role model of the poor widow who gave all what she had (Luke 21:4). 5. THE FEASTS AND THE JUSTICE God desires for His people to practice the joy in the Lord, to come to His house with joy; for all to rejoice: the rich by giving with generosity and love; and the poor by receiving the gift with thanksgiving. This joy is much more realized by setting for them judges and officers at all the gates of every town and village, to investigate the troubles of the people, and to render justice to the oppressed. No special buildings were established for justice; and it was not held in public places; but at the gates of towns. Why? (1) Almost all the towns were surrounded by walls with gates, through which those working on the fields crossed every day to their work, and returned after they finish it; and through which strangers coming from other places entered. The gates 14 were considered as public places where those coming in and going out encounter. (2) If it was advisable to protect the town with strong walls against probable enemies; it was also fitting to support its people with justice; as without it, no walls could protect the town against the enemy; as it may be destroyed by oppression. (3) God Himself, the wholly just is the One who protects His people: “For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it” (Zechariah 2:5). “You shall appoint judges and officers throughout your tribes, in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall render just decisions for the people” (Deut. 16:18) It is fitting for the judge to realize that it is out of God’s love, that He allowed man to practice judgment; “For the judgment is God’s” (Deut. 1:17). As a judge is God’s deputy and ambassador, he should present an image fitting to this great and serious position. Judges were called ‘god’: “In the midst of the gods he holds judgment. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:1); And the apostle Paul advises us “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). In the wilderness, he set for them judges according to their numbers, together with leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. Now, as they are approaching cities, he sets for them judges and officers (the executive body of judgment) in every town and village. As men set forth to the house of the Lord to worship with joy, they also find at home those who protect and defend them against oppression, Beside the 70 elders who were chosen by Moses to become the nucleus and the beginning of the assembly of the ‘Sanhedrim, that sits for judgment in Jerusalem, in the large and the small towns that included more than 120 families, he set councils of judgment according to the size of each town. That was done in the days of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 19:5, 8). Some believe that the ‘officers’ here, are groups of secretaries and scribes who accompanied the judges to help them; and were probably like councils to support them. God commanded the people to choose for themselves judges with the spirit of justice and impartiality. In the Hebrew text, it came as: “Justice, and only justice” a repetition that confirms the fact; probably because the figure 2 refers to ‘love’ that makes the two into one. Like when the poor widow, through her love, put two cents in the treasury box; and the good Samaritan, as a sign of his love, gave two dinars to the hotel to take care of the wounded man. It is fitting for the judge, while issuing judgment, not to harbor in his heart any feeling of hatred, even toward those condemned to chastisement or even to stoning. He should rather carry in himself love that goes hand in hand with justice. “You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right” (Deut. 16:19) Knowing the corrupt nature of man’s heart, God warned the judges against three things: “distortion of justice, partiality, and accepting bribes” When they accept bribes, they lose their souls. No one acquires unjust profit without just loss. Wherever there is profit, there would be loss; the profit would be in the treasury box, whereas the loss would be in the conscience1. 1 Sermon 13. 15 Fr. Caesarius of Arles He warns the judges against practicing any oppression, and accepting any bribes (Exodus 23:8); and commands them to commit themselves to justice. “Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 16:20) 6. NOT MIXING BETWEEN THE WORSHIP OF GOD AND IDOLATRY “You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole beside the altar that you make (for yourself) to the Lord your God; nor shall you set up a stone pillar – things that the Lord your God hates” (Deut. 16:21) Mention of the sacred poles and the stone pillars is a proof that these speeches were said at an early time when the people first confronted the Canaanite worship atmosphere; and not at a later time when they were influenced by the pagan customs surrounding them. It is also obvious that it was long before the temple of Solomon was established; at a time when it was possible to set altars at several places. The sacred pole (Asherah) was a kind of tree or a wooden pole that symbolized the god ‘Astarate,’ that was supposed to embody a magic power. And the stone pillar (masseba) was a sacred pillar, probably a memorial that referred to the male god Baal. The altar set in the name of God, is for the people and not for God. “That you make for yourself;” God is in no need for our sacrifices or offerings; but it is us who are in need of being reconciled with God. God hates mixing between truth and vanity; between God’s worship and idolatry. It is fitting for man not to falter between two different opinions, but to walk along the royal road. He does not request from us just to walk according to the truth, but also to be particular in our behavior, lest we may offend anyone. That is why he not only rejects the worship of idols, but He even rejects planting a tree as a sacred pole, or setting a stone pillar, beside the altar; lest any one may assume that he, who set it is practicing idolatry. In the Septuagint version, it came as: “nor shall you set a stone pillar; things that the Lord your God hates.” St. Jerome discerns in his commentary on the title of Psalm 16 (15): “A Mikhtam of David.” between a memorial with which God is pleased, and that which He hates. Psalm 16 and other psalms represent a memorial on which the words of God are inscribed, to remember always the death of the Lord; the way Jacob set a memorial stone on the grave of Rachel. So, St. Jerome sees in the hearts of believers what resembles a sacred grave, on which is inscribed a memorial of the death of Christ; by which they partake of His passion and death. There are also memorials that are hated by the Lord; like the one set by Absalom for himself; and like when Lot’s wife turned into a memorial of salt, by looking backward instead of forward1. 1 St. Jerome: On Ps. hom. 61. 16 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY (Chapter 16) “YOU SHALL SURELY CELEBRATE” You set of Your Sabbath a Sabbath for me; and of Your rest a rest for me. You rest in me, and grants me rest in You. You wish that all my days become holy feasts. You wish to bring me into an incessant feast. You turned my life into perpetually new days. A Daily exodus from the bondage of sin. A crossing over to the heavenly Canaan. To make me celebrate the Passover, O You, the true Passover. All my days are harvest days. The fruits of Your Holy Spirit are incessant and never decrease. Let me approach You by the fruits of Your Spirit; Let my soul eat and rejoice. Let me be fulfilled by Your work; And let the souls of the hungry be fulfilled together with me. Let us all, You Holy One, eat out of Your paradise that You have planted for my sake. Let Your heavenly company come to eat, drink, and rejoice. Let me spend my whole life as a feast of booths. My soul will never settle down as long as I am on earth. As long as it lives in the tent of this body. Until I encounter You, and settle down in the bosom of Your Father. You advise me; You even promise me: “You shall surely celebrate” Yes; Let me celebrate. Celebrate Your Sabbaths, and Your incessant feasts. Celebrate, when I offer You of what You granted me. When I do not appear before You empty-handed. Let me rejoice in your righteousness; And walk by the spirit of justice filled with love. When no oppression creeps into my heart. When I offend no one by my behavior. When You rejoice in Your work with me, O my good Savior. Let my soul, my body, and my whole being rejoice. Let every poor and needy rejoice with the generosity of my heart. Let every suffering soul rejoice when it finds in my life the spirit of justice and love.
Welcome