Weds.’s Devo - Three Times of Worship

Read Ex. 34:9-26 God loves to extend mercy and love but he is also a holy God that has to deal with sin. Moses knew this and he also knew that he was leading a very stubborn and quick-to-sin people, so he was constantly interceding and repenting for them. God promised to miraculously drive out their enemies and warned them not to make any covenants with the original people of the land or they would be a snare to them. They were to destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves (meeting places) because another name of God is Jealous; God wanted to be their only god. He warned them against making covenants with the inhabitants of the land or intermarrying or making any metal god. Then God told him the three times a year that the men of Israel were to appear before the Lord: Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the feast of ingathering which is the same thing as Roshashana. When they do this, God will cast out the nations before them and enlarge their borders. There are actually 7 feast of the Lord but they are coupled together in 3 different seasons. The first group (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) occur during the harvesting of wheat. The next feast is Pentecost which is by it self. It is the harvesting of the barley crop. The last group is Roshashana, Yom Kippor, and Feast of Tabernacles which happens in the harvesting of the fruit crops. These all represent great harvests of souls that will happen during the course of history. Here is a brief synopsis of what they represent. Jesus died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread, and rose on First Fruits. He sent his spirit on the Feast of Pentecost. He will come back on Roshashana, judge the nations during Yom Kippor, and set up his millennial kingdom on Feast of Tabernacles. Everything God does is a picture to show us himself and his ways which is why it is so important to read the Old Testament. Lord, may we honor your word and not allow the ways of the world to infiltrate our borders. Spread us out to expand your borders for your kingdom.