Tues.’s Devo - The Feasts

Read: Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9 The feasts centered around the different harvest times. The first feasts were in the spring at the time of the barley and wheat harvest. These were Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. After they harvested their first fruit, they were to count seven weeks and then celebrate the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. *** The next set of feasts were in the fall and they centered around the fruit harvests like grapes, figs and olives. These feasts were Roshashana or the New Year, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement and Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles. *** At these three feasts, all the men of Israel were to come to the place designated and bring their offering to the Lord. They were to be times of great celebration and joy. *** All the city’s were to appoint judges and officials to judge the people fairly and according to God’s laws. They were not to show partiality or take bribes. *** Anyone found worshiping other gods or constructing altars for foreign gods were to be stoned to death on the evidence of at least two witnesses. Any cases that were too hard for the city judges to decide were to be brought to the Levites. *** When they came into their land, and they wanted a king, it must be the one the Lord chooses. He must be a fellow Israelite. He must not buy horses for himself or send the people to Egypt to buy horses, because God told them never to return there. He was not to have many wives or excessive gold and silver. All these things Solomon did. *** The king was to write for himself a copy of all the law which should be a reference for him to follow. He must do this to remind himself that he is not above his people. If he obeys the law, his kingdom will be established and continue to be passed down to his posterity. *** Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 says that God has made us kings and priests and we shall reign upon the earth. If we write God’s Word in our heart and obey it we will pass our legacy down to our posterity. *** In Luke, Herod heard about what Jesus was doing and was afraid that John, who he had killed, was now raised from the dead. Others said that Jesus was a prophet. Herod wanted to see Jesus for himself. (He would get to see him soon enough.) *** The disciples returned from being sent out and told Jesus all the wonderful things they saw the Lord do through them. Jesus took them apart to Bethsaida but the crowds followed. It was a desolate place and when Jesus had taught all day, the disciples encouraged Jesus to send the people home so they could find a place to eat and sleep. *** Jesus told the disciples to feed them. They could only find five loaves and two fish which was not enough to feed over 5,000 people. Jesus took what they had and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to his disciples to distribute. Everyone was satisfied and they took up twelve baskets of left-overs. *** Jesus asked his disciple who the people were saying he was. They told him that some thought he was John the Baptist, others one of the prophets. Then he asked them who they thought he was and Peter spoke up. He said that he was the Christ of God. *** Jesus told them not to tell anyone this. He would be rejected by the religious leaders and killed. He would rise on the third day. If they wanted to follow him that would have to take up their cross daily and follow him. They would have to be willing to lose their lives for him to save their soul. *** Lord, we have all answered the question of salvation. We have given our lives to you to save our soul. May we take up our cross today and bear it proudly for your name sake.