FOOD AND FESTIVALS (Deuteronomy 14-16)

FOOD AND FESTIVALS (Deuteronomy 14-16)

The holy and the unholy (Deut. vv. 1–2). The Hebrew word translated “holy” means “that which is set apart and marked off, that which is different and wholly other.” Our English word “holy” comes from an Old English word meaning “to be whole, to be healthy.” What health and wholeness are to the body, holiness is to the inner person. - WARREN WIERSBE  

As Christians enjoying the blessings of God’s grace, we ought to do far more than the Jews who lived in the dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The New Testament doesn’t command us how much we should give, but it does urge us to give in proportion to the blessings we have received from the Lord (1 Cor. 16:1–2; 2 Cor. 8–9). The calculating Christian will always be the loser; the generous Christian will enjoy the blessing of God. However, Christian industrialist R.G. LeTourneau used to warn, “If you give because it pays, it won’t pay.” Our motive must always be to please God and glorify Him. - WARREN WIERSBE

   The New Testament interpretation and application of Passover identifies the lamb with Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who gave His life for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19; Rev. 5:12). Outside the city of Jerusalem, Jesus died on the cross at the time when the Passover lambs were being slain by the priests at the Jewish temple. The blood shed by many lambs in Egypt delivered a nation on that first Passover night, but the blood of one Lamb, slain on the cross, will deliver from judgment any lost sinner who will trust Jesus Christ. The blood of the many Jewish sacrifices could cover sin but never take it away, which explains why these sacrifices were repeated, but the blood of Christ has settled the matter of salvation once and for all (Heb. 10:1–18). It wasn’t the life of the lamb that saved Israel from bondage but the death of the lamb and the application of the blood by faith. Christ is our perfect Example in all things (1 Peter 2:21–25; 1 John 2:6), but trying to follow His example cannot save us, because He did no sin. First we need Jesus as our Savior, and then we can follow in His steps. - WARREN WIERSBE  

In Scripture, yeast often symbolizes evil of one kind or another, because yeast is a substance that, though small and seemingly insignificant, rapidly grows and “infects” the whole lump of dough. Yeast represents the sins that belong to the old life (1 Cor. 5:7), such as malice and wickedness (v. 8) and hypocrisy (Luke 12:10); it also represents unbelief (Matt. 16:6), compromise (Mark 8:15), and false doctrine (Gal. 5:9). - WARREN WIERSBE

 The early church had none of the things that we deem essential—budgets, buildings, academic degrees, and even political “connections”—but they did have the power of the Holy Spirit and saw multitudes turn to Christ. - WARREN WIERSBE 

After all, the church isn’t a parking lot; it’s a launching pad! - WARREN WIERSBE