Wednesday, June 19: Leviticus 23– Life with the Lord…

This chapter gives a glimpse of the yearly life-cycle of faith for God’s OT people.

There is the weekly rhythm work and Sabbath, work and rest. Every 7-days Israel celebrated Sabbath, a day of rest and sacred assembly. When you follow this cycle, you will never stray too far from the Lord. Sin and faithlessness may get hold of you, but come the 7^th day you have a day to rest. This gives you time to reflect and during your rest there is a sacred assembly where you join with God’s family in a time of sacred worship. There is a beauty in this rhythm; one people can enjoy to this day if we can accept the call to rest and sacred assembly.

In addition to the 7-day cycle, God dotted the year with other feasts and assemblies, each with an action that commemorated and celebrates that the Lord is with them constantly and that their life was wrapped in God.

Passover, the yearly celebration of their redemption…

First Fruits and Feast of weeks celebrate God’s provision and care…

Trumpets is a feast day saying God’s day of atonement is near…

The Day of Atonement, a yearly reminder that we need cleansing…

Feat of Tabernacles, God provides…

What a beautiful cycle continually reminding folks of all that the Lord has done and is doing in their lives and for His people Israel. All of the feasts involved nation-wide gathering, which provides a not-so-subtle reminder that we are in this together. Faith is not a singular personal act, it is a community act where individuals join with others in praising the Lord God Almighty.

Observing Israel’s weekly and yearly faith cycle, gives me a renewed appreciation for the weekly cycle of worship that Christ-followers have kept since the days of our Lord!

This chapter also gave me an appreciation for the Christmas-Holy Week-Easter-Pentecost cycle we observe yearly. Telling the story of our redemption with the added dimension of our empowerment to fulfill God’s purpose of taking His name to the ends of the earth!

In all this I marvel… God is good!

Lord, God, thank You for the celebrations You give. Thank You for weekly worship. Bring my heart alive on Sundays.  Dust off the faith-callouses of the week and set joy and reverence for You in my heart each and every Lord’s day.

I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.