Commentary - Deuteronomy 16:9-12

Bird's-eye view

In this short passage, Moses lays out the instructions for the Feast of Weeks, the second of the three great pilgrimage festivals required of Israelite men. This feast is a direct response to the goodness of God in the harvest. It is a festival of pure joy, gratitude, and communal celebration. The principles laid down here are foundational, not just for understanding Israel's worship, but for understanding the nature of Christian worship as well. The counting of weeks from the first harvest to this celebration teaches us that God's blessings have a rhythm and a grammar. The freewill offering shows that our giving is a glad response to God's prior giving, not a grim transaction to get something from Him. The radical inclusivity of the feast, commanding gladness for all from son to slave to sojourner, demonstrates that God's covenant joy is meant to overflow all social distinctions. And finally, the command to remember their slavery in Egypt grounds all their celebration in redemption. They are to be glad because they were slaves and are now free. This is the logic of the gospel, front to back.

This feast, of course, finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament day of Pentecost. The grain harvest of the Old Covenant becomes the people harvest of the New. The Spirit is poured out, and the ingathering of the nations begins. The principles remain the same: our worship is a joyful response to God's finished work, it is for all people without distinction, and it is rooted in the memory of our great redemption from the slavery of sin.

Outline

Commentary

Deuteronomy 16:9

"You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain."

The first thing to notice is that God is a God of order, rhythm, and seasons. He builds anticipation into the life of His people. This is not a spontaneous, "let's throw a party" kind of thing that arises from the fickle emotions of the people. This is a commanded gladness, a structured joy. The counting begins when the work begins, when the sickle first flashes in the sun and bites into the standing grain. This is the Feast of Firstfruits. From that moment, they are to count seven full weeks, a sabbath of sabbaths. This tells us that their labor in the harvest is framed by worship. They work toward this great celebration. The harvest is not an end in itself; the goal is not simply a full barn. The goal is a full-throated celebration before the God who gave the harvest. This is a direct assault on the idolatry of materialism. The grain is not the point; the Giver of the grain is the point. The counting itself is an act of faith, looking forward to the completed harvest that God will surely provide.

Deuteronomy 16:10

"Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to Yahweh your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as Yahweh your God blesses you;"

After the waiting comes the celebration. And notice the nature of the offering. It is a "freewill offering." God does not specify a certain amount here. This is not the tithe, which is a required tax. This is over and above. This is pure, unadulterated gratitude. The offering is not a bribe to secure the harvest, but a response to a harvest secured. The measure of the gift is simple: "just as Yahweh your God blesses you." This is a beautiful principle. God's grace always comes first. He gives, and then we give in response. Our giving is not a way to get God to love us; it is our testimony that He already does. The more He has blessed, the more we are to give. This creates a wonderful cycle of grace. God gives generously, which prompts generous giving from His people, which He then delights to bless further. This is the opposite of the world's economy, which is based on scarcity and fear. The kingdom's economy is based on abundance and gratitude. You cannot out-give God, but He certainly loves it when you try.

Deuteronomy 16:11

"and you shall be glad before Yahweh your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female slaves and the Levite who is within your gates and the sojourner and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where Yahweh your God chooses for His name to dwell."

Here we see the heart of the matter. The central activity of this feast is to "be glad." This is a command. Joy is not an optional extra for the Christian life; it is the main business. And it is to be glad "before Yahweh your God." This is not the fleeting happiness of a pagan booze-up. This is covenantal joy, the deep gladness that comes from knowing you are right with your Maker, that He is your provider, your protector, and your God. And who is included in this joy? Everyone. The list is intentionally, gloriously comprehensive. Your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levite, the sojourner, the orphan, the widow. No one is left out. The head of the household was responsible to ensure that the lowest servant and the most vulnerable alien in his community were brought into this circle of joy. This is a radical leveling of society before the face of God. In Christ, there is neither slave nor free, Jew nor Gentile. Here is the Old Testament root of that reality. Your joy is deficient if it is a private joy. God's joy is corporate, communal, and it must reach to the very margins of the community. It all happens at the central sanctuary, "the place where Yahweh your God chooses," which reminds us that our joy is not self-generated. We must come to Him, where He has promised to meet with us.

Deuteronomy 16:12

"And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes."

This is the anchor for the whole celebration. Why should they be so glad? Why should they be so generous? Why should they be so inclusive of the lowly? "Because you were slaves in Egypt." Their entire identity was forged in redemption. They were not a people because of their own merit, their own strength, or their own ingenuity. They were a people because God reached down into the filth and misery of a slave pit and pulled them out by His mighty hand. Remembering this reality is the engine of their obedience and the fuel of their joy. You cannot truly rejoice in your freedom until you have reckoned with the depth of your previous bondage. This is the gospel in miniature. We rejoice because we were slaves to sin, dead in our trespasses, without hope and without God in the world. But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive. Remembering our Egypt is what keeps our worship from becoming stale, our gratitude from becoming routine, and our hearts from becoming proud. The memory of grace produces the carefulness of obedience. We don't obey in order to be saved; we obey because we have been saved. And that is something to be glad about.

Application

The Feast of Weeks, fulfilled in Pentecost, has direct application for the Church today. First, our worship should be characterized by a deep and abiding gladness. This is not a superficial happiness based on circumstances, but a profound joy rooted in the finished work of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a commanded joy, something we are to pursue and cultivate together.

Second, our giving should flow from this gladness. We do not give to God in order to manipulate Him or to earn His favor. We give because He has first given everything to us in Christ. Our offerings, whether of money, time, or talent, should be a cheerful and proportional response to the immense grace we have received.

Third, our fellowship must be radically inclusive. The joy of the gospel is for everyone, regardless of social standing, ethnic background, or economic status. A church where the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, cannot rejoice together before the Lord is a church that has forgotten the gospel. We are to actively bring everyone into the circle of our gladness.

Finally, all of this must be grounded in the memory of our redemption. We must constantly remember that we were slaves to sin and that God, in His sovereign grace, rescued us. This memory is the antidote to pride and the fuel for a life of grateful obedience. We were slaves, but now we are sons. Therefore, let us keep the feast.