Feast and Rejoice

Leviticus 11, 7:22–25, 17:10-16, Deuteronomy 14:3–21, 12:7–25
 
Deuteronomy 12:7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.
 
THREE times in Deuteronomy 12, Moses promised Israel they will rejoice and celebrate as they feast in the presence of the Lord your God.
   Yes, perhaps the many sacrifice, worship, civil and health laws we’ve been reading has caused you to ask, “Why so many rules?” But I hope you see here the purpose of God’s rules. In the law, Israel learned who they were as God’s children. From their past, they knew that since Eden, God’s purpose had been to reunite mankind into his joy.
   To do so, HE IS formed a God-believing line of people from Seth to Noah. After the Flood, he set apart Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to form Israel. Then I AM sent Moses to Israel in Egypt. With the plagues he changed nature’s laws to reveal his majesty. He set fellowship, worship, sacrifice and health laws to make a vigorous nation in his fatherly purpose: “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:7).
   If Israel listened closely to Moses’ teachings, they would realize El Shaddai had chosen to invite his people under his rule and into his omnipotent care. The faithful learned that listening to God’s Word would bless them with the LORD God’s holy presence.
   This pattern of God’s revelation and faithful belief extends into a Christian’s life today. God’s laws teach you who you are in Jesus Christ. You are learning that Jesus’ sacrifice has removed from you an unbearable weight of sin from your soul. You understand more completely how gracious God is that he made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
   What a special privilege it is to be saved in the New Covenant of grace! You are the new “Israel”, the chosen ones as the church of Jesus Christ to know God’s omnipotence. He has set you apart from the world, so you can celebrate life in God’s presence. To know God’s Love Story is to know your story.
   As we move out of some very intense reading of God’s laws, let’s approach each day with a grateful heart. Be mindful God has loved you so purposefully through the centuries to welcome you into his presence forever.