Deuteronomy Chapter 16
A. The Observance of Passover
1. (Deuteronomy 16:1–2) The sacrifice of the Passover
King James Version (KJV):
“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.”
The Lord commanded Israel to observe the month of Abib because this was the exact time when God brought them out of Egypt by night. At the first Passover, every family killed the lamb in their own home and placed its blood upon the doorposts. But once Israel entered the Promised Land, the sacrifice was no longer done at their personal dwellings; it was to be carried out only at the tabernacle, and later at the temple in the place where the Lord chose to set His name. This preserved the unity of worship and prevented private or idolatrous alterations of God’s command. Passover prophetically points to Jesus Christ, for as it is written, “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Just as the blood of the lamb caused God’s judgment to pass over the homes in Egypt, the blood of Christ, received by faith, shields believers from the righteous wrath of God.
2. (Deuteronomy 16:3–4) The Feast of Unleavened Bread
King James Version (KJV):
“Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.”
The people were required to remove all leaven and eat only unleavened bread for seven days. At the first Passover this was practical because Israel left in such haste there was no time for dough to rise. Yet the removal of leaven became more than a memorial of haste; it became a symbol of sin and corruption, because a small amount of leaven spreads through the whole lump just as sin spreads through the heart and nation. This act taught Israel to live in purity after redemption. God redeemed them by blood in Passover, then immediately called them to holiness in Unleavened Bread. This order is still true: purity always comes after deliverance. Nothing of the Passover lamb was to remain overnight, signifying the completeness and perfection of the sacrifice. Prophetically, the Feast of Unleavened Bread points to Christ’s burial. After His sinless sacrifice, His body saw no corruption, fulfilling the words, “Thou wilt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27). His burial is not a small detail, but part of the gospel itself — “that Christ died for our sins… and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). His perfect, incorrupt body rested in the tomb just as the unleavened bread rested without corruption.
3. (Deuteronomy 16:5–8) Regulations for Passover
King James Version (KJV):
“Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.”
God made it clear that Israel could not sacrifice the Passover lamb in any city or village of their choosing. Worship was not left to personal preference or convenience. Sacrifice had to take place only in the location the Lord chose to place His name, which later became Jerusalem at the temple. This command preserved the purity of worship and protected Israel from setting up private altars that could lead to idolatry. The lamb was to be sacrificed at evening, as the sun was going down, the same time Israel departed from Egypt, anchoring the ceremony in historical remembrance. The lamb was to be roasted and eaten in the appointed place, not boiled or taken elsewhere, and in the morning the worshipers were permitted to return to their tents, showing that while the sacrifice belonged to God, the benefits returned to the people. For six days unleavened bread was eaten, and the seventh day concluded the observance with a sacred assembly unto the Lord in which no work was to be done. This showed that deliverance leads to worship, rest, and holy separation unto God. Redemption first by blood, then by unleavened purity, and finally by gathered worship before the Lord.
B. The Observance of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
1. (Deuteronomy 16:9–10) The command to count the Feast of Weeks
King James Version (KJV):
“Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.”
This feast was to be observed seven full weeks after the beginning of the grain harvest, tying it directly to God’s provision. The Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, was not commanded as a time of blood sacrifice but as a celebration of harvest and gratitude. Each Israelite was to bring a freewill offering, not out of compulsion but in proportion to the blessing God had given. It reminded the people that all provision was from the Lord, and they were to give willingly and joyfully rather than mechanically. It was a feast rooted in thankfulness, generosity, and acknowledgment that increase and abundance come from the hand of God.
2. (Deuteronomy 16:11–12) The joy and remembrance that marked Pentecost
King James Version (KJV):
“And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.”
Pentecost was a feast marked by joy, not mourning or sacrifice. God commanded His people to rejoice before Him and to include all — family, servants, Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows — showing that worship and celebration were never to be a private or selfish act. The joy of the harvest was to be shared, especially with those who had nothing. Yet joy was to be joined with remembrance: “thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt.” Gratitude is hollow without remembering the bondage from which God delivers. Leviticus 23:15–21 adds that at Pentecost two loaves of leavened bread were waved before the Lord alongside the grain offering, a unique act among the feasts. Prophetically, this was fulfilled in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, where God brought forth the first great harvest of souls after Christ’s resurrection. It pictured the church, composed of both Jews and Gentiles — the leavened loaves now made acceptable not by their purity but by Christ’s finished sacrifice. No additional atonement was offered because Christ, our Passover, had already died. Pentecost became a celebration of completed redemption, the firstfruits of the Spirit, and the gathering of God’s people by joy rather than obligation.
C. The Observance of the Feast of Tabernacles
1. (Deuteronomy 16:13–15) How to observe the Feast of Tabernacles
King James Version (KJV):
“Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.”
The Feast of Tabernacles was to be observed for seven days after the harvest of grain and wine, during the seventh month (Tishri). It was the most joyful of the three major feasts, a celebration of God’s provision and His faithful care during Israel’s wilderness journey. The people lived in temporary shelters or booths (tabernacles) to remember how God preserved them when they had no permanent homes. This feast was not merely about ritual, but about rejoicing before the Lord. Men, women, children, servants, Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows were all to take part, showing that God’s joy and blessing are not limited to the powerful or privileged. Leviticus 23:39 adds that the first and eighth days were marked by sabbath-rest — the feast began and ended in rest, teaching that God’s provision leads to peace and refreshment. Unlike surrounding nations, Israel’s God commanded rest days and feast days, giving even servants and the poor time to cease from labor and rejoice. Prophetically, the Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to the millennial kingdom of Christ, when God will dwell with His people in peace and blessing. Zechariah 14:16–19 states clearly that all nations will come to Jerusalem during the millennial reign to worship the King and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. It represents the final rest of God’s people after redemption and judgment — a picture of God dwelling with man, blessing the increase of the earth, and filling His people with joy.
2. (Deuteronomy 16:16–17) The command to observe each of these three feasts
King James Version (KJV):
“Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.”
God required every male in Israel to appear before Him three times a year at the central place of worship He chose, later revealed as Jerusalem. The feasts mentioned are Passover with Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Though Israel had seven feasts in total, these three were the great pilgrimage feasts when the entire nation gathered to worship together. No man was allowed to appear before the Lord empty, meaning worship was never to be casual or without offering. Each man was to give according to how the Lord had blessed him, showing that true worship involves gratitude, sacrifice, and remembrance of God’s provision. These feasts united the nation, reminded them of redemption, provision, and future hope. Even Jesus obeyed this command, traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem to attend these feasts as recorded in Luke 2:41 and John 7:2 and 10.
3. (Deuteronomy 16:18–20) The appointment and duty of judges
King James Version (KJV):
“Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
Immediately after commanding national worship, God established standards for national justice. Every city was to appoint judges and officers to administer justice according to God’s law. These leaders were commanded not to pervert judgment, not to show partiality, and never to accept bribes. Bribery blinds even the eyes of the wise and corrupts righteous decisions. Justice in Israel was not to be based on wealth, power, or status, but on absolute righteousness. God tied justice to their survival in the land, showing that a nation cannot endure when its courts are corrupt. The Lord expects His people to follow what is altogether just, reminding that worship without righteousness in society is empty. For Israel to remain blessed and secure in the Promised Land, they needed both faithful worship at the feasts and faithful justice in the courts.
4. (Deuteronomy 16:21–22) Prohibition of idol trees and pillars
King James Version (KJV):
“Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.”
God issued a clear command that no tree or grove was to be planted near His altar, and no sacred pillar or carved image was to be erected. These groves and pillars were common in Canaanite worship and were connected to fertility rites and idols such as Asherah. Israel might have been tempted to incorporate these elements in an attempt to make worship more appealing or culturally relevant, but God rejected any attempt to mix pagan practices with His worship. He called such things hateful in His sight. True worship must be according to His Word, not human creativity or cultural adaptation. To plant an Asherah tree or set up a stone pillar near the altar would be to corrupt the holiness of God’s sanctuary and to imitate the worship of false gods. God demands purity in worship because He alone is worthy, and He will not share His glory with idols.
