Three Feasts at the Chosen Place

The chapter begins with a command to observe the month of Abib, the time of the exodus, when Egypt’s firstborn died and Israel left by night. The calendar is set by that event. The Passover is not kept at home or within local towns, but only at the place the Lord chooses for his name. Worship is directed to a single site.

Unleavened bread follows for seven days. It is called the bread of affliction because the people left in haste and had no time for the dough to rise. No leaven is to be found anywhere in the land during that period. The Passover meat is eaten the same night and none of it remains until morning.

Then comes the Feast of Weeks. It is counted from the first cutting of grain. Each person brings an offering in proportion to the blessing received. The meal is shared widely: sons and daughters, servants, Levites, sojourners, the fatherless, and widows. The feast is held at the same chosen place.

The Feast of Tabernacles follows after the harvest from the threshing floor and the winepress. It lasts seven days. The same groups are included, and the command is to rejoice fully during the festival. Again, the location is the place the Lord chooses.

Three times a year all the males are to appear before the Lord at that place. They do not come empty-handed. Each gives according to what he has received. The gatherings are regular acts of acknowledgment tied to the yearly cycle.

The focus then turns to local life. Judges and officers are appointed in every town. They are to judge fairly, without partiality and without bribes. Justice is treated as necessary for life in the land.

The chapter closes with two prohibitions. No Asherah is to be planted beside the altar, and no pillar is to be set up. The altar is not to be mixed with the symbols of other worship.

The feasts, the judges, and these prohibitions are presented together. Worship is centered in one place. Justice is carried out in the towns. The land is shaped by both.