Harvest Festival

Exodus 23:14 – 19

Festivals are a time of rejoicing, happiness and celebration . It is a time of eating, drinking and making merry. It is one which brings a community together. It is one which takes a lot of preparation and where the community will want to make an impact.

In the life of the Israel people festivals had an important place. But they were all celebrated with a reason. For the Israel people a festival meant more than eating and drinking. It was a feast to YHWH. Ex 10:9. It was time of a time to reflect the nation’s faith and practices.

Exodus 23 tells us of three annual festivals which God wanted the people of Israel to keep. These were all festivals to do with prosperity. And when God gives prosperity it is a time to celebrate.

However when we look at these three festivals there is so much we ought to understand so that to us who are preparing to keep our harvest festival it will be meaningful and something closely knit to our hearts.

First we will see what is common in all three festivals.

All these three festivals were harvest festivals of thanksgiving for barley, wheat and grapes. So all were agricultural festivals.

All these festivals were linked to a religious event. These festivals were not celebrated merely as agricultural festivals if not they would be like the Canaanites. God wanted the people of Israel to always remember the mighty acts that God had done on their behalf.

The festival of unleavened bread was linked to the Passover when the people remembered the departure from Egypt and slavery.

The festival of weeks or the harvest festival was linked to the law being given on the mount of Sinai.

Succoth or the festival of gathering was commemorated to remember the Israelites living in booths for 40 years.

The people were dispersed over such a vast area of land that these festivals gave the people the opportunity to cease work. It also gave the people the opportunity to meet their friends in the presence of God. And these festivals were so good that it ended as a festival for the whole family.

So we see that the harvesting of any crop was a time of rejoicing. It was also a time for re-dedicating their crops and their lives to God.

Secondly we look at how God wanted the people of Israel to keep these festivals.

Ex 23:15b Dt 16:19b No one is to come empty handed. Why is no one to come empty handed? The bible tells us that God has blessed every one Dt 16:17. And according to the proportion of God’s blessings everyone is to bring an offering to God. Blessing is not measured  by money or by quantity. But God blesses all.

That is why when speaking about the feast of weeks and harvest at the end God says, leave the edges for the poor and the alien Lev 23:22. So sharing with the less fortunate is a principle of harvest festival.

So this festival is not a festival for the rich and the well off. It is not one which can be celebrated by isolating the poor and the alien. God has left room for them too to be part of this festival.

In today’s context every one of us has a responsibility to share what we have with the poor and the alien so that they too may rejoice and celebrate the festival of harvest. The easiest is to say that is the business of the church. But that is not what this verse says. V22.

Thirdly let us look at the harvest festival itself. God instructs the people to do two things. V16 bring the first fruits. V19 at the feast of the first fruits the bible tells bring the best.

The first fruits were a reminder that all belongs to God. It is he who gives the harvest. We offer the best. When we offer the best we acknowledge that everything – human, animal and soil all belong to God. It also acknowledges God’s sovereignty and ownership of all things.

Harvest is not only vegetables and fruits and livestock it is also harvest from the talents, gifts and resources that we have. How can we offer the best from our cooking skills, are sewing skills, our hand work skills? God is not expecting us to buy from the shop and offer, but what we reap from the blessings he has given us we have to offer.

All our efforts that go in to make the harvest festival a truly great celebration should be an offering;. Our time, resources all what we have and use should be offered for the glory of God.

So as we prepare ourselves to keep our harvest festivals let our festival be a time of re-dedicating our lives, the gifts and talents God has given us and our resources and the works of our hands.

Let our harvest festival not only be time of gathering of friends and family to have fun and rejoice but let it also be a time of gathering in God’s presence as one family where we remember the faithfulness of God and look ahead with hope.

Whilst these festivals were symbols of God’s promise of long life and prosperity it was the basis for Gods people to continue to keep faith with God’s acts. Let our harvest festival be an opportunity for us to reflect God’s mighty acts in our own life and the life of our church that we may continue to experience prosperity in our lives.

People of God. The harvest festival is a celebration of God’s goodness. May we spend time reflecting on God’s goodness to us over the last year so that our celebration will be meaningful.

May God bless us all in our preparations for this great biblical festival which we too are preparing to celebrate.