I think I have a pretty good memory, but as time goes on, some events do tend to go foggy on me. My wife tends to remember things in our relationship that I’ve forgotten or don’t really remember so clearly.
She remembers the day, for example, that we officially got married. We actually went to city hall to register our marriage before we had our wedding ceremony.
But because I consider the day of our wedding ceremony our actual anniversary, I don’t really remember at all the day of our “official” marriage. (Sorry, dear.)
God knows that we have a tendency to forget things, and so I think this is one of the reasons that he had the Israelites celebrate all of these festivals and special days.
The first day he mentions is the Sabbath. And it was first and foremost, a day for them to remember that God was their creator. That he had made everything, and that on the seventh day he rested.
It’s something that we would do well to remember as well. That he is the one who has created all things. He is all powerful. And through his wisdom, and in his love, all things were created.
Because of that, he’s much bigger than any problems we may have, and if we’ll just turn to him, we can overcome any trial that comes into our lives.
The second thing he mentions is the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These were reminders of all that God did to deliver the people out of Egypt from a life of slavery into a life of freedom.
In the same way, God delivered us from slavery to a life of sin in Satan’s kingdom, into the life of freedom of the sons and daughters of God.
And just as Israel celebrated their freedom from Egypt, we too are to celebrate the freedom in Christ that God has given us.
Then came the offering of firstfruits and the feast of weeks. These came during the times of harvest. And I think the thing that God wanted the Israelites to remember was that he was the one that provided their every need.
In the same way, we are to remember that God is our provider, and that because of that, we don’t have to worry as the rest of the world does.
Instead, if we seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then everything else we need will be provided for us (Matthew 6:33).
The next feast was the Feast of Trumpets. It marked the start of the New Year for the Israelites. And it was a time to reflect upon the previous year.
Why was it necessary to reflect? Because God created us and we are accountable to him.
A day of judgment is coming, and we will all stand before him and give an account of ourselves to him. And so before that day, we are called to repent.
That’s what the Israelites did between this feast and the next. What was next?
It was the day of atonement.
We touched on this earlier, but this was the day to remind the Israelites of their sin, and that someone had to do something so that their sins could be forgiven. They could do nothing to cleanse themselves.
And in the same way, we are to remember our need for atonement. That Jesus, 2000 years ago, died on a cross to take the punishment for our sins so that our sins may be covered.
That’s what communion is about. We remember with thanksgiving the work of Christ on the cross.
Finally came the Feast of Tabernacles which was to remind the Israelites who would live in the Promised Land where they had come from. That God had led them through the desert into the land that they now possessed.
In the same way, we should remember all the things that God has brought us through since we were saved.
Remember how God has led us through the tough times. How he provided our every need. And how he saved us from the attacks of the enemy.
What happens when we forget all these things?
First, it’s easy to become proud. To think that we can live this life without God. To think that all we have came solely by our own efforts, when in fact everything we have comes from God.
Second, it’s easy to get worried. We worry about our jobs. We worry about our finances. We worry about our needs. All because we forget God has promised to provide for us.
Third, we forget we are accountable to God, and as a result start living for ourselves. But Jesus paid a great price for us on the cross, and as Paul says, we are no longer our own.
So every day, we need to come before him with humble, repentant hearts, while remembering with gratefulness all that Jesus has done for us.
Finally, we get discouraged. When times get hard, we forget how much greater God is than our problems and all the times he has helped us in the past.
Let us never forget that God is our creator, our provider, our judge, our redeemer, and our shepherd through this desert of life.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 