SYNOPSIS: Six times in the twenty-one verses of Deuteronomy 16, God told his people they were to celebrate. The Lord commanded the Israelites to establish three giant parties on their national calendar in perpetuity to remind them of their call to party. They were to rejoice in God’s past acts of deliverance, offer gratitude for his guiding hand in the current moment, and look forward in anticipation of his promises. They were to laugh. And not just Israel, but according to scripture, our celebration is a sacred calling, too, So come on, celebrate good times!
The Journey// Focus: Deuteronomy 16:16
Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters.
Maybe Kool and the Gang were inspired by Deuteronomy 16 when they wrote “Celebration.” They were just paraphrasing Moses’ exhortation when they reminded us, “There’s a party goin’ on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years. So bring your good times, and your laughter too, we gonna celebrate your party with you.” Yeah, celebrate good times, come on!
Six times in twenty-one verses, God tells his people they are to celebrate. According to God, our celebration is a sacred calling. For the Israelites, the Lord established three giant parties that were to appear on their national calendar in perpetuity that would serve to remind them of their call to party. These celebrations reminded the nation that God had done great and miraculous things to bring them out of Egypt, out of slavery, to make them his own distinct people. They were to look back and laugh:
Eat the Passover meal with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry…on the anniversary of your exodus from Egypt…. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, so be careful to obey all these decrees. (Deuteronomy 16:3,6, 12)
The invitations to party also reminded them as they camped on the east side of the Jordan that God wasn’t through with them yet. There was a Promised Land out in front that he was about to give them—and the call to celebrate was in anticipation for the day when the party would be in their new homeland. They were to look forward and laugh in advance as an act of faith:
You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you. You must offer it only at the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. (Deuteronomy 16:5-6)
And while this call to celebrate implied good times, God gave them an additional reminder that they were to take time to be intentionally happy. He wanted them to remember with joy and gratitude what he had done, and allow those expressions to overflow into happiness as they partied. You might say, they were to offer the sacrifice of laughter to God. Literally, they were to look up and laugh.
This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns. (Deuteronomy 16:14)
Perhaps it is time for you to party with a purpose—that purpose being to celebrate the goodness of God in your life. Maybe you need to be intentionally happy for the mighty deliverance from sin that God has accomplished in your life, or for the good place in which he has established you or in anticipation of the marvelous things ahead he has promised. Like the Israelites of old, it might be good for you to literally calendarize a sacred celebration or two that are dedicated strictly for enjoying the Lord. Come on, laugh a little, or a lot—it is a holy thing pleasing unto the Lord.
Celebrate good times, come on!
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