Rejoice. Deuteronomy 16:11. “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.”
“The Place.” “…But at the place where the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name in [Deuteronomy 16:6].” “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [Deuteronomy 18:18].” “… as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee [Deuteronomy 27:3].”
Back to “The Place,” they are coming again with songs in their hearts and gifts in their hands. They are coming to remember deliverance in the past and give God their very best—and to rejoice!
Along with them come their sons and daughters, the whole household rejoicing with holy laughter. God Himself has given them an inheritance. They owe all to Him alone as the Source of their wealth – And they rejoice!
Not alone but part of a great company sharing blessings together and enjoying harmony as a nation that has been blessed with divine favor. They come with sacrifices to give God and His goodness to savor – and to rejoice!
During days of feasts in a holy gathering, they stopped their work to reflect on how God had blessed the nation. They came to give according to what they could, remember God’s deliverance at the Passover table, and rejoice!
We come together as one in the Lord. We are His children; we honor His Word, not ourselves, and we give Him honor in our worship of Him. And yet we are blessed, redeemed, and forgiven—and we rejoice!
Certain events throughout a year deserve to be celebrated. Past events in nations, communities, families, and individuals’ lives should be reviewed because of their significance to us and others. The nation of Israel was to remember their deliverance from Egypt every year during the month of Abib. The fourteenth day of the first month on their calendar was designated as the day of Passover, and for a week afterward, no leaven was to be in the bread when the sacrificial lamb was eaten. At the end of that week, they all gathered in unity. The Passover was shared within the family, and when they came together, they celebrated the outcome of their deliverance with others.
We remember that we have been saved by God's grace and set apart to Him. When we recall past blessings, we rejoice. The gathering of the Lord's people is a time when we remember, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast." It is a sacred experience when we come together in fellowship and remembrance. When we leave such a gathering, it helps us put all the things of life that absorb our daily attention and that our minds tend to dwell on into proper perspective. We have remembered Him through whom all our blessings come and are inspired again to devote ourselves to holiness in our lives.
Blessings that exist in the present are a cause for great joy. Strength arises when we rejoice in the Lord with God's people, a joy that cannot be found any other way. When the Israelites gathered, they set aside a special feast to celebrate the blessings God had given them. Amidst all the troubling events happening worldwide and the declining moral, spiritual, economic, and social conditions, we need these special moments when God's saints unite their voices in praise and thanksgiving for His blessings. We should "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together" because these dark days will only grow darker as "evil men and seducers wax worse and worse." The uplifting effect on God's people when they rejoice together is contagious and plays a vital role in our lives. Many of God's children have little encouragement or spiritual strength in their homes and workplaces. Coming together as children of God and looking beyond the darkness to the Light of Life, and seeing the glory ahead, strengthens our faith in the present.
Our hope for the future is strengthened when we gather at the place where the Lord has appointed His name. The Lord's Supper reminds us of the past, when our Lord Jesus Christ fully satisfied God's just demands against us, who sinned against Him, through His sinless sacrifice for us. The blessings of the present help us maintain a proper perspective on our daily lives. We are also compelled to respond with renewed energy and dedication as we think of the future and His word, "ye do show the Lord's death till He comes." It is not that we are observing Jewish feasts that have long since lost their purpose, but when we come together as a New Testament church, we can understand the reasons for God's people gathering at the place of His choosing.
We can learn from the practices of those ancient people the value of bringing our offerings to God. Instead of focusing on pet projects that seem more important than what God's people have as a community of saints, we are instructed to give our offerings in "the place." The families who attend with us may only be watching as observers, but they learn from what they see. When children see their parents and other believers reverently bow their heads in prayer, it gives a sense of God's awesomeness that is not felt during prayer times at home.
There is closeness in the home environment, but a sense of awe comes over God's people when a large group bows before Him. Reading and teaching from the scriptures feel quite different when the Word of God is opened in public. At home, it has a calming effect and is a shared activity where everyone reads a few verses and learns practical lessons for the day. In public reading and teaching, one person at a time shares God's truths that impact everyone present and, through them, communities and nations.
The gathering of God's people provides a space for offering our gifts to God in a way that combines our contributions with others to meet an important need. In this gathering where we bring what we can give, our children who observe will hopefully understand that we all have an obligation and privilege to give back to God from the abundance of all He has provided us. By watching our prayers, praise, teaching, and financial responsibilities to God and His work, they can learn what will prepare them for adulthood and Christian service.
“The Place.” (continued) There is a Place where you can go. There is a Prophet, Him you hear. There is a Promise God has given.
When all your blessings increase, there must be words of worship and songs of praise raised up from us to God. Thankful hearts look across the river to the land ahead—His holy home. Your tithes and offerings are your due to this Prophet sent from God, who draws near to us in grace. The Land of Promise lies just ahead! Although not yet seen by us, it is to Him who showed His grace by paying the full price that we might be His purchased possession. To God alone, we give thanks and praise for what is His and what we share with Him forever!
It is to us—unmeasured, boundless, free; this Prophet from above has brought us to that land so fair, as the Promise says. Because God’s love, so great in all its fullness, has come from God, His truth speaks to us and tells us of that land just beyond that final turn. He has granted blessings that abound so that He, like one of us, will share in boundless love—the “honey, milk, the promises” that are there. He graciously accepts our thanks and teaches us, as God’s Word to us, He repeats. Those words are there for us to learn from Him.
Thus, to “The Place” that He shall choose, this Prophet came from God to us with the Promise, making it very clear that with heartfelt thanks, we must return to give praise. His word is the Voice of God, without error. The Lord our God goes before us to where He communes with us so that we, His brethren, now must, by faith, claim the Promise. We appropriately bring thank-offerings to worship and present. The will of God, done in sanctified flesh, translates into actions, and through obeying God’s Word, we understand all this in a practical way.
We gather at the Place of His dear name, and we will continue to do so, so that others around us can see the land ahead, even if it seems very far off. In obedient faith, we draw near to this Prophet to will and do His good pleasure until our years of life are spent. Our young and old - it’s all the same — so that they, too, understand that life abounds and then claim the promises so clearly. The Place of meeting for all is here when they, this Prophet no longer spurns, will make all of life’s labors gladly spent.
The Place is where He meets His own—this Prophet, Savior, Priest, and King. If only we make each day count, He will receive His royal dues from us, and true worship will spring from our hearts. Each day, if we remain faithful to Him, the Place where He sits on the holy throne, we can now honor His holy Name. The Promise confirms our commitment to the truth, and we worship the One in whom we believe. All glory, honor, praise in awe, and daily joy—then fulfill us.
The Place restores our tired souls and spirits. This Prophet’s word, His voice, His name, and the Promise of God’s presence truly warm our hearts, and being at “The Place” renews our hearts once again. In all its full authority, the Promise is God’s way of guiding us to the Place where we are told He has drawn, saved, and made us His. The Promise means He’ll see us through the entire journey of life to where our Blessed Lord meets us there with each one He has saved, far surpassing any of man’s promises.
The foundation of justice and honesty in legal matters is God Himself. In His word, we find the core principles and laws that guide a society or nation to exist without chaos and fear. God has chosen to trust humans with dispensing justice and has provided written guidelines for doing so. Taking bribes or showing favoritism in legal duties or in leadership reflects poorly on the One who has entrusted this work to individuals. Sooner or later, sin will be addressed. God will justly deal with deceitful judges or negligent leaders.
Among God's people, godly and just leaders are responsible for maintaining order and caring for the members of the assembly. Those who lead must be able to make wise decisions through joint consideration and discussion among themselves. Achieving a perfect consensus does not always happen. However, during decision-making, each leader should listen to others, evaluate their positions, and adapt their own stance as closely as possible to that of other leaders. In this way, the people's affairs can be addressed fairly, and just decisions can be made. If someone refuses to listen to others and insists that others accept their opinion, serious problems can arise. Leaders should not sacrifice truth for the sake of consensus. Likewise, insisting that everyone must agree with my opinion would also be wrong. We must allow godliness, justice, and joy to prevail when we meet with our Lord and His people.