Leviticus 23:42-43–You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Think about today’s philosophies regarding how to feel good about yourself?  To only think on the positive things in life, and try to avoid all negativity.  That seems to make sense, because negative thoughts and past actions can cause us great guilt and shame.  But what if our thoughts and actions are negative and have created the reality we live in?  At that point to avoid all “negativity” is to live in denial!

God in His method of dealing with His people is quite different.  Of course we are to think on things that are good and praiseworthy, so we don’t sink into depression (Philippians 4:8).  But the Lord doesn’t avoid reminding His people of their past and present sins, or want us to deny them, for the sake of remembering Him as their salvation!  That is the vast difference between the world and our Lord. The world has no atonement for sins, whereas the Lord Jesus became the atonement for ours!

This is why the Lord wanted the Israelites to celebrate the feasts in dedication to Him.  It was an opportunity to be reminded of the bondage they came from in Egypt, and how His great love and mercy redeemed them from the oppressive Pharaoh!  Instead of the shame of bondage, it produced gratitude.  Instead of denial, it produced humility and a need for a Savior!

The celebration of the feasts was an opportunity to truly worship for the Israelites.  It allowed them to affirm that their identity was no longer slaves in Egypt, but free in the Lord.  So until worship pushes us to confront our sins and the negativity surrounding it, we can’t experience Christ as our deliverer from the shame. Much like Israel, we too can become celebratory in the Lord, when we realize we have a God, who can and will deliver us from the bondage of sin and shame!

In His Love, Ld