Sunday Morning Bible Study 8/30/2009

Annual Pilgrimages & Civil Authority

Deuteronomy 16-17
I. Observation
A. Three Annual Pilgrimages (16:1-17)
– All were to take place “at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.” (16:2, 11, 15, 16)
i. Passover (v. 1-8)
• When? The month of Abib
• What? (See also Exodus 12:1-20)
✔ Sacrifice, roast, & eat an animal from their herd or flock.
✔ No bread with yeast for seven days
✔ On the seventh day, hold an assembly and do no work.
• Why? To remember how God delivered them from Egypt.
ii. Feast of Weeks / Pentecost (v. 9-12)
• When? “Seven weeks from the time you begin to put a sickle to the standing grain...”
• What? (See also Leviticus 23:15-22)
✔ Present a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord has given you
✔ Rejoice before the Lord...you, your sons & daughters, menservants, maidservants, the Levites living in your
towns, and the aliens, fatherless, & widows.
• Why? To remember that it was God who brought them out of slavery and into land of blessing.
iii. Feast of Tabernacles (v. 13-15)
• When? “For seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and winepress.”
• What? (See also Leviticus 23:33-43)
✔ It was to be a joyful feast.
✔ Extended to whole community: you, your sons & daughters, menservants, maidservants, the Levites living
in your towns, and the aliens, fatherless, & widows.
• Why? Celebrate God's blessing in all their harvest and the work of their hands.
B. Civil Authority (16:18-17:20)
i. Judges and officials appointed for each tribe, in every town.
• Responsibility: “...judge the people fairly” (v. 18, 20)
• Warnings against perverting justice, showing partiality, and accepting bribes (v. 19)
• Legal System under the Judges
• General: No Asherah poles/trees; no sacred stones; do not sacrifice an animal to God that has a defect
• Example of allegations of worshiping false gods, or sun, moon, or stars.
▪ Conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations.
▪ If allegations are found to be true, upon testimony of at least 2 witnesses, stone them to death.
• Must have at least 2 witnesses, and those witnesses must cast the first stones
• When a case is too difficult for the local judges & officials to handle
▪ Escalate to priests/Levites at the place the Lord chooses for his Name & the judge in office at that time
▪ Their decision would be final and binding; rebellion against decision would mean death.
ii. Future King (17:14-20)
• Must appoint the king that God chooses & must be from among their Israelite brothers. The king must not...
✗ be a foreigner.
✗ acquire great numbers of horses for himself nor make the people return to Egypt to get more horses
✗ have many wives
✗ accumulate large amounts of silver or gold
• Every king was to write a copy of the law and keep it with him during his reign.

MYA 2.0, A ministry of Metropolitan Baptist Church, OKC, OK (http://www.mbcokc.org)

 Sunday Morning Bible Study 8/30/2009

II. Interpretation
• What were some common themes among the three pilgrimages mentioned here? Why were the pilgrimages important?

• Were these annual pilgrimages more of an individual act of worship or a group/community act of worship? Why?

• How was the civil authority system of judges different from our civil authority systems today? On what basis were right
and wrong determined? Who were responsible for carrying out the sentences of those found guilty?

• Knowing that the people would eventually turn away from the system of judges, God gives the Israelites some basic
criteria and expectations for kings. How are the descriptions of the Israelite king different from other kings?

• Themes: The theme of the first half of this passage is worship. The theme of the second is law/justice. How might a
proper understanding and practice of these themes work together in the Israelite community?

• What aspect(s) of God's character do we see through these passages? How do these affect our understanding of the
passage as a whole?

III. Applications

• God is a god of details. Although each of these feasts/observances are given in basic detail in this passage, they are
described in great detail elsewhere (see references in outline). Three times each year, the Israelites would travel to
Jerusalem for these feasts and would go through the specific details of each as an act of worshiping the Lord.

• Justice in the Bible is based upon the truth of God, given in his law and in his Word. In a world that seeks to decide what
is right and wrong based not upon an absolute standard, but upon what's popular or what's acceptable to one's peers, we
must be very, very careful not to let our standard of right and wrong become based on anything but the Word of God.

• God's design for civil authority begins by bringing all parties under the authority of God himself. The judges, priests,
Levites, and even the king were to govern under the authority of God. When the civil authority seeks to act as if it is no
longer under God's authority, then the breakdown of the system is imminent.

• We live in a world and a society that is desperately trying to live as if we are not under God's authority. As Christians,
we need to be diligently praying for our country and its leadership that they would seek to operate under God's authority
and not in opposition to it. Pray for our President and our lawmakers so that they will willingly submit to the headship
of Christ in all their decisions. They need His wisdom to navigate the dangerous times we find ourselves in today.

MYA 2.0, A ministry of Metropolitan Baptist Church, OKC, OK (http://www.mbcokc.org)