Exodus 23:14-19

Laws About Celebrating the Main Feasts

14 "Three times a year you must celebrate a feast in my honor

15 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Eat bread that is made without yeast for seven days, just as I commanded you. Do it at the appointed time in the month of Abib. You came out of Egypt in that month. "You must not come to worship me with your hands empty.

16 "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your crops from your field. "Celebrate the Feast of Booths. Hold it in the fall when you gather in your crops from the field.

17 "Three times a year all of your men must come to worship me. I am your LORD and King.

18 "Do not include anything that is made with yeast when you offer me the blood of a sacrifice. "Suppose the fat from sacrifices is left over from my feasts. Then do not keep it until morning.

19 "Bring the best of the first share of your crops to my house. I am the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk

Exodus 23:14-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Ex 23:1-3,6-8, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Ex 23:4,5, and of the oppression of a stranger, Ex 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Ex 23:10-13, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Ex 23:14-17, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Ex 23:18,19 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Ex 23:20-26, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Ex 23:27-31, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Ex 23:32,33.