Leviticus 23 & 24: Will You Rejoice?
Verse of the Day: (23:40) And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

1. Rest (23:1-3)
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. (23:3)

Time and again, God reminded His people to work only six days, and rest on the sabbath day, as it is not only good for the body, but also the soul, as we reflect upon His grace.

2. Rejoice (23:4-44)
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (23:4)

God through Moses commanded Israel to celebrate His seven feasts for Israel to remind them of His grace in delivering them from the bondage of Egypt as well as His continual presence with them in the wilderness. The seven feasts were - 1. The LORD’s Passover (the time when God delivered them out of Egypt) 2. The feast of unleavened bread (the time when they ate the unleavened bread for seven days after the LORD’s Passover) 3. The Firstfruits (the first harvest of their crops after they inherited the land of Canaan) 4. The Fifty days or Pentecost (fifty days after the Firstfruit) 5. Trumpets (trumpets were used for their movement in the wilderness) 6. Day of Atonement (the day of the year where the high priest offered the sacrifice not only for his own sins but the sins of Israel) 7. The feast of tabernacles (the days they dwelt in booths in the wilderness). Indeed, let us be thankful and grateful to God, and to always rejoice in Him for His grace, knowing that He is too wise to make a mistake, and too loving to be unkind. (Philippians 4:4)

3. Restore (24:1-23)
And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. (24:21)

Throughout man’s way, it is the principle of sowing and reaping and restoring - you reap what you sow, and you restore what you have broken. However, God’s way is even higher than man’s way as even when others do us evil, we still love them, and do them good. Indeed, Jesus, the Son of God, is the best and perfect example of unconditional and sacrificial love, when He died and shed His blood, not for His own sins, but for the sins of the world. At the cross, Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Indeed, let us love all including our enemies, and rejoice all the time even bad time, knowing that God is good all the time. (Luke 23:34)
 
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to rejoice all the time, including bad time, trusting You.