This small group Deuteronomy 16 Bible study guide contains commentary, discussion questions, cross-references, and application to encourage life change. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Deuteronomy 16 Bible Study And Questions – Old Testament Feasts, Festivals
Outline
I. The Passover (1-8)
II. The Feast of Weeks (9-12)
III. The Feast of Booths (13-17)
IV. Justice in Israel (18-22)
I. The Passover (1-8)
Discussion Questions
• What was the general purpose of these religious festivals?
• What is the Passover?
• Why was this holiday important for Israel and their relationship with God?
• Why is remembering important for believers?
• Is there a milestone or event in your relationship with God that is worth remembering? If so, share.
• Why were they not allowed to eat leavened bread during the seven days?
• How does the Passover point us to Jesus?
• How did Jesus celebrate the Passover?
• Should Christians celebrate the Passover today? Why or why not? If so, how?
Cross-References
Exodus 12:12-14 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Luke 22:19 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Matthew 26:28 – For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Suggested Reading – For more on the Passover, you can read our Bible study on “The Passover Points to Jesus.”
1. The Passover marked the beginning of Israel as a nation –
Deuteronomy 16:1 – Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
Exodus 12:2 – This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
This verse shows us how important this event is for Israel. It marks their turning point. Before this day, they were a tribe of sojourners. First, they were immigrants. Then they became slaves. The Passover and Exodus marked their birth as a nation. They were going to get their own calendar. It will mark their independence. Like our calendar is marked in two parts, B.C. and the Year of Our Lord, their history was marked in two parts, before the Passover and after the Passover. Their faith in God’s promise and obedience to His command would result in their deliverance and freedom.
In many ways, the Passover points to Christ. The Passover is to Israel what Jesus is to us.
As the Passover marked their birth as a nation, so when we accept Christ, we are born again. Our lives can also be divided into two parts. The first part is marked by slavery to sin and bondage to this world. Then Christ delivers us. He sets us free. He gives us a future. He makes us be born again. And everything changes. The old has passed away and the new has come. Our spiritual journey with God begins. Our born-again day is our spiritual birthday, day one of a new calendar.
Application – If you have been born again already, think back and thank God for that day and the changes He has made in your life. If you haven’t yet been born again, then pay attention to the rest of the message so that you can learn how.
2. The Passover Lamb –
A. Characteristics of the Lamb
Deuteronomy 16:2 – And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there.
• Without blemish – Exodus 12:5, 1 Peter 1:19
• Male – (Exodus 12:5)
• Every person/household had to have their own lamb – Every person ate of it. In like manner, each person must repent of their own sins and trust Jesus personally.
• No bones can be broken (Exodus 12:46, John 19:31-36)
• No leftovers. All signs of the lamb should be gone by morning. Jesus was taken down from the cross before nightfall, which was unusual because the next day was the Sabbath.
• They were to eat it in haste. If they delayed a day, it would too late. In a similar manner, salvation is urgent. You must make haste to believe while there is still opportunity.
• Blood. The blood of the lamb was to be displayed publicly on the doorposts of the houses as a reminder of the faith and obedience of those within.
• The blood showed that they had made the sacrifice and were under God’s protection. In a similar manner, Jesus bled on the cross in public for all to see. His blood cleanses those who trust in Him.
• Jesus died during the festival of the Passover like the Passover lamb.
On the night before Jesus died, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. They were partaking of the Passover meal. They were remembering this amazing event in history. But when Jesus was eating it, He did something remarkable. He changed the festival.
As Jesus was eating the unleavened bread, He told them that it now represented His body. And the drink represented His blood. Before they remembered the Exodus. Now they were to remember Jesus. He is the once-for-all Passover lamb.
In a way, every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are celebrating the Passover. We celebrate God passing over our sins and Jesus taking our judgment on our behalf.
B. Connection to the Lamb –
Exodus 12:3, 6 – Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household… And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
Reflect – How long after they selected the lamb were they to keep it before killing it? What are the reasons for this wait time?
In many readings of this passage, I had never noticed this before.
First, they select the lamb and get it from the flock. Then they keep it for four days. Some translations actually say to “take care of it” for that amount of time.
Why is that? What would this accomplish?
Requiring the families to care for the lamb separately from the flock for four days would help them to realize that the sacrifice was personal. It was not just a nameless, faceless lamb from among many. It was a lamb that had been with them. They would feed it and care for it. Perhaps they would grow to be fond of the lamb. They would see its personality. And they would know it was innocent of what was going to happen. All of this was designed by God to help them understand that the sacrifice was personal. This innocent lamb was taking the punishment for their sins.
That lamb’s sacrifice was directly connected to their own deliverance. It wasn’t just some lamb somewhere who died for some person somewhere. That specific lamb died for them. And it died by their own hand.
God designed this entire ritual to point to Christ.
Just as those lambs were a personal sacrifice for individuals, so Jesus is a personal sacrifice for each of us. Jesus did not die for a bunch of nameless, faceless people. He did not just die for the world in general. He died for each of us personally.
Just as those people killed the lamb, so we are responsible for Jesus’ death. We were not there, but our sins put him there.
Think about some of the sins you are most ashamed of. Perhaps no one but you knows about it. That is why Jesus had to die.
But there is a difference between the Passover lamb and Jesus. The Passover lamb could not choose its fate. Jesus did. He gave up His life to bring us out of slavery to sin. He gave up His life to bring us freedom. He knew what it was going to cost and He went willingly. He did it because He loves you. He did it because He wants to cleanse you.
Application – In order to receive this salvation, you must have a personal connection to the lamb. He is not just a sacrifice for the world. He is your Passover lamb. He must be the sacrifice for you and for your sins specifically. You must come to Him and ask Him to save you, admitting that you cannot save yourself.
Do you have a personal connection to Jesus, the lamb of God?
3. Remembering the Passover –
E