Leviticus 23:39-44: a reflection

39“‘So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40You shall take on the first day the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month. 42You shall dwell in temporary shelters for seven days. All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in temporary shelters, 43that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’” 44So Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed feasts of the LORD.

God appoints for Israel the Feast of Booths, when for seven days they were to live in temporary shelters. And the reason is given: that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. Once a year, even after they were settled in their own houses in the land, they were to leave those houses and live again in flimsy shelters, to remember the time in the wilderness when they had no settled home and depended wholly on God.

Notice the purpose of this deliberate remembering. Israel, comfortable and settled, was to leave their comfort once a year and live again as they had in the wilderness, in temporary shelters, so as not to forget the time of their dependence. It was a built-in guard against the forgetfulness that comes with comfort, a yearly reminder of where they had come from, and of their utter dependence on God, who had provided for them when they had nothing.

That points to a discipline worth practicing: deliberately remembering our times of need and dependence, even when we are comfortable and settled. It is easy, when things are going well, to forget the times when we had nothing and depended wholly on God, and to imagine our present comfort is simply our due. But Israel was to remember, deliberately, the time of dependence, lest they forget God. Remember your own times of need, when you depended on God and he provided; do not let present comfort erase the memory of your dependence. And remember, too, that we are pilgrims, dwelling here only in temporary shelters, our true home yet to come. Remember where you came from and on whom you depend, and rejoice, as Israel did, before the God who has provided.

Lord, you appointed the Feast of Booths so that your people, even when settled in their own houses, would leave them once a year and live in temporary shelters, to remember the wilderness when they had no home and depended wholly on you; it was a guard against the forgetfulness that comes with comfort. Point me to that discipline of deliberate remembering. It is easy, when things are going well, to forget the times when I had nothing and depended wholly on you, and to imagine my present comfort is simply my due. But Israel was to remember, deliberately, the time of dependence, lest they forget you. Help me remember my own times of need, when I depended on you and you provided; do not let present comfort erase the memory of my dependence. And help me remember that I am a pilgrim, dwelling here only in temporary shelters, my true home yet to come. Help me remember where I came from and on whom I depend, and rejoice, as Israel did, before you, who have provided for me.