Psalms 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (ESV)

When I was young kid our family drove to California with our aunt, uncle and 3 cousins. A  highlight was the 2-way radios my dad and uncle installed in each of our vehicles so we could communicate on the way. Yah, I am seriously that old.

All of us kids were so excited! As we drove, the conversations between the cousins in each vehicle sounded something like this:

“Um, hi.”

“Hi.”

“Um, what are you doing?”

“Nothing, driving. What are you doing?”

“What? You’re driving???”

“No, my dad is.”

“Yah, my dad is driving too.”

Riveting.

I know we drove our parents nuts! Of course the radios came in handy at pit stops. The kids would switch vehicles and the parents were never sure which kid was in whose vehicle. It was a great trip.

Building memories together cements relationships. It creates special bonds that can impact us for the rest of our lives.

The Israelites also did some traveling! They went to Jerusalem together with their extended family to celebrate the Pilgrimage Feasts. Celebrating was a form of corporate worship and a remembrance of what God had done for them. As they traveled they sang songs called Songs of Assent that we find in Psalms 120-134.

I can imagine there were fun, lighthearted moments along the way but they were also focused and intentional about why they were on the pilgrimage.

Why did the Lord tell them to feast together?

The Importance of Festivals & Feasts

• It gave the Israelite’s a chance to reaffirm their commitment to the Lord as a community
• It gave the Israelite’s a chance to reaffirm their covenant to follow God corporately
• It reminded the people that they were a nation set apart and special to the Lord
• It reminded the people of the importance God put on Jerusalem as his chosen place of worship

Celebrating corporately gave them a feeling of deep significance and belonging. It filled each of them with resolve to serve God personally but also gave them perspective, they were an important part of a greater picture and larger story.

The feasts had all the elements of a good party. There was food, there was laughter, there was catching up with all the friends you hadn’t seen for a while. There was joy in remembering what God had done for them and probably some personal stories of God’s provision for their family. 

What were they celebrating?

Pilgrimage Feasts were a celebration of 3 milestone events in the lives of the Israelites.

1. Pesach (Passover) – Death of the first-born: the final plague, the last sign to the Egyptians that God was supreme and their oppression of the Israelites would not go unpunished. A perfect lamb was killed, it’s blood painted on the doorposts and frames of their homes as a sign to the destroying Angel that they were under the cover of God’s grace, the blood of the lamb saving their sons from death. God takes them out of Egypt after this final plague. This festival celebrates their freedom from slavery.

2. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Feast of First fruits) – God lead them out of Egypt and placed them in the Promised Land flowing with milk & honey. The fruits of their first harvest are brought to him in sacrifice. It is also the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. In the Pesach (Passover) God takes them out of Egypt. Now he takes Egypt and all of its unholy influences out of them by giving them the Law. This festival celebrates God fulfilling his promises. Bringing the first fruits or tithe is a responsibility that naturally follows the blessing God bestowed on them. It also celebrates the ability to know how to please God by living according to his holy law.

3. Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Feast of Booths) – While they wandered in the desert for 40 years they had to rely on God for all of their needs. It’s a reminder of the temporary shelter God provided for them while they waited to get into the Promised Land. It is celebrated at the conclusion of the wheat harvest. This festival celebrates God as their supplier and sustainer, the God who fed and sheltered them while they wandered. 

Why were they celebrating?

God told them to commemorate the great work he had done on their behalf because they were prone to forgetfulness. Sound familiar? Painfully familiar. Life was busy. Life was hard. Life was going by so fast they couldn’t keep up.

Slow down, the Lord says.

He wants them to leave their homes and jobs, set aside their responsibilities and head up to Jerusalem so they can remember, refocus, recommit to their heavenly Father.

The Lord instructs them to celebrate together, to fellowship, to eat and dance and most of all remember…remember the work he did in saving them from destruction. Slavery was not the final chapter, God’s salvation was. 

God is near!

Psalm 121 is a wonderful reminder to us that we have a God who is our helper.

Satan wants us to believe we’re still in bondage.

All he needs is the tiniest crack, the smallest opening. He looks for a momentary lapse in focus, he pinpoints an area of our hearts that we’ve left unpatrolled and then brings fear crashing down on our heads.

Stand your ground against his lies! Read Psalm 121. What do you see?

God has taken you out of your bondage.

You are free. Do you remember how God saved you? The chains around your neck and the sins you’ve committed are gone! Satan doesn’t want you sharing your freedom with others, he has a vested interest in keeping your mouth shut. Fear is one of the most effective tools in keeping you quiet.

Go back to Exodus 8:20. Why were the Egyptians told to let the Israelites go?

So they could serve the Lord!

Jesus paid the price so that you can serve him freely!

God wants to take the bondage out of you

Jesus paid the ultimate price by dying. He gave up his life so that your life could be a reflection of his love and sacrifice… how does your life look in light of that fact?

Are you serving him?

How are you serving him?

The only way to honor the Lord is to live as he asks us to. Sometimes old habits and thoughts threaten to bind us up again but reading the word of God and doing what it says is our ammunition against the enemy.

God is your provision

Not your work ethic, not your health, wealth or intelligence.

Only GOD.

Psalm 121: 1-2 is a shout of affirmation, a declaration in the spiritual realms that the perfect Lamb of God paid the price. Now when the troubles in life threaten to overwhelm you, you can say: My help comes from the Lord.

Sounds like something I want to celebrate!