Daily Devotions
Exodus
"I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, and I keep Your law." Psalm 119:55
SPECIAL PROHIBITIONS
Just as judicial commandments had prohibitions, so laws involving worship also had prohibitive statements. The following is an example of some of the prohibitions God gave concerning worship.
“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice
with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice
remain until morning.”
EXODUS 23:18
FUNCTIONS OF PROHIBITIONS
Prohibitions were useful and functioned in a number of ways:-
1. They offered an important “contrast” to the other “positive statements”.
2. They offered clarification on laws that may have been misread or misunderstood.
3. They ensured that no one would transgress God’s laws because of ignorance.
4. They served to highlight the significance of the worship of the One true God!
APPLICATION OF PROHIBITIONS TO RELIGIOUS FEASTS
These prohibitions were given in the context of the celebration of the Feasts of the Lord.
1. Feast of the Unleavened Bread
The whole idea of celebrating the Feast of the Unleavened Bread was to eat this special bread for seven days. There would also be a special sacrifice (The Passover Lamb) made on the day before!
Of course, there must not be Leavened Bread used together with the Sacrifice. Unleavened represented “sinlessness”. Since the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were so closely tied together, it would be unthinkable to offer Leavened Bread! That would represent two problems:-
a) Willful disobedience
b) Arrogant rejection
2. “Nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning”
This word was directed especially to those who looked after the Altar, namely the Priests. They must not allow themselves to become tardy in the discharge of their responsibilities! Whatever work they had to do, especially with reference to worship, they had to diligently and faithfully attend to them till they are satisfactorily completed! Any indication of neglect or indifference on their part would dishonour the Lord!