Scripture says the Lord considers us to be His friends, but friendship goes both ways. How do we hold up our end of the friendship? I mean, He’s given us so much. Eternally. Daily. Think of all the prayers He has answered for you. Have you ever wanted to give back and be a friend to him (v 22)?

Of course, our efforts would be small, just like those of a human child to please their parents; however, those heart-felt gifts are very valuable.

This passage relates all sorts of sacrificial detail in precise and unalterable terms as much of Leviticus does. What makes this set of verses unique is that the sins of the people are not laid upon the head of a blood sacrifice but upon the head of a male goat that is released to wander in the wilderness. It is by this wandering in the wilderness that the goat makes atonement for the sins of Israel.

The law came with Moses. Grace and truth came with the Messiah. Yet Jesus himself not only brought grace and truth, he was the fulfillment of the law. He did not abolish it, he completed it.

We are not damned for our inability to keep the commandments in the Old Testament.

The need for the feasts God appointed in the Old Testament is gone. Jesus has taken their place. Paul tells us, Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16 & 17 NIV) Nevertheless the spirit in which God gave his people festivals, like the Sabbath, should not be ignored.

Christ has come and fulfilled the law – the festivals no longer need to be followed or obeyed. Yet they still speak of the importance of remembering and giving honour and saying thank you. Not only remembering and honouring God and thanking him for all he has done. But remembering the most lowly in addition to remembering the Most High – the poor – and bearing in mind the ones often most estranged and alienated, the immigrants to our country and our neighborhood.

While some of the Bible festivals are somber occasions many are full of joy. God is not only a God who delights in the praises of his people but who delights in giving his people something to praise him about. He likes a good festival where people can celebrate his goodness and the goodness of the life he offers them. One of the most cheerful is the Feast of Tabernacles.

On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees – from palms, willows and other leafy trees – and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

If there is a biblical recipe or prescription for the good life, it can be found in the words of this psalm. This is a psalm full of satisfaction. It oozes with the very fullness of life; it overflows with a quiet peace. There is a mellow ripeness to these words that runs down your chin, lights a spark in your eye, and puts a spring in your step.

The first line is the key to it all. Is the Lord your shepherd?