Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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2 The feast of weeks, that is, that of pentecost, seven weeks after the Passover; and to this is annexed the law of the first-fruits.
3. The feast of in-gathering at the year's end, which was the feast of tabernacles (Ex 34:22): of these also he had spoken before, Ex 23:16. As to those laws repeated here (Ex 34:25,26), that against leaven relates to the Passover, that of the first-fruits to the feast of pentecost, and therefore that against seething the kid in his mother's milk in all probability relates to the feast of in-gathering, at which God would not have them use that superstitious ceremony, which probably they had seen the Egyptians, or some other of the neighbouring nations, bless their harvests with.
20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and
if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest:
in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
Here is a repetition of several appointments made before, especially relating to their solemn feasts. When they had made the calf, they proclaimed a feast in honour of it; now, that they might never do so again, they are here charged with the observance of the feasts which God had instituted. Note, Men need not be drawn from their religion by the temptation of mirth, for we serve a Master that has abundantly provided for the joy of his servants: serious godliness is a continual feast, and joy in God always.
Once a week they must rest (Ex 34:21), even in earing time, and in harvest, the most busy times of the year. All worldly business must give way to that holy rest; harvest-work will prosper the better for the religious observance of the sabbath-day in harvest-time. Hereby we must show that we prefer our communion with God, and our duty to him, before either the business or the joy of harvest.