The Venison
The Venison
The Old Testament describes three major feasts that became part of the Jewish annual calendar, each having its own unique theological significance for the community of Israel (2 Chr. 8:13). These three major feasts include the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Pesach/Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Shavout/Pentecost), and the Feast of Booths (Sukkoth/Tabernacles). Although other festivals or holy days are mentioned in the Old Testament—e.g. Purim, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah/New Year), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Day of Assembly (Azaret). These feasts were instituted by God Himself for the Israelites.
1. The Feast of the Passover; The feast of the Passover was celebrated to keep in remembrance the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews from the land of bondage; Egypt.
On the evening before the fifteenth day of the month, Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood above their doorposts as a sign that the angel of judgment passed over them when they were in Egypt, sparing their lives. After the Egyptians had received judgment, they admonished Israel to leave immediately. In preparation for this exodus, the people were to make bread without leaven, for it had no time to rise.
The ultimate Passover feast was culminated with the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. So, Jesus is the Chief Celebrant of the feast of Passover.
2. The Feast of Pentecost; is one of Israel's three major agricultural festivals and the second great feast of the Jewish year. It is called also the feast of harvest and the feast of weeks, Ex 34:22, Leviticus 23:15-16. It was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover to commemorate the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, which took place fifty days after, and hence called by the Greeks Pentecost. The name "Feast of Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance. The term Pentecost derives from the Greek word meaning "fifty." The Pentecost got to its crescendo with the release of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Hence, the Holy Spirit is the Chief Celebrant of the Feast of Pentecost.
Remember, God’s spirit descended upon Sinai at Pentecost in Exodus 19, offering Israel prevenient grace in the form of the Law and a call to holiness. In the same way, the Holy Spirit was sent upon the Church at Pentecost in Acts 2, offering the apostles and all who would follow prevenient grace enabling us to respond to His call to holiness.
3. The Feast of Tabernacles: called also the feast of the ingathering, was celebrated to commemorate the Israelites' dwelling in tents for forty years, during their stay in the wilderness.
It was during their dwelling in tents that God manifested His Shekinah Glory. The people moved when the cloud lifted and camped when it rested.
The three feast were adumbrations of the Christian Journey. First we were sinners, and we got saved by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, on the day of Passover. Next, He filled us with His Spirit on the day of Pentecost and then at the end of our sojourn here on earth, we will have our abode with Him, where we would tabernacle with Him in His Shekinah Glory.
Passover - April 15-23Pentecost - June 4-6Tabernacle - October 9-16
So, it was these three feast that Moses was referring to in his charge to the Israelite family. And in that charge is contained an instruction we need to pay apt attention to. That statement is the closing part of vs 16 and vs 17. That instruction was “and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. {as...: Heb. according to the gift of his hand}”.
So, the first thing we see is that there were commanded to appear before God – so even that church meeting you attend casually, just know that “it is commanded”
Secondly, they were to appear before God in the place where God shall choose. Apostle has taught us here severally how important it is for you to find and locate your tribe and connect to it. It is easy to appear before God, but it takes discipline to appear in the place where God shall choose. That your pastor is not tushed or an illiterate is not reason enough. Because you were sick and nobody from the church visited you, is not a valid reason to leave the place God chose for you to appear before Him.
Thirdly, they were instructed not to appear before God empty. Thanksgiving is coming up next week. Don't appear before God empty. Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked(your pastor may be deceived, but not God): for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If you sow nothing, you reap nothing.
Fourthly, the value of their sacrifice, was supposed to be an accurate measure of the blessing of the Lord upon their lives. Can I add at this junction that God knows our levels individually. Like, God know your pocket. Jesus saw the Billionaires casting in their millions and the Millionaires casting in their Thousands. But only one person got His attention, the woman that gave her all. I’m not saying you should empty your account, those are specific instructions only God can give you, but the generic instruction is, let the sacrifice communicate the value and measure of His blessings upon your life.
Having laid this foundation, let me show you something from scripture.
Once upon a time, a great Patriarch approaching his dying breath, was about to bless his son and he made a very funny but interesting request. Initially, I had my reservations as to how a plate of food would make a prophet bless the wrong son, until I understood how the same plate of food could cost another man his birthright. This is a patriarch o, from the loins of Abraham, this is the same guy that would have died, if not that his father heard God on the mount of Moriah.
In Genesis 27:4, Isaac tells Esau “And make (not create – There were things God created and there were things God made. Both are not the same. It's intentional and with purpose) me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die”
The condition for the blessing was hinged on the son meeting certain requirements. Isaac could have just blessed him, afterall, he was the son after his heart, but God put the complete details of that story there for us to learn some vital lessons from it.
- Bring me savory meat, was the instruction
- Such as I love, was the specification.
This shows that you can be obeying an instruction, but you may not be meeting the specifications of that instruction.
This was where Cain got it wrong. (Get the book Understanding the blood of Christ by David Alsobrook).
Could this be the reason why your sacrifices have not been ascending to the throne room as a sweet smelling savor?
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”.
Prayer here is the instruction, but for God to hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land, there are specifics we must pay attention to about the person or people making the prayer
- They must be called by His name
- They must humble themselves
- They must pray – Apostle has taught us Prayers of enquiry and how to profit from prayer
- They must seek His face, and
- They must turn from their wicked ways. Then and only then will God hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Isaac said “And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die”.
Elisha didn't ask for Mantle, what he asked was the double portion of Elijah’s spirit.
Jesus didn’t promise the disciples G-wagon, what He promised was the Holy Spirit. It is funny how all our reward system are structured around things that we can see, feel and touch.
Isaac said “... that my soul may bless thee before I die...” Let me tell you something, only a venison, that is prepared according to the specification of the receiver can provoke a blessing from the soul. A food is acceptable because it meets the taste of the eater, not because the cook is skillful.
Do you know what Isaac meant when he said that “my soul may bless you”?
The soul is a tripartite entity comprising of the will and the mind, and the emotions. So, for my soul to bless you means that
- My will is involved - I’m willing to bless you,
- My mind is involved - I’m conscious of what I'm doing, and
- My emotions are involved - I’m happy to bless you.
Many times, our sacrifice only stops at the body. The soul is unreached. The spirit is not even aware of what you are doing. A sacrifice from the body is all these eye service we do here and there. You want people to see that you are working. You want people to hear that you are working. You want people to perceive that you are working. All the five senses of the soul are what you are focused on pleasing.
Sometimes, we try to get to the soul realm, we follow our intuition, we watch out for peace, we try to trust what we are doing, we communicate it with empathy(pity) and then we have a foresight (some sort of reward we are looking forward to).
But God is a Spirit, in short, He is the Father of Spirit. The senses at work in this realm is no longer how you feel about it, but how He feels about it. That is why you must come with Faith. You must do it according to His pattern (not your own). You must do it sacrificially (withholding nothing and expecting nothing in return). You must do it from the standpoint of responsibility to God, His house, His servant, His project, His Kingdom. You must do it the way He likes it.
1. Make sure you venison is prepared, don't appear before Him empty, let your venison communicate how much He has blessed you this year.
2. Make it such as He loves. Not the way you want to make it. Make it (don’t create it), make it (the ten percent is already part of the hundred, not from somewhere else. The Samuel Hannah gave back to God came out of her. David paid for the threshing flour of Aruanah from his pocket. Solomon offered his own burnt offering. Make it such as He likes, meet His specifications.
See, You can determine and customize your harvest by the kind of seed you sow. Remember Luke 6:38 Give and it not another kind, but it shall be given unto you. The same seed can take another body, don't forget that.
3. And then bring it to Him. This time around, it is not a soul that will bless you, but a Spirit, and in this case, the Father of Spirits.
Let Genesis 8:22 and never depart from your heart as you begin the new year.
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