Faith Daily Lectio Saturday, October 17, 2026 Old Testament
Saturday, October 17, 2026 · Saturday in the week of the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23); Ignatius of Antioch, Pastor and Martyr
Old Testament
Oratio (prayer)
Lord God, You brought Your people out of Egypt and taught them to keep Your feasts. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Deuteronomy 15 and 16, that I may remember Your rescue, rejoice in Your gifts, and give as You have given to me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Deuteronomy 15:19-16:22
19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.
20Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.
21And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.
22Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.
23Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
1Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
6But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
10And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
11And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
17Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
22Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to these chapters, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean): Deuteronomy 15, 16 · ESV (Max McLean): Deuteronomy 15, 16 · NIV (dramatized): Deuteronomy 15, 16
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.” (Deuteronomy 16:15)
What other lines speak to you?
These chapters set out the firstlings and the three great feasts: Passover with unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and the feast of tabernacles. They belong to the old covenant, and Christians are not bound to keep them. But each one points to Christ, our Passover, and teaches God's people to remember, to rejoice, and to give.
The Law "they shall not appear before the LORD empty" (16:16). God asks for the firstling and forbids any offering with a "blemish" (15:21). We come to Him with blemishes of our own, and our hands are often empty or closed. God also says, "Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift" (16:19). We have bent what is right to suit ourselves.
The Gospel "the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night" (16:1). This is God's own work, and so is the true Passover. Jesus is the Lamb without blemish, offered once for you. He feeds you with His own body and blood in the Lord's Supper, and He sends you home to rejoice: "therefore thou shalt surely rejoice" (16:15).
Prayer Merciful Father, I confess that I have come before You empty, and that I have judged unjustly and given grudgingly. Forgive me for the sake of Jesus, the spotless Lamb. Make me glad in Your feast, and teach me to give as I am able, according to Your blessing. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
The bread of the Passover is called "the bread of affliction" (16:3). God did not hide from His people that their rescue began in a hard place, in haste and by night. Our lives also hold seasons of affliction. Moses ties them to remembering: "that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life" (16:3). In trial it may help to remember that God has already brought us out, and that He keeps His word.
Prayer Lord God, when my bread is the bread of affliction, remind me that You have brought me out by Your strong hand in Jesus. Keep me from forgetting Your mercy, and bring me in due season to rejoice before You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
