Deuteronomy 15:20
Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.
Each year

The firstborn animals were to be brought regularly as part of Israel’s appointed worship, keeping God’s provision and covenant before the people.

Exo 13:10 Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time…
1Sa 1:3 Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city…
Deu 16:16 Three times a year all your men appear before the LORD…

you and your household

Families shared in the observance together, passing on reverence for the LORD within the home.

Gen 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark…
Jos 24:15 But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD,…
Act 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus”…

are to eat it

The worshipers ate the permitted sacrificial meal, expressing fellowship with God and gratitude for His blessing.

Deu 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God,…
Exo 12:8 They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire…
Lev 7:15 The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offering…

before the LORD your God

The meal was received in God’s presence, with reverence for His holiness and authority.

Deu 14:26 Then you may spend the money on anything you desire:…
Deu 16:11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God…
Deu 12:18 Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD…

in the place the LORD will choose.

Israel’s worship was centered at the location God appointed, later Jerusalem, preserving the unity of the nation around the LORD’s dwelling place.

Deu 12:5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God…
Deu 12:11 then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name.…
Deu 16:2 You are to offer to the LORD your God the Passover sacrifice…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's laws and instructions to the Israelites.

2. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the laws and commandments as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who provides the laws and chooses the place of worship.

4. The Place the LORD Will Choose
Refers to the central place of worship, which would later be established in Jerusalem.

5. The Household
The family unit, which plays a central role in the observance of God's commandments.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Community Worship
God emphasizes the communal aspect of worship, highlighting the importance of gathering together as a family and community to honor Him.

Obedience to God's Instructions
The command to eat in the place God chooses teaches us the importance of obedience and reverence for God's specific instructions.

Remembrance and Celebration
The annual observance serves as a reminder of God's provision and faithfulness, encouraging us to regularly remember and celebrate His goodness.

Centrality of God's Presence
Worship is centered around God's presence, reminding us that our lives should be oriented towards Him and His chosen place of worship.

Family as a Unit of Worship
The inclusion of the household underscores the role of the family in spiritual practices, encouraging families to worship and grow in faith together.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the command to eat before the LORD each year reflect the importance of community in worship?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of gathering in a place God chooses to our modern worship practices?

3. How does the concept of remembrance in Deuteronomy 15:20 connect to the observance of the Lord's Supper in the New Testament?

4. What role does the family play in your personal worship, and how can you strengthen this aspect in your spiritual life?

5. How can the practice of annual remembrance and celebration of God's provision be incorporated into your life today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 12
The Passover meal, which also involves eating in a specific manner and place, highlighting the importance of communal worship and remembrance.

Leviticus 23
The Feasts of the LORD, which include instructions for communal meals and celebrations before God.

1 Samuel 1
Hannah and Elkanah's annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, illustrating the practice of worshiping at the place God chooses.

Psalm 122
A song of ascents, expressing joy in going to the house of the LORD, which connects to the communal aspect of worship.

Hebrews 10
Encouragement to not forsake assembling together, drawing a parallel to the communal worship commanded in Deuteronomy.
Memorial DaysR. S. Storrs, D. D.Deuteronomy 15:20
The First for GodD. Davies Deuteronomy 15:19-23
The FirstlingsJ. Orr Deuteronomy 15:19-23
The Firstlings for GodR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 15:19-23
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Choose, Chooses, Eat, Household, Meal, Presence, Selection
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 15:19-20

     4438   eating

Library
Homiletical.
Twenty-four homilies on miscellaneous subjects, published under St. Basil's name, are generally accepted as genuine. They are conveniently classified as (i) Dogmatic and Exegetic, (ii) Moral, and (iii) Panegyric. To Class (i) will be referred III. In Illud, Attende tibi ipsi. VI. In Illud, Destruam horrea, etc. IX. In Illud, Quod Deus non est auctor malorum. XII. In principium Proverbiorum. XV. De Fide. XVI. In Illud, In principio erat Verbum. XXIV. Contra Sabellianos et Arium et Anomoeos.
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

Civ. Jesus Arrives and is Feasted at Bethany.
(from Friday Afternoon Till Saturday Night, March 31 and April 1, a.d. 30.) ^D John XI. 55-57; XII. 1-11; ^A Matt. XXVI. 6-13; ^B Mark XIV. 3-9. ^d 55 Now the passover of the Jews was at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, to purify themselves. [These Jews went up before the Passover that they might have time to purify themselves from ceremonial uncleanness before the feast. They were expected to purify before any important event (Ex. xix. 10, 11), and did
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Secondly, for Thy Words.
1. Remember, that thou must answer for every idle word, that in multiloquy, the wisest man shall overshoot himself. Avoid, therefore, all tedious and idle talk, from which seldom arises comfort, many times repentance: especially beware of rash answers, when the tongue outruns the mind. The word was thine whilst thou didst keep it in; it is another's as soon as it is out. O the shame, when a man's own tongue shall be produced a witness, to the confusion of his own face! Let, then, thy words be few,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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