We are moving into Exodus chapter five with our word for today. חָגַג stagger, walk in procession, keep a festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate a pilgrim festival, dance, be giddy, to keep a day or period of time set aside for feasting and joyful celebration. It is used 16 times in the Old Testament. We see it referring to dancing or even revealing of a raiding party that were celebrating their success. 1 Samuel 30:16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and וְחֹ֣גְגִ֔ים dancing because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. What is interesting is that here we see people who stole celebrating what they gained. And it is the same word that God uses to describe this feast. The idea is enjoying and celebrating God himself instead of the accomplishments of evil. We will see God set up regular festivals to celebrate the people’s relationship with God as we journey through the Bible. We find our word today in our chapter used to describe the very beginning of this concept as God begins to form this nation from a group of slaves into a nation of his people who would belong to him. Let’s look at our word in our chapter. Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a וְיָחֹ֥גּוּ feast to me in the wilderness.’” The first festival that God set up for them to celebrate was the Passover feast. On the very night that he set this up and they celebrated that is when he freed them from slavery. God knew it would happen so he had the people get ready and started with a celebration before it actually happened. Exodus 12:14 This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall וְחַגֹּתֶ֥ם celebrate it as a תְּחָגֻּֽהוּ festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. Later we see God setting up this and other celebrations as a regular reminder of all he did for the people from his great love and power for them. Exodus 23:14 Three times a year you are to תָּחֹ֥ג celebrate a festival to me. Leviticus 23:39, 41 So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, תָּחֹ֥גּוּ celebrate the חַג festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest… וְחַגֹּתֶ֤ם Celebrate this as a חַ֣ג festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; תָּחֹ֥גּוּ celebrate it in the seventh month. Deuteronomy 16:15 For seven days תָּחֹג֙ celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
Today we celebrate every Sunday because Jesus Christ was risen from the dead on the first day of the week. We also celebrate by remembering the Lord’s death and resurrection together when we meet until he comes back again. Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. 1 Corinthians 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. I think sometimes we forget just how wonderful and amazing God’s love and power are for us. We are his kids and God rejoices over us and celebrates us. Of course there are times when we need to mourn over our sin but we can’t forget to also celebrate God and enjoy him. He commanded his people to stop and do so in the Old Testament. How much more do we have reason being forgiven in Christ. I’ll close with David who is a great example of this attitude of celebration of our God. Psalm 42:4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the חוֹגֵֽג festive throng.
