Exodus 23:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Furthermore, the preference for males as deemed worthy in God's sight suggests allegorically that the divine word seeks souls that are strong, steadfast, and courageous in obedience, rather than weak, complacent, and indulgent. Hence, it is declared that every male shall appear before Me three times each year. However, this physical requirement fulfilled by earthly Israel has been dismissed.

These festivals serve as reminders: Passover signifies the Exodus from Egypt and the liberation that came with it; Pentecost represents the arrival in the Promised Land, as it was after planting that they began to harvest, while in the wilderness they subsisted on manna which they neither sowed nor toiled for; and the Feast of Tabernacles illustrates their time in the wilderness, where they lived in makeshift shelters for forty years. During this festival, God commanded attendance at the holy temple to commemorate divine blessings, fostering unity and fellowship. He instructed those who cherish celebration to avoid pagan altars and instead delight in the temple of the Creator and Provider of all good things during this joyful occasion.

Nevertheless, the judgment of divine justice had already been declared upon them.

The festivals wherein the men were to congregate were as follows: 1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the Lord's Passover occurring at the full moon of Abib, serves as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. The details of this feast are outlined in Exodus chapters 12 and 13. This feast, lasting until the evening of the 21st of Abib, coincided with the presentation of the first fruits of the earth to the Lord. Abib, both in its nomenclature and practice, was acknowledged as the month of New Beginnings. Those attending the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to bring a sheaf—the first of the harvest—to the Lord, which, alongside the lamb, grain offerings, and wine, formed the sacrificial offerings of the initial fruits of the earth. It was only after this sacrifice that they were permitted to partake of the new harvest. Thus began the seven days of unleavened bread, marking the conclusion of the agricultural year; it was only after this sacrifice that they could consume from the upcoming harvest.

2. Following the offering presented to the Lord, counted seven full weeks elapsed before the fiftieth day—the day dedicated to the offering of leavened loaves, prepared from the flour of the new harvest. The harvest likely spanned from Passover to Pentecost and concluded before this festival, where the men of Israel were also summoned to offer sacrifices, as noted in Leviticus 23:17-18. After the sacrificial offerings, a sacred assembly known as Adzeret was held, which we interpret as a communal gathering aimed at discussing matters important to the people and making crucial decisions regarding their lives. It's worth mentioning that the term Pentecost appears only in later texts: Tobit 2:1; 2 Maccabees 12:32; Acts 2:1, 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8. In the Pentateuch, this celebration is referred to as the Feast of Harvest (see verse 16 of this chapter) or the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10; also Numbers 28:26).

3. In the month of Tishri, on the first day—a month following Abib, which approximates the October new moon—the people gathered for three consecutive holy days, culminating in a sacred assembly on the 22nd day of the month. The end of the harvest season permitted the men of Israel to dedicate three weeks to the Lord and the community's needs. A sacred assembly was convened on Tishri's first day, signaled by the blast of trumpets, as seen in Leviticus 23:24-25. On the tenth day, significant purification sacrifices for the tabernacle and the people were performed. The rituals of this day included the scapegoat ritual, the high priest's entrance into the Holy of Holies, the incense, and the blood of both the bull and the goat, alongside the sending of the scapegoat into the wilderness, detailed in Leviticus chapter 16. The Feast of Tabernacles commenced on the fifteenth day of Tishri, lasting seven days, during which the Israelites were to dwell in booths made from the branches of lush trees, palm branches, and willows, rejoicing before the Lord as prescribed in Leviticus 23:39-40. At the end of the feast, another holy assembly was held, known as Adzeret, after which the people returned to their homes.