Exodus 24:10 - Exodus 25

The people of Israel are at Mount Sinai, a relatively short distance from Egypt, and not yet in the Promised Land that God is preparing for them.  The Lord is also preparing them for the Land He is leading them to. 24:10-12 gives a reminder about the observance of the Sabbath, the day of rest.   It adds the command to allow the land to rest every 7th year.  Obedience to this command will help the needy to eat and provide for the beast of the field.   The seventh day is to give rest to the animals as well as the people... all  people, even the littlest child of a servant.
Verse 13 starts like this, " Now, concerning everything I have said to you , be on your guard; ...
This admonition is repeated in verse 21, " Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him,..."  

As the people of Israel were heading towards their new home land, they were to be God's people; separate from the world and set apart for the Lord.  Their every day life would be marked by a new transformed attitude;  their yearly existence was saturated with reminders that all things belonged to the Lord and came from His Hands.   God's Presence and provisions were promised as long as they kept their promises to Him.  And they agreed whole-heartedly.

There were 3 times of the year that all of Israel were to meet together in Holy Feasts to celebrate the Lord .  
1 - The passover - celebrated the first month - a New Year's celebration of the deliverance God gave the Israelites.
2- The feast of the Harvest - a celebration of the first fruits of their labor from their fields.
3 - The Feast of the Ingathering - a celebration of the end of the harvest season.
These yearly celebrations were to be wonderful times of community gatherings, remembering what God had done in the past and what He was doing right now... A holy and powerful time of corporate worship and thanksgiving before the Lord God.

Do we celebrate these kinds of things at all?  We celebrate New Year's Day... but we never associate it with God, do we?  We don't understand, unless we are farmers,  how important it is to see the fruit of our crops begin to ripen and be ready for harvesting, or how satisfying it is when the hard work of the harvest is completed.   Yet there are ways that we also should remember to "Be on your guard" - to remember that it is God who delivered us from captivity to sin;  It is God Who blesses our labor and grants us food for our bodies and food for our souls; It is God Who satisfies and will bring us to the end of our lives or the end of this age.  We need to find times to celebrate Him! To come into His Presence and remember and celebrate what He has done in the past and what He is doing now!

Father in Heaven, You are our Deliverer.  You have ransomed us by the blood of the Perfect Lamb of God, Your Son, Jesus.   We celebrate You, we honor You!  We are so thankful!  You are our Provider. We labor in vain unless You bless our hands and our work.  It is for nothing that some work... to spend on material things that can not satisfy.  We offer ourselves to You, we are Your servants, and whether we eat or drink, we want to do all things to the glory of Your Name.  Father, You are sending Jesus as the Coming King. He will be the Ingatherer, Who will come at the end of the age, or at the end of our lives; He will come and gather us who believe in Him, to live with You for eternity.   We look forward to that glorious day.  Make us ready, Lord.  May we be ever on our guard to live in obedience to Your voice.  Help us to keep our eyes on You and celebrate You every day.   We ask this in Jesus' Name,  Amen