The divine government among God’s people is neither autocracy nor democracy but theocracy — a direct ruling and governing by God Himself according to what He is. Among the children of Israel in the Old Testament God governed His people according to His constant speaking, as written in the law, and His instant speaking, as revealed either through the breastplate of the high priest by means of the Urim and Thummim or through the prophets by the Spirit of God coming upon certain ones to enable them to speak God’s word (Exo. 28:30 and notes; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65). Moreover, God’s government was executed through some human agents: the priests and the elders, the judges, or the kings as direct administrators, who worked together for God’s theocracy. In the church in the New Testament the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42) replaces the law in God’s administration, and the elders of the churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5) are the direct administrators, who administrate according to the teaching of the apostles (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17). In relation to the instant speaking of the Lord, all the believers in Christ, including the elders, are priests to God (1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6), having Christ as the High Priest living within them (Heb. 8:1; Rom. 8:10) and having the Holy Spirit mingled with their regenerated human spirit (Rom. 8:16) to replace the function of the Urim and Thummim. Among the believers, the prophets and teachers help the eldership and the priesthood (Acts 13:1-4). See note Ezra 5:1¹.

Lit., within all your gates.

Lit., Booths. So also in v. 16. See note Exo. 23:16^2b.

For the three main annual feasts, see notes in Lev. 23.

An Asherah was an image of a female deity, and the altar signifies the cross. To bring in certain pagan things and add them to the cross is to produce a mixture. See Matt. 13:33 and notes.