17 “Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD.
This is such a curious statement to me. Part of this new nation, this new way of living that the Lord is introducing involves large corporate worship. Our economy could not last if we took three distinct vacations simultaneously. Imagine everybody traveling at the same time to a single destination. Of course most of the traveling was done by foot, but still the roads would have been overcrowded. The infrastructure of Jerusalem would be overtaxed. How could all those extra people be taken care of in such a small area? And yet that is exactly what the Lord calls the Israelites to do. Notice that it is the men who are required to travel, not the women. I love this! The tendency for women to lead in churches is present even today. They are the ones who do most of the small needed tasks in the church. They are the ones teaching the kids, doing the planning of events. But the Lord says that the men are to be taking the lead. They must gather three times a year for worship. They must take responsibility for the spiritual condition of their family and of their nation. They can’t use their jobs as an excuse for not going to church. They are required to attend. I know there are many wives who would love for their husbands to take a leadership role in the spiritual health of their family. So often, even in homes where the husband is a believer, the women still carry the burden of spiritual leadership because the man does not step up. As the Lord sets up this new nation, one of the new rules is the leadership role given to the men.
The Arnold Journey 