The Feasts of the Lord – Overview
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
The Sabbath
3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
The Passover and Unleavened Bread
4 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ”
The Feast of Firstfruits
9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The Feast of Weeks
15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ”
The Feast of Trumpets
23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”
The Day of Atonement
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
The Feast of Tabernacles
33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
Introduction
"This is one of the richest and most significant chapters of Scripture, and it is well for us to reflect on it prayerfully," wrote C. H. Mackintosh on Exodus 23 in his well-known interpretation of the five books of Moses – and that is certainly true.
Exodus 23 shows us the feast calendar of the people of Israel. Seven feasts were to be celebrated each year. In addition, there was also the weekly SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More. Of course, Christians do not keep all these feasts literally (Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:16, 17), but we can understand the exemplary significance of the feasts and learn from them for our life of faith (cf. 1 Cor. 10:6).
So, what is the significance of Leviticus 23? This chapter uses the imagery of the Old Testament to show the work of God's graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More from the cross of the Lord Jesus to the millennial kingdom of peace.
Overview of the feasts
The following is an overview of the feasts in Israel and their significance [1]:
The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More (every week): No work of any kind is to be done. This means the coming SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More rests for the people of God.
- The PassoverPassover is translated as "sparing, passing by". It refers, on the one hand, to the Passover feast itself and, on the other, to the sacrifice, the Passover lamb (a foreshadowing... More (on the 14th of the first month): The PassoverPassover is translated as "sparing, passing by". It refers, on the one hand, to the Passover feast itself and, on the other, to the sacrifice, the Passover lamb (a foreshadowing... More lamb is slaughtered. Meaning: the death of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More as the basis of blessingA blessing is something good, in the Old Testament, usually associated with possessions, prosperity, and health, and is usually pronounced over someone. In principle, the lesser is blessed by the... More.
- The Feast of Unleavened BreadSeven-day festival that immediately followed the Passover (Feast of Redemption) (Lev 23:5.6). Special feature: only unleavened bread was allowed to be eaten during this week. Everything prepared with leaven had... More (from the 15th to the 21st of the first month): Only unleavened bread may be eaten. Meaning: The whole life of the redeemed is characterized by purity and truth.
- The Feast of the First Sheaf (on the Sunday after PassoverPassover is translated as "sparing, passing by". It refers, on the one hand, to the Passover feast itself and, on the other, to the sacrifice, the Passover lamb (a foreshadowing... More): The first sheaf of the harvest is brought to God. Meaning: the resurrection of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More.
- The Feast of WeeksFifty days or seven weeks (hence the name of the feast) after the feast of the firstfruits, a "new" grain offering consisting of two "loaves" had to be brought (Lev... More (on the 7th Sunday after the Feast of the FirstfruitsOn the first Sunday after the Passover, which symbolically refers to the death of our Savior Jesus Christ, Israel had to bring a bundle of grain from the first grain... More): A new grain offering of leavenA dough for the production of baked goods that is usually kept in fermentation by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. The fermentation process is stopped when leaven is exposed to... More is offered to the LORD. Meaning: Descent of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More to form the congregation.
- The Feast of Trumpets (on the 1st of the seventh month): Trumpets are blown in remembrance. Meaning: Return and revival of God's earthly people at the end of days.
- The Day of AtonementAtonement means that God's righteous wrath against sin has been appeased. This does not mean that God was an enemy of man but that we were enemies of God. Atonement... More (on the 10th of the seventh month): AtonementAtonement means that God's righteous wrath against sin has been appeased. This does not mean that God was an enemy of man but that we were enemies of God. Atonement... More sacrifices are made for the mortifying people. This means Israel's repentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More and acceptance of their MessiahMessiah is a Hebrew word (Maschíach) meaning “the Anointed One.” In the New Testament, the Greek form “the Christ” is used and applied to the Lord Jesus alone. The Jews,... More, who brought about atonementAtonement means that God's righteous wrath against sin has been appeased. This does not mean that God was an enemy of man but that we were enemies of God. Atonement... More on the cross.
- The Feast of Tabernacles (from the 15th to the 22nd of the seventh month): The people dwell joyfully in Tabernacles. This means the joy of Israel in the kingdom of peace. The first four feasts are feasts in the spring. In typology, they are associated with the first coming of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. [2] These feasts are fulfilled.[3] The last three feasts are autumn feasts. They are associated with the second coming of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. These feasts have not yet been fulfilled [4].
Right at the beginning of this chapter, it is emphasized that these are the feasts of the LORD; God calls them "My feasts" (Lev. 23:1,2). But when the Lord Jesus was on earth, the Holy Spirit speaks of these feasts as feasts of the Jews (John 5:1; 6:4; 7:2). The "holy assemblies," which were supposed to have God at their center, had obviously degenerated into a mere form.
The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More
The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More occupies a special positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More in Exodus 23. On the one hand, it is counted among the feasts (Lev. 23:2); on the other hand, it is not counted among the feasts (Lev. 23:4). It is a special feast, a special time: the weekly day of rest.
The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More is a reminder of God's creative rest (Ex. 20:11). However, it was only instituted when the people of Israel were redeemed from Egypt (Deut. 5:12-15). The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More became the covenant signThe Gospel of John tells us about eight signs that the Lord Jesus performed. These signs, which are also miracles, point to something special. They aim to help us grow... More of God's earthly people (Ex. 31:13). The nations, on the other hand, were never commanded to keep the SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More.
The SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More speaks typologically of God's great goal: God wants to rest with pleasure in view of His creation, and He wants people to share in this rest. The entire treatise in Exodus 23 on the feasts of Israel, therefore, begins with the end of God's ways. It is not uncommon in God's word that the goal of God is mentioned at the beginning and then the way to it is presented (for example, in Ps. 84; Isa. 52:13-53:12; John 14-16).
We Christians have found rest for our hearts and consciences in ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, but we still live in a worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More full of unrest. How good it is to know that a SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More rest is still reserved for God's people (Heb. 4:9)! We wait for it joyfully and with great certainty.
Footnotes:
[1] Two feasts mentioned in the Bible were only added later: They are the Feast of Purim (Est 9:23-32) and the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple (John 10:22), which is also called the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah (= "consecration").
[2] Remarkably, the New Testament shows the figurative meaning of the first four feasts: see 1 Corinthians 5:7 (PassoverPassover is translated as "sparing, passing by". It refers, on the one hand, to the Passover feast itself and, on the other, to the sacrifice, the Passover lamb (a foreshadowing... More), 1 Corinthians 5:7.8 (unleavened bread), 1 Corinthians 15:20.23 (firstfruits), Acts 2:1 (PentecostThis name (Greek) is used twice in the New Testament and means "the fiftieth day.” This refers to the 50th day after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This day... More / Feast of WeeksFifty days or seven weeks (hence the name of the feast) after the feast of the firstfruits, a "new" grain offering consisting of two "loaves" had to be brought (Lev... More).
[3] The Feast of Unleavened BreadSeven-day festival that immediately followed the Passover (Feast of Redemption) (Lev 23:5.6). Special feature: only unleavened bread was allowed to be eaten during this week. Everything prepared with leaven had... More plays a special role among the annual feasts, as it has a practical rather than a salvific significance: It is about the holy, righteous life of the redeemed before God in all their days (cf. Lk. 1:75). In this respect, this feast is not yet completely fulfilled. - Apart from the Feast of Tabernacles, it is the only feast that lasts several days.
[4] We find a division of the series of seven into four and three parts several times in Scripture. We need only recall the parables in Matthew 13, the epistles (Rev. 2 and 3), the seven sealA seal confirms the valid conclusion of a transaction or the authenticity of a document. Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30). This means... More judgments, and the seven trumpet judgments (Rev. 6; 8; 11).
