SCRIPTURE: LEVITICUS 23
IMPORTANT VERSES:
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts for the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
THE SABBATH (vs. 3)
“There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.
THE PASSOVER AND UNLEAVENED BREAD (vs. 4-8)
“‘These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Feast of unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present an offering made to the Lord by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
FIRSTFRUITS (vs. 9-14)
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths or an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil – an offering made to the Lord by fire, a pleasing aroma – and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
FEAST OF WEEKS (vs. 15-22)
:From the day after the Sabbath, they day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave-offering of first fruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings – an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.;”
FEAST OF TRUMPETS (vs. 23-25)
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.'”
DAY OF ATONEMENT (vs. 26-22)
The Lord said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You8 shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.:
FEAST OF TABERNACLES (vs. 33-44)
The Lord said to Moses, :Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
“These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the Lord by fire – the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.)
“‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day or rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day y8ou are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days. All native born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.'”
So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.
THOUGHTS: (From Life Application Study Bible)
God wanted to set aside special days for the people to come together for rest, refreshment and remembering with thanksgiving all he had done for them. He established several national holidays each year for celebration, fellowship and worship.
THE SEVEN FEASTS:
- The Passover – Commemorating Exodus when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread – reminded Israel of their escape from Egypt. It is to be without yeast because yeast was a symbol of sin. The bread represented Israel’s moral purity. It also reminded them to leave Egypt quickly without waiting for the dough to rise.
- The Feast of Firstfruits – required that the first crops harvested be offered to God. Today, we must also set aside God’s portion first to express our thanks.
- The Feast of Harvest – a festival praising God for a bountiful harvest. We have also to praise God for his blessings.
- The Feast of the Trumpet – Trumpets were blown to announce the beginning of each month as well as the start of festivals.
- The Day of Atonement – A day of spiritual cleansing when individuals atone for sins to God.
- The Feast of Tabernacle – also known as The Feast of Shelters or the Feast of Ingathering. It was a special celebration involving the whole family. This festival taught family members of all ages about God’s nature and what he had done for them and was a time of renewed commitment to God.