God Wanted His People To Observe Eight Special Occasions -- Here they are.

Leviticus 23:1-44

Day 24 of self-isolation. Sunny. Quiet. More reading, studying, playing Scrabble. Some of us seem to be getting used to this serenity. Not sure if that is good or bad. Do miss seeing the younger grandchildren though. Thankful for the ability to interact with them on our computers. Tomorrow is Easter.  We will celebrate it as best we can. And today’s study in Leviticus covers God’s instructions regarding eight special times of the year.

The Passage

This 23^rd chapter of Leviticuskjk  is broken down into eight sections (by verses shown) as follows:

i.               1-3 talks about the weekly Sabbath

ii.             4-5 talks about the Passover

iii.            6-8 talks about Feast of Unleavened Bread

iv.            9-14 talks about the First Fruits

v.              15-22 talks about Pentecost (and you thought that was only a N.T. thing)

vi.            23-25 talks about the blowing of Trumpets

vii.           26-32 talks about the Day of Atonement, and

viii.         33-44 talks about the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

Thoughts on the Passage

We note first of all in verse 2 that these eight times are all “appointed times” by God that require His people to proclaim as “holy convocations”.  A convocation is the action of calling people together for a large formal assembly.  Clearly there was an expectation by God that the Israelites gather together on these occasions. It’s a good thing they didn’t have to self-isolate back then due to some pandemic (other than the requirements for being isolated given earlier in this book of Leviticus).  For us today, while we cannot physically be together in one place, we can still celebrate God’s convocations for us through on-line livestreaming of services from our customary places of worship.

i.               The Weekly Sabbath

Work for six days, then “complete rest” on the seventh.

ii.             The Passover

The Lord’s Passover is to be observed once a year in the first month (known as Nisan), the 14^th day, at twilight (or as translate ‘between the two evenings’). This was not a rush job.

iii.            The Feast of Unleavened Bread

This is a feast that lasts seven days and immediately follows the Passover. It requires the people to eat unleavened bread, plus they are to do no work on the first and last of these seven days. In addition, on each of the seven days the people are to present an offering by fire to the Lord.

iv.            The First Fruits

At harvest time each year, the first fruits to be reaped are to be given to the priest. He presents it to the Lord on the day after the (next) sabbath. At the same time a male lamb is to be offered to the Lord. And there’s also a grain offering to be made. And during that time the people shall not eat bread and they shall not roast grain.  This observance was to go on annually throughout all generations.

v.              Pentecost

This observance is to take place for seven complete sabbaths after the First Fruits offerings referred to above. On the 50^th day, the people were to present a new grain offering along with several animal offerings (see verses 18 and 19).  That same day is also to be a “holy convocation” with no work to be done. It is an observance to be held throughout the generations.

And it is interesting that at the end of this section, rather than the one of First Fruits, God reminds the people in verse 22 that they are not to reap to the very corners of their fields, but to leave the fruits there the needy and “the alien”, the strangers amongst us.

vi.            The blowing of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)

On the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) they were to rest and blow the trumpets as well as meet together. No work was to be done and an offering was to be made to the Lord. The text gives no specific reason for this observance.

vii.           The Day of Atonement

On the tenth day of the seventh month – nine days after the blowing of Trumpets the Israelites were to observe the Day of Atonement, with a holy convocation and an offering. This was an atonement on their behalf before God. No work was to be done. It seems that this would fall on a sabbath (verse 32) and that may be so, as I am not familiar with the modern Jewish calendar.

This is the first observance listed here that carries a penalty for non-compliance; verse 29 says such an individual would be cut off from the people. And, worse still, if anyone does any work on that day, he was to be destroyed from among the people by God. The observance was to be perpetual.

viii.         The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Succoth)

Now just five days after the Day of Atonement, is the Feast of Booths which lasts seven days. First day is a holy convocation and no work is allowed. All seven days require offerings. On the eighth day (after the feast) they are to do no work, have a holy convocation, and make an offering.

In verse 42, the people are told to live in booths for seven days so that all may know that God had asked this of the Israelites to commemorate their living in booths or tents when they were fleeing Egypt. And in the big city where I live, we can see these tents or booths out in front of many Jewish peoples’ homes each year in observance of this feast.

In summary:

Chuck Smith reminds us that each of these feasts had its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and in the church, and in the New Testament.

David Guzik says that technically there were seven feasts plus the Sabbath. Guzik gives a detailed analysis of what each feast represents to us and for us today.  You can read it here -- Guzik on meaning of the symbolism of the Feasts. Well worth looking it up and scrolling down to that part.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.