Leviticus 23
BBCLeviticus 23:1
VIII. THE FEASTS OF THE LORD (Chap. 23)A. The Sabbath (23:1-3)The religious calendar of Israel now becomes the subject of God’s legislation. The LORD told the children of Israel through Moses to proclaim the feasts of the LORD as holy convocations. After six days of labor, the seventh day, or Sabbath, was to be a day of rest from work. This was the only weekly holy day.
Leviticus 23:4
B. The Passover (23:4, 5)The LORD’s Passover was held on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan, or Abib). It commemorated Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt. The Passover lamb was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God, our Passover (1Co_5:7), whose blood was shed to redeem us from slavery to sin. He did not die at Creation but in the fullness of time (Gal_4:4-6).
Leviticus 23:6
C. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (23:6-8)The Feast of Unleavened Bread occurred in connection with the Passover. It extended over a period of seven days, beginning with the day after Passoveri.e., from the fifteenth day of Nisan to the twenty-first. The names of these two feasts are often used interchangeably. During this time the Jews were required to put away all leaven from their households. In Scripture, leaven speaks of sin.
The feast pictures a life from which the leaven of malice and wickedness has been put away, and a life which is characterized by “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Co_5:8). There was no lapse between the Passover (our redemption) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (our obligation to walk in holiness) . . . Even today the Jews eat unleavened bread during this feast. The bread is called matzo. The preparation of matzo involves piercing the bread, and in the baking process it becomes striped. This unleavened bread clearly reminds us of the sinless Messiah.
He was pierced for us, and by His stripes we are healed.
Leviticus 23:9
D. The Feast of Firstfruits (23:9-14)The presentation of a wave . . . sheaf of barley took place the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (on the day after the Sabbath i.e., the first day of the week). This is known as the Feast of Firstfruits. It marked the beginning of the barley harvest, the first grain of the year. A sheaf of barley was waved before the LORD in thanksgiving for the harvest. A burnt offering and a grain offering were also presented. This first harvest was viewed as the promise of the larger harvest to come. This pictures Christ in resurrection"Christ . . . the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1Co_15:20). His resurrection is the guarantee that all who put their faith in Him will also gain immortality through resurrection.
Leviticus 23:15
E. The Feast of Weeks (23:15-22)23:15-22 The Feast of Weeks (Heb., She3vfbf4t) or Pentecost (Gk. for “fifty”) was held fifty days . . . after the Passover Sabbath. It was a harvest festival thanking God for the beginning of the wheat harvest. The firstfruits of the wheat harvest were presented at this time, along with a burnt offering, a new grain offering, drink offerings, and a peace offering. According to Jewish tradition, Moses received the law on this day of the year. The Feast is typical of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, when the church was brought into existence. The wave offering consisted of two . . loaves of bread made from the freshly reaped fine flour. (This was the only offering that was made with leaven.) These loaves represent, in type, the Jews and the Gentiles made into “one new man in [Christ]” (Eph_2:15). After Pentecost there was a long interval, about four months, before there was another feast. This span of time may picture the present church age, in which we eagerly await the return of our Savior.
Leviticus 23:23
F. The Feast of Trumpets (23:23-25)The Feast of Trumpets took place on the first day of the . . . seventh month. The blowing of trumpets called the sons of Israel together for a solemn holy convocation. At this time there was a period of ten days for self-examination and repentance, leading up to the Day of Atonement. It typifies the time when Israel will be regathered to the land prior to her national repentance. This was the first day of the civil year, today called Rosh Hashanah (Heb. head of the year). Some see this feast as picturing another gathering as wellthat is, the gathering of the saints to meet the Lord in the air at the Rapture.
Leviticus 23:26
G. The Day of Atonement (23:26-32)The Day of Atonement (Heb., Yf4m Kippur), occurring on the tenth day of the seventh month, has been described in detail in chapter 16. It prefigures the national repentance of Israel, when a believing remnant will turn to the Messiah and be forgiven (Zec_12:10; Zec_13:1). In almost every verse dealing with the Day of Atonement, God repeats the command to do no work. The only person who was to be active on this day was the high priest. The Lord reinforced the charge by threatening to destroy any person who violated it.
This is because the salvation which our High Priest obtained for us was “not on the basis of deeds which we have done” (Tit_3:5). There can be no human works involved in the business of removing our sins. Christ’s work and His alone is the source of eternal salvation. To “afflict your souls” (vv. 27, 29) means to fast. Even today religious Jews observe the day as a time for fasting and prayer. Although the Day of Atonement is listed among the feasts of Jehovah, it was actually a time for fasting rather than feasting.
However, after the sin question was settled, there came a time of rejoicing in the Feast of Tabernacles.
Leviticus 23:33
H. The Feast of Tabernacles (23:33-44)The Feast of Tabernacles (Heb., Sukkf4th, “booths”) began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. For seven days the Israelites dwelt in booths (v. 42). It pictured the final rest and final harvest, when Israel will be dwelling securely in the land during the Millennium. This feast is also called the Feast of Ingathering (Exo_23:16). It was associated with harvesting. In fact several of the feasts mentioned in this chapter have to do with harvesting. The two Sabbaths may picture the Millennium and the Eternal Rest. Moishe and Ceil Rosen describe the tradition: The Jewish people built booth-like structures and lived in them during this feast as a reminder of the temporary dwellings the Israelites had in the wilderness. Even today many Jewish people build open-roofed, three-sided huts for this festival. They decorate them with tree boughs and autumn fruits to remind them of harvest. Everyone who was able came up to Jerusalem for this harvest festival every year. The Temple worship for the holiday included the ritual pouring of water from the Pool of Siloam, symbolic of the prayers for the winter rains. It was at this time that Jesus cried out, “. . . If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink” (Joh_7:37-38). After Israel’s final day of atonement, the Feast of Booths will be celebrated again in Jerusalem (Zec_14:16). One of the things the Lord sought to teach His people through the feasts was the close association between the spiritual and the physical aspects of life. Times of bounty and blessing were to be times of rejoicing before the LORD. The Lord was portrayed to them as the One who abundantly provided for their daily needs. Their response as a nation to His goodness found expression in the festivals connected with the harvest. Notice the repetition of the commandment that the Israelites were to do no servile or customary work on these solemn occasions (vv. 3, 7, 8, 21, 25, 28, 30, 31, 35, 36). A definite chronological progression can be traced in the Feasts of Jehovah. The Sabbath takes us back to God’s rest after creation. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread speak to us of Calvary. Next comes the Feast of Firstfruits, pointing to the resurrection of Christ. The Feast of Pentecost typifies the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then looking to the future, the Feast of Trumpets pictures the regathering of Israel. The Day of Atonement foreshadows the time when a remnant of Israel will repent and acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. Finally the Feast of Tabernacles sees Israel enjoying the millennial reign of Christ.