Title Leviticus 23:1-44
Contents
<Text> Leviticus 23:1-44 / Hymn: 453 ‘I want to know more about Jesus’
Following the content of the priest who presides over the sacrifice to be holy, today's text is a record of the feasts designated by God. Let's look at some of the practical things related to rest, worship, praise, and thanksgiving.
The first is the Sabbath (verse 3). He made them work for six days and rest on the seventh day. This Sabbath began from the foundation of the world (Genesis 2:3) and was instituted as a law through Moses (Exodus 31:14-16). And the Sabbath was completed as a Sunday to commemorate the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The second is the Passover (v. 5). Passover means ‘to pass over’ or ‘to go beyond’. It is derived from the fact that the house of Israel ran over when there was the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, that came upon Egypt. In other words, it is a festival to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.
The third is the Feast of Unleavened Bread (verse 6). The Feast of Unleavened Bread means ‘unfermented bread’ or ‘unleavened bread’. The Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, and is the feast of eating unleavened bread for a week. The reason why we eat unleavened bread together with bitter herbs for 7 days is to remember the agony of slavery in Egypt and the dire situation at the time of the Exodus, when there was not even time to inflate the leaven.
The fourth is the Feast of First Fruits. The Feast of Firstfruits is a season to offer the first fruits of the barley harvest to God. It was held the day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. No one could eat the first fruit of the barley harvest until the first sheaf of harvested grain was offered to the priest and offered as a wave offering, and at the same time the burnt offering, grain offering, and drink offering were held at the Feast of Firstfruits (verse 14).
The fifth is Pentecost. The name of Pentecost, Israel's greatest agricultural economy, comes from the meaning of the 50th day after the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Pentecost is called the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest. During this feast, He made us consider the poor and the weak (verse 22). After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Day of Pentecost is observed as a festival to commemorate receiving the Law at Mount Sinai.
The sixth is the Feast of Trumpets (verse 24). The Feast of Trumpets is also called the New Year's Day. As a Sabbath day, it was celebrated by blowing trumpets in various parts of the country, and in the central sanctuary, rituals were held to celebrate the new year. On this day, the trumpet sound was repeated throughout the day at regular intervals to announce the arrival of a new day for God and to announce the arrival of a new day with joy.
The seventh is the Day of Atonement (verse 27). He made it to be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month every year, and it is a day to atone for the sins of the high priest and the people, and to sanctify the sanctuary and all its utensils. On this day, even very trivial things like cooking food and starting a fire were strictly forbidden.
All these feasts are those designated by Jehovah Himself. During this feast, no work was done and only a period of concentrating on God's grace was allowed to be spent. He made us commemorate the difficult wilderness life and gave thanks for the joy of the harvest that was finished in God's grace.
Through the seasons, we learn that God, who has guided our lives every moment, wants us to receive our praise, worship, and repentance. It is not a festival limited to the people of Israel in the Old Testament era, but we want to praise and worship God through the sacrifices of our every moment of life and repent of our sins so that we can live today as God's people. The season of Advent, when we are determined to live as a pure people and look forward to the Lord, will be filled with a greater time of grace.
<Today's Prayer>
Please help us to understand the heart of Father who always wants to communicate with us who are lacking and weak and live as a people who praise and worship You every day. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.