Leviticus Chapter 23
The Lord God wanted the people to remember the things that He had done for them and to show their gratitude to Him. One way to get people to remember is to have a feast and a celebration. So, God commanded the people of Israel to hold seven feasts throughout every year to be a reminder of all that He had done for them. Some of these feasts would not be started until they reached the promised land, but they knew ahead of time what God expected of them. These seven feasts were days related to the Sabbath day in that they were special days set apart, to be consecrated to honor God and to do no work. These feasts were instituted primarily for the nation of Israel but there is a lot that we can learn from them.
Let's Reflect
1. In verses 1 and 2 what names did God describe these feasts as?
2. We cans see how important the observance of these feasts was to God as He describes them as days of holy convocation just as He commanded in the Ten Commandments to set aside the Sabbath as a day of holy convocation to Him and a day to do what?
3. The first feast that is described in this chapter is the feast that caused them to remember how God saved their lives in Egypt when the death angel passed over. What is this feast called?
4. The second feast coincides with the first and is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. How many days were they to eat unleavened bread during this feast?
5. The third is called the Feast of the First Fruits and was one to be celebrated once they reached the promised land. They would bring the sheaf of the first planted harvest (typically barley would have been the first plant to bloom) and bring it to the priest. This was a symbol of faith that God was going to provide a harvest for them. What did they offer as a sacrifice during this feast?
6. In verses 15-22 we find the fourth feast called the Feast of Weeks. Exactly seven weeks after they brought the first sheath of first fruits they would count out an additional fifty days and they would celebrate this feast which later became known as the Feast of Pentecost or Pentecost. Pentecost means fiftieth day in Greek. This Feast of Weeks coincided with wheat harvesting time and so bread was brought to the tabernacle. What was unusual about this bread? See verse 17.
7. In verses 23-25 we find the Feast of Trumpets, the fifth feast. This feast would have been held at the time they were harvesting grapes, figs, and olives. A lot of hard work was done when they harvested the fruits of the vine. God asked them to stop their work and remember all He had blessed them with. What was the call to the people to stop the work for this feast?
8. The sixth feast was called the Day of Atonement. This was not a celebration feast but a day the people were to afflict themselves. This meant they were to take the time to recognize their sins and to seek atonement for them. This day that was set apart to recognize and to confess their sins was held on the tenth day of the seventh month. How serious was it for a person to consecrate themselves to God on this day? See verses 29-30.
9. The seventh feast was called the Feast of Booths (or the Feast of Tabernacles). This was also held in the seventh month beginning on the 15th. This feast lasted for seven days plus one additional, which meant it began and ended with a Sabbath day. This was a beautiful harvest celebration. It would be commemorated by staying in booths during this week or tents. This would cause the Israelites to look back to this period of time when God caused them to live in temporary tents until they reached the Promised Land. What did God command them to do for seven days during the celebrations of this feast? See verse 40.
10. A principal from the yearly celebrations of these feasts is a good one for us to learn; and that is that we need to pass the truths of the scriptures on to our children and future generations. What truth did God want the Israelites to always remember when celebrating these feasts?
Devotionals
