Leviticus · chapter 23 of 27
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Leviticus 23 presents the calendar of the Lord's appointed feasts: the weekly Sabbath, Passover and Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. Each marks a time to stop work, remember God's work and celebrate his provision.
So far the book has taught how to approach God, how to live in holiness and how to serve in the sanctuary. Leviticus 23 adds time: God sets apart not only places and people but also days. The feasts organized Israel's life around the memory of the exodus and gratitude for the harvest, and the New Testament sees in several of them an announcement of Christ.
The Lord tells Moses to proclaim the appointed feasts, holy convocations. Work is done six days and the seventh is the Sabbath, a day of solemn rest. In the first month, on the fourteenth day, Passover begins, and from the fifteenth, seven days of unleavened bread, with a holy convocation on the first and the seventh.
When they enter the land, they will bring the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest on the day after the Sabbath, and a lamb without blemish is offered. No new bread is to be eaten before that offering. They will count seven full weeks and, on the fiftieth day, present a new grain offering with two loaves baked with leaven, in addition to animal offerings. When reaping, they are not to gather the edges of the field, for the poor and the foreigner.
On the first day of the seventh month there is a rest, with the blowing of trumpets. The tenth day is the Day of Atonement: humble yourselves, do no work and present an offering; whoever does not will be cut off from his people. On the fifteenth day the Feast of Booths begins, seven days of offerings; the first and the eighth are days of rest. The Israelites are to live in booths of branches so that their descendants will know that the Lord made them live in booths when he brought them out of Egypt.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Six days work is done, and the seventh is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. God sets a rhythm of rest in the life of the people, and calls it his own, wherever they live. The Sabbath is the first and most constant of the appointed times.
The Lord's Passover is kept on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight. It recalls the night the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt. In the New Testament Paul calls Christ our Passover, sacrificed for us.
When reaping the land, the edges of the field are not to be gathered or gleaned. That part is left for the poor and the foreigner. In the middle of the calendar of feasts, the text reminds us that celebrating before God includes generosity toward those with less.
The Israelites live in booths so that their descendants will know God made them live that way when he brought them out of Egypt. The feast turns the memory of the wilderness into harvest joy, and reminds them that their whole life depends on the Lord's provision.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Work is done six days and the seventh is a Sabbath of rest. — Leviticus 23:3
Answer: On the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight. — Leviticus 23:5
Answer: Seven days, beginning on the fifteenth day of the month. — Leviticus 23:6
Answer: Fifty days, after counting seven full weeks. — Leviticus 23:15-16
Answer: The Day of Atonement: the people humble themselves and do no work. — Leviticus 23:27-28
Answer: So their descendants would know the Lord made them dwell in booths when he brought them out of Egypt. — Leviticus 23:42-43
Leviticus 23 shows that time also belongs to God. Today, the rhythm of the week, rest and the dates we celebrate can shape our faith. In a Sunday school class you can talk about which practices of rest, gratitude and memory help a family live centered on God.
The New Testament sees in these feasts an announcement of Christ: our Passover, the firstfruits of the resurrection, the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, our atonement and God's dwelling with his people. To celebrate is to remember what God did and look ahead to what he will do, and to do it with generosity toward the poor.
Leviticus 23 joins the people's calendar with God's work and leaves a model of memory and celebration. Leviticus 24 returns to the sanctuary with the lamp oil and the bread of the Presence, and presents a case of blasphemy that shows one law for all.
Paul calls Christ our Passover and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Pentecost coincides with the coming of the Spirit in Acts, and Hebrews relates the Day of Atonement to his work. Many Christians see in the feasts announcements of his life, death and resurrection, though not every detail is stated explicitly.
Christians hold different views. Many understand that the ceremonial calendar was fulfilled in Christ and is not binding today, though studying it enriches faith. Others choose to observe some feasts as remembrance. The New Testament teaches not to judge anyone over such matters.