Lev 23
Sabbath v3
Passover vv4-5
Feast of Unleavened Bread vv6-8
Feast of Firstfruits vv9-14
Feast of Trumpets vv23-25
Day of Atonement vv26-32
Feast of Booths vv33-44
Introduction
Read Vv1-2
Prophet speaking the King's decree
Holy-days
Purpose
To remember
To serve as shadows and types of Christ by highlighting God's redemptive work in the past, present, and future.
He is a good God, but not safe
God Centered
Explanation
Calendar with a built in Catechism
Looking forward
Looking Back
Work and Rest are both good things prefall (Probationary Period)
Practical
Explanation
Looking Forward
Looking Back
Was instituted by God for his people in Egypt during the 10th Plague.
This day pointed ahead to a day when God's people would not only experience a temporary covering of their sin, but a full pardon from God's judgement and wrath.
John the Baptist stated: Behold...
Jesus was in Jerusalem for his death during the feast of Passover.
Jesus Enters Jerusalem on the 10th day
Read John 12:1 (Bethany 6 days before Passover (14th))
Read John 12:12-13 (Triumphal Entry)
The very day the people set aside their lambs, Christ comes into Jerusalem to be set aside as the ultimate Passover lamb.
Examination
What important requirement must the lamb meet that God requires?
This is why the lamb was set aside for 5 days until the 14th.
Look at Matthew 21:23-37 (his Authority is challenged). Are they successful in finding fault?
Look at Matthew 22. What pattern do you see at the start of each section? (trying to find fault)
Were they successful? v46
They finally take him before Pilate, and what does he say? (John 19:4)
Sacrifice
Jesus is crucified on the day that the Passover lambs were killed
The lambs would be sacrificed at 3pm and completed at 6pm when the new day starts.
Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter at 9am (Mark 15:25)
Jesus dies at 3pm/9th hour (Mark 15:33-34)
What Biblical prophecy took place at the cross that parallels with a requirement for the Passover lamb?
Proof Texts of why Jesus was sacrificed (FOR US!)
1 Peter 1:18-21
1 Corinthians 5:7
A celebration of God delivering his people from judgement and death.
Explanation (Break from the past)
Looking forward
Exodus 12:17
1) The unleavened bread represented God's people's quick departure from the land of slavery.
Looking Back
Jesus would transform the Passover meal into the Lord's Supper. Now, instead of eating lamb, we eat his body by faith when we take of the bread. The blood of the Passover lambs of old that was painted on the door post, was fully realized in the blood Christ shed for the forgiveness of our sins which he tells us to remember as we drink the blood of the new covenant in the Lord's Supper which he instituted.
With great anticipation the people of God were to look forward to the rest that would one day come when true peace was achieved when sin and death were defeated by the seed of the woman.
This is why the Jews looked forward to a day of rest at the end of their week.
As Christians, we celebrate the Sabbath at the start of our week. Not only is this done because Jesus was raised to new life on Sunday, and this was the practice of God's new covenant people from the start of the resurrection, but also because in God's infinite wisdom, he has arranged it to remind us that we now start our week in rest. We don't have to look forward to it, our reality lives out of it.
Psychologist have talked about the devastating effects that a constant work mindset has had on Americans. The Sabbath is a gift God has given us of having a weekly reset to break free from the tyranny of endless work. We are not self-sufficient, and the Sabbath keeps us from the consequences of living as if we were.
Express (read the paper)
Explanation
For 7 days they were only to eat unleavened bread. This was to serve as a daily reminder to them that they had been called out of the land of slavery and therefore, should not to return. They were to start new (illustration of bread).
2) Leaven began to have a representative meaning of sin to the Israelites.
The very day Jewish families were purging and ridding the leaven from their homes, Jesus was buried taking our sin to the grave. God's people had been delivered from the real land of slavery for good.
God doesn't just care about our position, but also our condition.
A time of celebrating the grace of God as evidenced by what he had done for his people in giving them new life of freedom.
God delivered his people from their bondage in Egypt, and not only that, he promised them a land that will give abundant harvest (life). v10
This holiday is essentially their Thanksgiving
We also see in v10 that they demonstrate their celebration of giving thanks by dedicating the firstfruits of their harvest.
Looking forward
click to edit
Looking Back
This holy feast reminds the people of God to continue to look to the Lord for his provision in that land. They are to be reminded that not only does he provide by bringing them into the Land, but he continues to provide for their daily needs.
The Passover is a holy-day celebrating their justification, while the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits is more about their sanctification.
They are to be a grateful people for the grace of God at work in their lives.
As Christians we look back to Christ as our Passover Lamb and know that we have been justified by his sacrifice. Because we have been baptized into his death, we like Christ, have also been raised to new life.
This dedication of the firstfruits represented the whole of the harvest. In other words, they were signifying that it all came from and belonged to the Lord.
This new life came via the resurrection, which occurred on the day of the festival of the firstfruits. So, as the people participated in the feast that celebrates new life and God's provision was being celebrated Easter was occurring that very same day.
Jesus is the firstfruit of this new creation. (1 Cor. 15:20-23, 54-57)
This new and abundant life that the Israelites were to have in the Promised Land foreshadows the greater life we have in Christ (the already), and the perfect life we will have when Christ returns (the not yet). Just as the dedicated the firstfruits as a sign of gratitude, so God's people today are to make a dedication of thanksgiving to the Lord.
Romans 12:1-2
How many of you have already had your phone go off with alerts this morning? We are a society constantly bombarded by alerts.
Feast of Weeks vv15-22
Explanation
As Christians, the Sabbath reminds us of a couple of things. First, it serves as a reminder to us that we are to rest from our works, and to rest instead in the work of Christ who has achieved for us peace with God. Second, as we observe the Sabbath, we are to reminded of, and look forward to, the eternal rest that awaits us.
This feast was marked by its many offerings, and it was designed to be an offering of praise. It came at the end of the harvest, unlike the Feast of Firstfruits, which came at the beginning.
They would reflect on the harvest and offer up these many offerings as token or praise and acknowledging that all they harvested came not from their hands, but by God's favor.
Child offering up his ice cream to his father out of a grateful heart.(I don't need the ice cream, but I delight in my child's heart)
This aim of this feast is similar to the WSC. This festival was designed to glorify God and for them to enjoy him forever as they celebrated their dependence upon his gracious provision.
Explanation
It is hard to overstate the importance of this holy day to God's people. The holy of holies was only to be entered upon one time in the entire year, and it could only be entered by the high priest. He would have a rope and bells tied to him so that if he was struck dead, he could be pulled out.
Looking Forward
Looking Back (fulfillment)
What this celebration should have pointed this growing nation to was a greater day when God's people from all over the Earth would come to him giving thanks for being brought into his presence.
The promise to Abraham: All the nations will be blessed.
Isaiah 59:6 I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Pentecost
Isaiah 66:18-20
God gathered to himself a harvest of souls from all nations.
He did this through the sending of the Spirit which took place on this very holy festival, the day of Pentecost (50 weeks) in Acts 2. Look at v16.
All of the nations are blessed though Jesus, the offspring of Abraham. All nations and tribes will now give praise and thanks to God. This was of course promised in Joel 2 when he speaks of the Lord's Spirit being poured out and that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
It's the reversal of Babel. Instead of all people having their language confused and scattered, they are instead united together and able to understand one another. The tower of Babel was a people wanting to gain for themselves glory, Pentecost was when the various people coming together desired to give God glory.
(IF time) Matthew 9:36-38 (harvest is plentiful but the laborers a few)
Look at v17. What type of bread is to be used? What did we say leaven can represent? This is the only feast that allows for leavened bread. Why do you think that is so?
Now forget all electronic technology and figure out how you are going to get a whole nation's attention? The blowing of trumpets served that purpose.
It was a Sabbath day on the (7)th month, so it was to be a day of rest.
Visitation
This was known as Israel's new year in the civil calendar. The blowing of the shofar announced that someone was coming.
Up to this point, the shofar has only been recorded in use at one point; Exodus 19:16,19 and 20:18
The people would have associated the blowing of the shofar with the visitation of the Lord. (Exodus 19:9)
This festival served as a prelude to a greater festival, the day of Atonement 9 days later when God would come in the flame of fire to devour the sacrifice. This is why it is a solemn day of rest v24.
Looking Forward
Looking back
We can look back and see how God has visited his people through Christ's incarnation. He came to serve his people as the suffering servant.
The sound of that shofar will blow again, and it will be a day of judgement.
Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thess. 4:13-18
This is why it was to be a day of rest. They were to prepare their hearts for his coming.
for the messiah who would come and save God's people
The Gospels tell us that they were looking for the day the Messiah would come.
John 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
This holy-day was like a coin. On one side, the holiness of God was being portrayed, on the other side, Israel's sinfulness. The sum total emphasis and point of this sacred day would be answering the question of how unholy people can stand before a holy God?
First, the priest's guilt had to be dealt with. For instance, they had to bathe and sacrifice a bull for himself and his household.
The people were in need of sacrifices as well. Two goats were involved. One was sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other had the sins of the people confessed upon it while the priest placed it's hand on the goats head, and then it was driven into the wilderness.
The high priest would sprinkle the blood of the bull on the ark seven times for himself and his household, then he took the blood of the goat, and sprinkled its blood on the ark seven times for the people.
Looking forward
We could spend hours just in the book of Hebrews looking at how Christ has secured our complete atonement. The book of Hebrews tells us that:
Sin kills
This holy day was to show the Israelites two needs in order for their sins to be atoned; the shedding of blood and a substitute.
They looked forward to the Messiah who could provide the ultimate atonement.
The DoA pointed to how sin contaminates all things. This is why everything had to be purified; the priests, the holy room, the Holy of Holies, all the way to the alter.
This pointed to the need for the messiah to take away sin completely and pay for it fully.
Related to the messiah, was the understanding that they were in need of a substitute just as the DoA demonstrated.
We also see the need for an atonement that provides both propitiation (satisfy the righteous anger of God) through expiation (the removal of guilt).
Part of the ultimate atonement that God's people under the Old Covenant would have been looking for is a clean conscience. Heb. 9:9
He was the great high priest who didn't need to make sacrifices on his behalf
He secured our atonement once and for all.
Related, he didn't temporarily cover up our sin through an animal sacrifice, but actually removed our sin by offering himself up as the God-man.
He is able to cleanse our conscience
Like the scapegoat, Christ was driven outside of the camp and he removed our sin as far as the east is from the west.
We can enter into the Holy of Holies because of our great high priest tearing the curtain that divides in two.
Hebrews 10:11-12 (sit/stand)
Explanation
Another feast full of offerings.
Looking Forward
Looking Back
In this feast, the Israelites would dwell in makeshift booths for seven days. For seven days they were to constantly be reminded of how they were powerless to save themselves and totally dependent upon God for salvation. It was a week long reminder of redemption, mercy, grace, God's love, etc.
v40 shows us one important distinction that sets this feast apart from all of the others. It's the only feast where the Lord explicitly states (you shall rejoice)
Why were they to do all of this? V43
He wants to the coming generations to know of their fathers exodus from Egypt and time in the wilderness. This holiday was to teach them redemptive history, an experiential catechism, and it was to remind them of their current situation, as beneficiaries of God's deliverance of their people.
liberation
pilgrimage
This Feast of Booths was to remind them of their times as slaves in Egypt, and as pilgrims before they were brought home to the Promised Land. They were to have this intentional time of remembering what God had done for them, in order to combats man's bent towards thinking he can save himself.
Not from a physical oppressor like Pharoah or Rome, but from Satan himself. The great war between the serpent and the woman's seed has ended in victory for God's people.
Experiential family worship
Does anyone know what another name for this festival is? (Sukkoth = tent or booth) Does anyone know the name of the first city that the Israelites encamped at after leaving Egypt? (Exodus 13:20)
Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16
Jesus has promised us that though we are pilgrims, he is even now, preparing a place for us. We have an eternal home, the true promised land which we are to set our sights on.
Tabernacle
As we think back on the Feast of Tabernacles, we should keep in mind that God was willing to dwell among his people a tent; the tabernacle. Even more so, we should look back on the fact that our Savior was willing to tabernacle among us (John 1:14). He came to this earth to dwell in an earthly tent so that we might enter into the Promised Land.
Ex. 12:26-27