The Feasts of Israel in the Old Testament
and their relevance to the Christ event
Jesus believed that the Hebrew Scriptures pointed to His crucifixion and resurrection as witnessed by what He said to His disciples after being raised from the dead. In Luke 24 is the account of two of His disciples walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus three days after Jesus was crucified. They are talking among themselves about the crucifixion and that they had been told His tomb was found to be empty. Jesus suddenly joins them but they do not immediately recognize Him. Jesus speaks to them and says the following:
Luke 24:25-27: He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
These two disciples return to Jerusalem and joined the eleven disciples of Jesus assembled together. Jesus suddenly appears to them and says the following:
Luke 24:44: He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
During His ministry, Jesus on a number of occasions spoke of the Old Testament Scriptures speaking of Him.
John 5:39: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.
John 5:46: If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
Luke 18:31-33: Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."
Apostle Peter, in addressing the Israelites of his day, spoke of Christ’s suffering as being a fulfillment of what the prophets had written.
Acts 3:18: But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer.
Acts 3:24:"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.
Apostle Paul also sees in Jesus’ death and resurrection the fulfillment of what Moses and the prophets wrote.
Acts 13:27: The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
Acts 26:22-23: But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
What writings in the Law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms was Jesus, Peter and Paul referring to? Did they have in mind the “Feasts of the Lord” that were part of the Law of Moses. A number of Christian theologians see the establishment of the “Feasts of the Lord” as prefiguring the death, resurrection and even second coming of Jesus. These Feasts are listed in Leviticus 23 where God is seen as establishing these observances.
Feasts of the LORD:
Leviticus 23:1-2: The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals (“feasts” in the KJV and other translations) of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
The Hebrew word rendered “festivals” in the above NIV translation is mō·w·‘ă·ḏê and has the basic meaning of “appointed time, place or meeting. (See Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon). This word appears 223 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Strongs Lexicon defines mō·w·‘ă·ḏê as “appointed time, meeting, assembly, festival.” The Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines it in similar terms. This word is rendered in all these ways in the various translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
I consulted 35 different translations of Leviticus 23:2 and found 16 rendered mō·w·‘ă·ḏê as “feasts” while the other 19 translations rendered mō·w·‘ă·ḏê in a variety of other ways. I have chosen to go with “feasts” in my narrative although you will see “Festival” in the NIV translation which I use throughout these essays.
In Leviticus 23:3-44 are listed and described the appointed Feasts as follows: Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Festival of Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles.
Among the many OT Scriptures that Christians believe reference the Christ event in one way or another, it is believed by many that these observances listed in Leviticus 23, were specifically designed to foreshadow the crucifixion, resurrection and return of Jesus.
Apostle Paul is seen as seeing dietary regulations, religious festivals, New Moon celebrations and Sabbath days as foreshadowing the Christ event.
Colossians 2:16-17: Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality (Greek: σῶμά (sōma), however, is found in Christ (NIV).
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ (KJV).
Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days-- these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! (NET).
Let no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths, which are a shadow of the coming things, and the body is of the Christ (Young’s Literal Translation).
The Greek σῶμά (sōma) is found 142 times in the NT. Its basic meaning is a physical body and is rendered in that manner numerous times in the NT. It is also used to identify the collective group of believers called the church (Romans 12:5 and other passages). The words “is,” “days” and “religious” are not in the Greek of Colossians 2:16-17. The Greek word (ἑορτῆς [heortēs]), rendered “festival/holyday/feast” in the above translations, means “feast or festival” (See Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).
Some Christian theologians see the Feasts of the Old Covenant system as typological of the Christ event. Typology is a method of Biblical interpretation that involves seeing Biblical events in terms of types and antitypes. For example, the Sabbath rest seen in Genesis and established under the Old Covenant, is seen as a type of our rest in Christ. The Sabbath is the type and Christ is the antitype.
The Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread and Feast of Firstfruits are seen as prefiguring the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Feast of Weeks is seen as associated with Jesus giving the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as seen in the New Testament. Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles are all seen prefiguring His return to establish His Kingdom on planet earth. These Feasts are seen as types of Christ. Christ is seen as their antitype. Some see in the Feasts the entire redemptive plan of God being prefigured.
In this series, we will look at these Feasts and determine if indeed they are seen as pointing to the Christ event. We will explore the belief that these observances were designed and established with Christ in mind. We will address the belief that there is a type and antitype relationship occurring between the Feasts and the Christ event? Let’s begin with the Sabbath.
The Sabbath:
In Genesis 2:3 it is recorded that “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested (Hebrew: shabath) from all the work of creating that he had done.” This is the only Scriptural reference to the seventh day until shortly after the exodus. In Exodus 16 we have the account of God providing “manna” for the Israelites as they journey through the wilderness. They are told to gather the manna for six days and on the sixth day to gather twice as much as there won’t be any to gather on the seventh day. They are told to rest on the seventh day. The next mention of the Sabbath is Exodus 20 where it is included in the Ten Commandments given to Moses.
Exodus 20: 8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Sabbath is next mentioned in Exodus 31 and 35 where doing work on the Sabbath is penalized by being put to death. We have this account in Numbers 15.
Numbers 15: 32-36: While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.
In Exodus 31, we have an explanation for the creation of the Sabbath. It was to be a sign between YHWH and Israel. It was seen as a covenant between God and Israel and was based on God resting on the seventh day of creation week and being refreshed. Therefore, the Sabbath pointed back to the God of Israel being the creator God and thus distinguished Israel’s God from the gods of the nation’s surrounding Israel. It identified YHWH as Israels God.
Exodus 31: 12-17: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. “ ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”
In Exodus 32:13, Israel is commanded to observe God’s Sabbaths (plural). This is seen as a sign between God and Israel so that they may know that God is the LORD (YHWH) who makes them holy (Also see Ezekiel 20:12, 20). In Leviticus 19:3 and 30, Israel is told to observe God’s Sabbaths (plural). The Sabbath command is repeated in Leviticus 23:3 where it is said to be not only a day of rest but of sacred assembly.
Leviticus 23:2: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
In Leviticus 23 are listed what are described as appointed festivals (feasts) which are proclaimed to be sacred assemblies The Sabbath is the first to be listed
Leviticus 23:3: There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD. In verse 2 we see the Sabbath characterized as an appointed Feast.
In Deuteronomy 15:12-15, Israel is again commanded to observe the Sabbath and in verse 15 we read, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
Here there is suggestion of the Sabbath command being associated with Israels time in Egypt as slaves where they probably had to work seven days a week. Now God has given them a day of rest in seven.
Exodus 23:12: “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.
In Ezekiel, the Sabbath is mentioned 15 times and mostly in the plural. Ezekiel speaks a lot about Israel desecrating the Sabbaths. As you will see as we progress with this discussion, there were High Day Sabbaths during the Feasts in addition to the weekly Sabbaths and it is these Ezekiel appears to be referring to in addition to the weekly Sabbath.
All in all, there are 96 references to the Sabbath in the OT. All these references have either to do with commands to observe the Sabbath, penalties for working on the Sabbath, various duties to be performed on the Sabbath and the presentation of various offerings on the Sabbath. There is just the one reference to the Sabbath being a day of assembly (Leviticus 23:3). There is one reference to presenting offerings on the Sabbath.
Numbers 28:9-10: ‘On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil. This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
In reviewing all OT Scriptures where the weekly Sabbath is mentioned, there is nothing in any of them to suggest that the observance of the weekly Sabbath in some manner points to the Christ event. While some may see lambs without defect being offered each Sabbath day as prefiguring Christ as the lamb without defect being offered for the sins of the world, such conclusion is interpretive conjecture as there is nothing in the Numbers 28 passage or any other OT passage making this association.
Interpretation is the act of drawing a conclusion about something based on one’s personal understanding of the dynamics involved. Conjecture is defined as an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
Passover/Unleavened Bread.
The Passover is first mentioned in Exodus 12. YHWH instructs Moses and Aaron to tell the community of Israel that on the tenth day of the first month (Nisan), each man is to pick out for his family a male lamb from the sheep or goats that is at least a year old and without any defect. They are to take care of the lamb until the fourteenth day of the month when the lamb is to be slaughtered at twilight.
The blood of the lamb is to be put on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes. They are further instructed to eat the meant of the lambs with the whole lamb roasted over the fire. They are told not to break any of the lamb’s bones (Exodus 12:11). They are also instructed to eat bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. They are further told the following:
Exodus 12:11-13: This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD (YHWH). The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
Beginning in Exodus 12:14, we see God instructing the Israelites that this day is to be commemorated throughout their generations. It is to be celebrated as a festival (Feast) to the LORD as a lasting ordinance. They are further instructed to for seven days eat bread made without yeast. This seven-day period is shown to begin at the end of the 14th and run to the end of the 21th of Abib (Aviv/Nisan). Abib/Aviv means "green ears of grain." It was the name of the first month on the Hebrew calendar. Days for Israel began and ended at sunset. The end of the 14th at sunset would be the beginning of the 15th.
They are instructed to on the first and last day of this seven-day period to hold a sacred assembly where no work is to be done except that of food preparation. They are told to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of unleavened bread as a lasting ordinance
Exodus 12:17: “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
Exodus 12:25-27: When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ”
Exodus 12:42: Because the LORD kept vigil that night (The beginning of the 15th) to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.
It is apparent that God intended for the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread to be observed as a memorial celebration of what He did to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. Here is what we read in Exodus:
Exodus 13:3, 6-10: Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
Exodus 23:15: “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
Exodus 34:18: “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
The Unleavened Bread ordinance is tied to the fact that the Israelites had to leave Egypt in haste and didn’t have time to leaven their bread. Deuteronomy 16:3 calls it “the bread of affliction because you left Egypt in haste.” The observance of Unleavened Bread appears to be memorial of that event.
Exodus 12:34,39: So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.
With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
In Leviticus 23, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are again proclaimed to be kept at their appointed times and as sacred assembles.
Leviticus 23:4-8: ‘These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present a food offering to the LORD. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’ ”
In Leviticus 9, YHWH is seen as speaking to Moses about observing the Passover in the first month of the second year after they had left Egypt. They are told to celebrate it at twilight (near the end of the 14th) on the fourteenth day of the month. Provision was made for celebrating it on the fourteenth of the second month for those unable to do so in the first month.
In Numbers 28, the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread with their regulations for observance are again noted. Here it is stated that two bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old without defects be presented to YHWH as burnt offerings. These offerings were to be presented for seven days. In Deuteronomy 16 the command to observe the Passover and Unleavened Bread is reiterated with emphasis on doing so at a place of God’s choosing. In this passage this passage the Passover is seen as an anniversary of the Israelites departure from Egypt. This whole period is touted as a celebration of God bringing Israel out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 16:1-8: Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning. You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the LORD your God and do no work.
In 2nd Kings 23, we have the interesting record of King Josiah ordering the people to celebrate the Passover and that it had not been celebrated during the days of the judges nor in the days of the kings of Israel and Judah. In 2nd Chronicles 35, is a more detailed account of this celebration with this concluding observation:
2nd Chronicles 35:17-18: The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.
In Ezra 6, we find those who had returned from captivity in Babylon keeping the Passover and Unleavened Bread. There is as similar account in Ezekiel 45 where here there is specific instruction as to the kind and number of animal sacrifices that are to be offered during the seven days of unleavened breads and also mention is made of doing the same during the festival in the seventh month (Tabernacles).
Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are often seen by Christians as prefiguring the Christ event. The Passover is seen as prefiguring Christ’s death. The days of Unleavened Bread are seen as pointing to Christ’s sinlessness and our coming out of sin. Leavened bread is seen as a symbol of sin.
I have reviewed all passages in the OT where the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread are noted. Nowhere in the OT is there a hint of the Passover or the Days of Unleavened Bread prefiguring the death of Christ or leaven picturing sin. The Passover ordinance is clearly seen as a celebration and memorial of Israels deliverance from Egypt. The Unleavened Bread ordinance is clearly seen as a reflection on Israel having to leave Egypt in haste and consequently not having time to bake their bread. They took their bread dough with them without having leavened it. This Feast is shown to be a memorial of that event.
The Passover and sacrificial system established in Israel is often seen as prefiguring the death of Christ and the shedding of His blood. The blood placed on the sides and tops of the doorframes to prevent death in Israel is seen as predictive of the shed blood of Christ preventing eternal death for us humans.
As already noted, some Christian teachers see leaven as a symbol of sin. They see the Israelites leaving Egypt and eating unleavened bread as foreshadowing humans coming out of sin as a consequence of the sacrifice of Christ. Both Egypt and leaven are believed to represent sin.
However, there is no narrative in the OT that says any of this. There is nothing written in the OT narrative that gives evidence to the Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread or the sacrificial system pointing to the Christ event. This is all interpretative conjecture. While Egypt can be depicted as a symbol of oppression and bondage because of what they did to ancient Israel, there is nothing in the OT identifying Egypt as a symbol of sin. This too is interpretative conjecture.
Feast of Firstfruits Observance:
Leviticus 23:10-14: The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf (a measure) of the first grain (Hebrew rê·šîṯ) you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
The firstfruits observance is listed under the general heading in Leviticus 23 of “feasts of the Lord.” This is the only place in the OT where this particular Feast is discussed although there may be an allusion to it in Deuteronomy 26.
Deuteronomy 26:1-2: When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
The Feast of Firstfruits is seen as occurring on the first day after the Sabbath that followed the Passover celebration which means it occurred on a Sunday. It is not seen as being celebrated until Israel had entered the Promised Land and began to grow their own crops. While the text gives no specific reason for this observance, it appears to be done as an acknowledgement before God of having been given their own land to grow crops.
The Hebrew word rendered “grain” in the NIV translation of Leviticus 23:10-14 seen above is rê·šîṯ. The Hebrew Lexicons show this word to have the basic meaning of “beginning.” It is rendered as “beginning” in other OT passages but as “firstfruits” in many translations of the above Leviticus passage. This apparently is done because it corresponds to the “firstfruits” motif found in other OT narrative where the Hebrew word bikkurim is found which Hebrew Lexicons define as “firstfruits” and as meaning the first of grain and fruit that had ripened.
Exodus 23:14-16: “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. “No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits (Hebrew: bikkurim throughout) of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year (Feast of Tabernacles), when you gather in your crops from the field.
Exodus 23:19: “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God
Exodus 34:22: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Exodus 34:26: Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
The Feast discussed in Leviticus 23: 10-14 appears connected to the spring barley harvest. This was to be followed by a second harvest festival 50 days later (Feast of Weeks) which was connected to the wheat harvest. This was followed by a third harvest festival in the fall (Feast of Tabernacle) where all other crops were harvested. All three Feasts involved offering to God the first pickings of these various harvests. Since the Feast of Firstfruits takes place during the Days of Unleavened Bread, it was part of the first harvest festival of the three listed in Exodus 23:14-16.
In Deuteronomy 26:1-10 we find a summation of the reason for these festivals. The Israelites are told that when they have inherited the Promised Land, they are to take some of the firstfruits of all that they produce from the soil of the land God has given them and to put it in a basked and present it to the priest
They were to declare before YHWH God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me” (Deuteronomy 26:5-10).
It is apparent that these harvest festivals were designed to keep Israel aware of what God had done for them in bringing them out of Egyptian slavery. They were designed to facilitate a showing of appreciation for their deliverance from Egypt and being given their own land where they could grow their own crops. They were now to reflect on all this during the three ordained by God festival/feast seasons. There is absolutely nothing in the narrative describing the Feasts that in any way indicates these Feasts were prefiguring the Christ event or ordained to do so.
The Feast of Weeks:
The Feast of Weeks is seen as the second harvest festival. The day of its observance was established by counting 50 days from the day after the sheaf of the wave offering was presented to God (The Feast of Firstfruits). Since the sheaf offering was presented on the first day (Sunday) after the Sabbath following Passover, counting 50 days from that Sabbath takes you through seven Sabbaths (49 days) with the day after the seventh Sabbath being the 50th day (Sunday).
Leviticus 23:15-16: From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.
Deuteronomy 16:9-12: Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
In verses Leviticus 23:17-20 is instruction as to the bringing of two loaves of bread baked with yeast to be presented as a wave offering of firstfruits to YHWH. The bread was to be presented with seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They were to be presented to YHWH as burnt offerings together with grain offerings and drink offerings. Additionally, one male goat was offered as a sin offering along with two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering.
In the New Testament (NT) the Feast of Weeks is called Pentecost (Acts 2:1, 20:16, 1st Corinthians 16:8). The word Pentecost is a rendering of the Greek πεντηκοστῆς (pentēkostēs) which Greek Lexicons define as “the fiftieth day after the Passover.”
As can be seen in Deuteronomy 16:12, this Feast, as is true of the Feast of firstfruits, is tied to remembering that they were slaves in Egypt. This Feast is recognized as pertaining to the beginning of the wheat harvest in late spring/early summer. This is another harvest festival.
Feast of Trumpets:
Leviticus 23:23-25: The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.’ ”
Numbers 29:1-6: ‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the LORD, offer a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are food offerings presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma.
The Hebrew word rendered trumpets in these passages is tə·rū·‘āh. Hebrew Lexicons define this word as a “shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy.” It occurs 36 times in the OT Scriptures. While this word is mostly translated as “trumpet” in translations of these passages, it does not mean an instrument you blow into. It primarily means a loud shout, blast, or alarm as shown in Hebrew Lexicons. While it can refer to the sound made by a trumpet, it is primarily rendered in the OT as “shout” and is seen by context to refer to a sound made by human voice and not by a machinal device called a trumpet. Youngs literal translation of Leviticus 23:24 shows the following:
Leviticus 23:24: Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first of the month, ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation;
In Joshua 6 tə·rū·‘āh is rendered as “shout” and seen as being instrumental (no pun intended) in bringing down the walls of Jericho. In Numbers 31:6 it is seen as used in battle for signaling purposes.
The Hebrew word rendered ‘trumpet” throughout the OT is šō·p̄ār. This word is not found in Leviticus 23:23-25 or Numbers 29:1-6. As already stated, the word rendered as “trumpet” in these two passages is tə·rū·‘āh and as shown above, does not mean trumpet in the usual sense of that word. The Hebrew šō·p̄ār is found 72 times in the OT and is mostly rendered as the word trumpet. The Hebrew Lexicons define šō·p̄ār as “horn for blowing.” This word is largely used in the context of war.
Nothing is said in these two passages or anywhere else in the OT as to the purpose of this Feast. There is only one record of it being observed and that is in Ezra 3:1-6. Here it is recorded that the Israelites on the first day of the seventh month began to offer burnt offerings to YHWH in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses. It is also recorded in this passage that they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required burnt offerings prescribed for each day. The word tə·rū·‘āh does not appear in this passage.
The Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 23: 26-32: The LORD said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”
Leviticus 16: 29-31: This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
Numbers 29:7-11: ‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. Present as an aroma pleasing to the LORD a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
Exodus 30:10: Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns (altar of incense). This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD.”
The word “Atonement” is the English rendering of the Hebrew kippur. Kippur is derived from the Hebrew root K-P-R’ {כ-פ-ר} – which means “to cover.” It is the original Hebrew name for the ‘Mercy Seat’ of the ‘Ark of the Covenant’. It was from the area above the “mercy seat” that God is seen as communicating with Moses and the High Priest (See Numbers 7:89 and Exodus 25:21-22).
The entire 16th chapter of Leviticus (34 verses) is dedicated to describing how the Day of Atonement is to be kept. There is detailed instruction as to how Aaron must prepare himself before entering the Most Holy Place to offer sacrifices. Beginning with verse 7 we read the following:
Leviticus 16:7-10: Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.
What follows is a great deal of procedural detail as to how to administer the sacrificing of the goat for the Lord and how the scapegoat is to be handled. The chapter ends with “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
It is clear from the context of Leviticus 16 that the Day of Atonement was an ordinance established for the purpose of allowing the people to maintain a relationship with God. Scripture shows sin separates man from God (Isaiah 59:2). God provided a sacrificial protocol for the people of Israel to have their sins expiated for the previous year. This appears to be a cosmetic release as it is said elsewhere in Scriptures that animal sacrifices could not permanently erase sin.
Hebrews 10:1-4: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Christian theologians see the shedding of animal blood under the Old Covenant sacrificial system temporally atoning for sin as prefiguring Christ shedding His blood to permanently atone for sin. We will deal with this perspective in Part Two of this series.
Feast of Tabernacles:
Leviticus 23:33-44: The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. (“ ‘These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.) “ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ” So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 16:13-17: Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
Exodus 16:13: “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
Numbers 29:12: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the LORD for seven days.
Numbers 29:35: On the eighth day hold a closing special assembly and do no regular work.
Between verse 12 and verse 35 is a very detailed protocol as to the kind, number and manner that sacrifices are to be presented to YHWH during Tabernacles. Instruction is given for each day of this eight-day celebration. Following verse 35 is detailed instruction as to how the eight day is to be observed (29:36-39).
In Deuteronomy 14 is instruction to set aside a tenth of all that the fields produce each year. The indication is that this tenth is then to be used to celebrate the Feasts as the narrative speaks of going to the place God chooses. The narrative speaks of eating and drinking (wine or other fermented drink) or anything else wished for. They are told to rejoice “so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.” As discussed throughout this series, the Feasts appear to be mandated to reflect on what God did in bringing Israel out of Egypt and He providing for them afterwards. In so doing, they would learn to always revere YHWH.
In reviewing the narrative regarding the Feast of Tabernacles, it is apparent it was to be a celebration of thanksgiving for the fall ingathering of crops. This Feast is sometime referred to as the Feast of ingathering (Exodus 23:16 and 34:22). As seen in the foregoing passage from Leviticus 23, it is also apparent this Feast was for the purpose of reflecting upon the Israelites having to live in temporary dwellings after they left Egypt. Therefore, it is another commemoration of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
In Part Two of this series, we will look at the Feasts from the perspective of the New Testament.