Leviticus 23:15-44

Leviticus 23:15-44

The next feast mentioned is the Feast of Weeks. This was 50 days after Passover, and many believe that this is what was being celebrated in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. “Pente-” means five/fifty, so you can kind of see where that word came from in the Greek. Anyways, this feast is all about the first fruits and the start of something new. It correlates well with what we see in Acts 2 when Peter preaches and 3000 people are saved afterwards. They are in essence the first Christians (after the disciples and women that followed Jesus). They could be viewed as the first fruits of the Christian movement. How appropriate that God would choose to send down His Holy Spirit on Pentecost, or during the Feast of Weeks.

The Feast of Trumpets does not get much explanation, but it is an interesting feast. On the first day of the seventh month, which may or may not be the Sabbath, the Israelites were to drop everything and have a day of rest. It seems to follow many of the rules that the Sabbath did, and could serve as a reminder of God’s provision. We do not have to wait until the Sabbath or until we are at church to worship God. We can do it any day of the week. It is also a preparation for the Day of Atonement, which is three days later. This is another “Sabbath-like” day, but it has so much more meaning, for the Atonement is made for all the people of Israel to cover their sins. Furthermore, it shows that there is punishment for working on this day, being removed from the people of Israel. Not five days later, there is yet another feast, the Feast of Booths. This week long feast celebrated their rescue from Egypt and served as another reminder of God’s protection.

We still celebrate Christmas and Easter today, but I think it would be neat if we had some celebrations such as these that marked other significant events in life. Nothing is greater than the story of Easter, where God conquered death and offered us salvation. But there are also personal victories that we all experience in life. Do you celebrate the day you were saved, if you remember what day that was? Do you celebrate days in which God protected you from some specific situation? Do you celebrate days where God provided for you in some way or gave you instructions on going a certain direction in life? These spiritual markers should be remembered. Just as God did not want the Israelites to forget the times in which He provided for and protected them (such as the Exodus), He does not want us to forget either. By marking those dates down, they will always serve as a reminder for us, and then, years down the road when we are struggling with something new, that day might come up and remind us that God is still in control. If you do not already, think about marking down certain dates in which you have specifically seen God at work. Use those dates as moments of reflection and celebration. We might not have feasts like the Israelites did, but we can still praise God for who He is and what He does for us.

Matt