Leviticus—the Feasts of Israel
03.09.22
For I am the LORD that brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:45)
We are walking through the Bible, the inspired Word of the Living God, looking at each book at a glance. Last week we considered Exodus and today our focus is on Leviticus. Both of these were written by Moses, and both concern the journey of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. In Exodus we saw how God got His people out of Egypt. In Leviticus we see how God attempts to get Egypt out of His people.
Leviticus gets its name from the fact that it is related to the Levites, the priestly tribe chosen by God to minister to the nation. The whole of Leviticus and the first ten chapters of Numbers take place in a two-month period in the second year of their journeys.
As seen from the our opening text, the key theme of the book is holiness. The people of God how are directed to walk with and before God as holy people. The word ‘holy,’ which means ‘separate,’ is found close to one hundred times in the book.
Leviticus is divided basically into two sections. The first seventeen chapters concern themselves with the sacrificial system—the laws of the offerings, the priesthood, the people and the altar. The last ten chapters focus on sanctification, holiness. These chapters are filled with regulations regarding God’s people, the priests, their worship, and their land.
The Lord Jesus Christ is found throughout the book. He is pictured in all of the five main offerings, and each of the seven feasts or festivals. Space will not allow us to cover all of these things in any detail, but it is worth one’s time to do a thorough study of these matters. What might seem to be laborious information in the OT all has a purpose, pointing to the One who would one day, once and for all, shed His blood for the sins of the world.
We will focus our attention today on the feasts. There are actually only three feasts: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. The other four are festivals or seasons that accompany these feasts. They are all described in Leviticus 23.
The first four events are held in the springtime and were all fulfilled in Christ at His first coming. Passover of course points to the cross of Calvary, where Jesus shed His blood as the spotless Lamb of God (1 Corinthians 5:7). This is accompanied by the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of First-fruits commemorates the beginning of the barley harvest. It was fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:23). The Feast of Pentecost or Weeks occurs fifty days later to commemorate the beginning of the wheat harvest. This was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
The last three festivals occur in the fall. They will find their fulfillment at Christ’s second coming. The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashana, pictures the Rapture of the Church which could occur at any time (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, foretells the day when Israel will recognize its Messiah, Jesus, as He comes to rule and reign (Isaiah 45:17). Finally is the Feast of Tabernacles which reminds Israel of its sojourn in the wilderness. It pictures the Millennial Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Revelation 19, 20).
Next time we will look at the sacrificial offerings and the Sabbath as seen in Leviticus as they point to the Savior.