The 7 Feasts of the Lord

The Lord may graciously help me. I turn your prayerful attention to Leviticus chapter 23. And as the Lord helps, I do want to go through this chapter that picks up these seven feasts. So I read for a text, really a summary in verse four says Leviticus 23, verse four.

These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. the Day of Atonement, it was a day when they were fasting, but they were feasts of the Lord. They were times when they would feed on Christ and on his glorious gospel. And as we look at these seven feasts, I want you to see them as a progression.

So it starts off, you see, with the Passover. It starts off with the children of Israel coming out of Egypt, out of Egyptian slavery. That's really the beginning. And it ends, you see, in the Feast of Tabernacles where they're dwelling with And the idea is that the Lord God will dwell among them as communion. And there's a progression, and as we go through the Christian life, that we might know these milestones, these places, and Israel was commanded to go through this cycle once a year, to remind them of how the Lord leads his people. So the first one, the first feast of the Lord was, we read in verse five of chapter 23, in the 14th day of the first month at even is the Lord's Passover. This, we've sung of it, Paschal Lamb by God appointed. This was the first of the feast.

You see, when they came out of Egypt, it was the beginning of months. They changed their calendar, became the first month. And on the 10th day of the month, they separated that lamb. They chose that lamb. It lived with them for a few days. And on the 14th day of the month, they all killed that Passover lamb. and it was the blood, the blood was put on the doorpost and the idea was substitution, the wrath of God was passing over them and they needed a covering, they needed one to cover them and it was the death of the lamb was saved the firstborn. The firstborn lived because the lamb died. A picture of substitution.

But here in this feast we don't have anything about a priest. There's nothing of that at all. It's just more of the idea that there's judgment and by being under the blood we're sheltered from that judgment. And this is very much really the first, as it were, if you come into the kingdom of God, a realization that we're in the city of destruction, we need to be covered, we need one to stand in our place. This is the picture of the Passover. in the 14th day of the first month that even is the Lord's Passover. So that's the beginning. The beginning of the pathway is coming under the blood, recognising that we need one to stand in our place, we need to be sheltered from the wrath of God.

But there's nothing of communion so much, there's nothing of priesthood, there's nothing of drawing nigh to God in the same way. That's going to come later. And so we see there's a progression. And in the Christian life, you see, it's knowing Christ as our Passover lamb, but then understanding more, as the Lord leads us, into the great role of the high priest. I don't think that's the central thing, generally, when you first come into the kingdom of God, the central role of the high priest. It's more the lamb slain on our behalf. And it's not to undermine that first thing. You see, it's the beginning. And in a sense, if you think of this in another analogy, think of a baby born into a royal household. They are possessor of all the inheritance immediately, aren't they, in a sense? They are the son and heir. But they don't understand it. They don't appreciate it. They don't understand the greatness of their parents and all that that means. They don't appreciate it. But they just come, they're born, they're beginning. But as they go on and develop, they understand something of the privileges, the responsibilities, and all the blessings that are associated with being born into such a family.

These are the feasts of the Lord even holy convocations in the 14th day of the first month that even is the Lord's Passover. The Passover is probably very well known amongst us and I won't dwell much more on that but it's a it's a vital beginning being sheltered from the wrath to come and being covered and being under the blood a vital beginning. But then in verse six, on the 15th day, so that's the day after, and the first month, the same month that the feast of unleavened bread.

And so that immediately followed, it immediately followed them being under the blood. They'd come out of Egypt, they'd left Egypt, but now they were not to carry on with the spirit of Egypt in their hearts. They were to enter this feast of unleavened bread.

Leaven in the Bible, it's talking about yeast, leaven is yeast. and therefore this was bread that did not have yeast in it. Yeast, as you know, it's a small ingredient. If you make bread, it's a very small amount you put of yeast in the bread and yet it can make the dough increase in size significantly. Just that little part as it ferments and gives off that gas and puffs up the whole loaf. Well, in the Bible, that is often referred to and thought of as what sin does. Sin puffs up.

It makes us proud. And you see, the picture there is you're not to have any leaven. You're to come out of Egypt. You're to be under the blood, but you're to be a separate people. filling all the things of this world. There to be a separation, there to be a hatred to sin, and a love to the Lord. So this was the feast of unleavened bread, which lasted seven days. Seven in the Bible is a number of completeness. So there was a completeness, as it were. When we come under the blood, we come out of Egypt, we no longer are to be part of Egypt. We are to be separated to serve the Lord. And this is the picture of the second feast, really, which is that of unleavened bread. Also, if we think of it, leaven, you see, corrupts. There's a number of places in the Bible it's referred to. Leaven corrupts.

But you see, after the Passover, the death of the lamb is obviously picturing, I didn't mention that, but it's picturing the death of the Lord Jesus as he was slain in the place of his people. And this is central to the Christian faith, the beginning to see that he is in my place. But after Jesus died, then his body was placed in the grave. And here we see there was something particular about his grave.

In that grave, there was no corruption. We read that in Psalm 16, thou wilt not suffer, thine only one to see corruption. And the Lord Jesus' body did not corrupt in the grave like ours would. It was not corrupted, because he had no sin. He'd borne the sin of many, but he had no sin himself. There was that incorruption in the grave.

And that was all taking place, you see, because, and the way that God has ordered this, this all happened, you see, Jesus died on the Passover, didn't he? It was Passover, he had that Passover supper meal with his disciples before he died. This is all perhaps 1,500 years later when these laws were given to Moses. They all came to pass at exactly the same time in the year to fit with what Christ did. So we've looked at the feast of unleavened bread. That was for seven days.

And if you think about it, a number of these feasts are given by the number of the day, like the 14th day or the 15th day. Now, the 15th day and the 14th day of a month, year on year, falls on different days, doesn't it? The same date in the first month will be a different day on different years. But in these seven feasts, two of these feasts were fixed directly on a certain day. And they were the two, the two feasts were the feast of the offering of the first, the first fruits, which is the third one, the third one, and also Passover that happened seven weeks later. So even in Old Testament days, two of these seven feasts were specifically located every year on the Lord's Day, what we would call the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, the day when Christ arose from the dead, pointing to the New Testament Sabbath.

So then we come to verse 10, which is the third. So these feasts were clustered together. You can see that the 14th day was Passover, the 15th for one week was the unleavened bread, but in that seven days, one of those days in there was the sheaf of the first fruits. So this is verse 10.

Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, when ye come into the land which I give unto you. Not if, when. God promised that they would come into the promised land, and they were to observe this only when they came into the promised land. Of course, so much of these feasts are related to harvest, related to the agricultural calendar, and that's really the way God has chosen to reveal himself. so that the fruitfulness is a picturing of himself.

And I think you just another thing that you need to understand here is it can be confusing because there appears to be two first fruits. The first fruit is a third one but also it can sometimes speak of Pentecost as being the first fruits. And I think you need to understand there's different harvests. It's one harvest, but there's different crops. And as it is in England, the barley harvest comes earlier, and then you have the wheat harvest. And so really the barley harvest, the first fruits of the barley harvest is what we have in the third, the feast.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And they were not to eat, in verse 14 it says, you shall not eat bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that you've brought an offering unto your God. So they were to bring this offering at the beginning of the barley harvest. They weren't allowed to eat the barley harvest until they'd brought this one sheaf. And that was the sheaf called the sheaf of the first fruits.

And if you look at the detail that's given here, in verse 11, and ye shall wave the sheaf before the Lord. That means hold it up and move it up and down or left and right and you're really presenting it to God. You're presenting it to him, you're offering it to him. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you. So as this sheaf was waved before the Lord, it was to be acceptance for the people. But look at this other detail. On the morrow, after the Sabbath, the priests shall wave it. On the morrow, after the Sabbath. That's the Lord's Day. That's the first day of the week.

So here, back in 1,500 years approximately before the coming of Christ, here was a specific feast that they were given that on the first day of the week, in the feast of unleavened bread, after the Passover, there was to be this celebration feast of the waving of the sheaf of the first fruits.

Surely this speaks so much of Christ, doesn't it? And indeed, we have New Testament warrant to say that. If you look in 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 15, we have this word. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20. This is the chapter on the resurrection. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits. of them that slept.

So as this priest was holding up this first sheaf of barley and it was being accepted, so the whole harvest was to be accepted. This was the beginning of the harvest. And of course this would have taken place on the resurrection day. If they'd have still been doing this, we're not specifically told that they were still doing this, but they should have been, the priest on that first day of the week should have got the barley sheaf and presented it to God. presented it and waved it before the Lord. How this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ on that resurrection morning, that he was the firstfruits.

You see there's something, let me just quickly deviate here, but it's a precious thought. You see, Jesus said before his, when he was coming to his death, a few days before, verily, verily I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. So the picture is normally when you plant seed in the ground, the seed that you plant in the ground does not come back into the barn. Yes, it multiplies and you get the grain growing from it, but the actual, the grain, the seed of grain that you put in the ground doesn't get its way back into the barn.

It spends itself. And there's a picture of that. He poured out his soul unto death. Christ, as it were, fall into the wheat ground and died, abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. So normally, in nature, when that grain is in the ground and it's germinated, it's spent.

And then there's the offspring that come from it. There's the multiplication, some 30, some 60, some 100 fold. But you see, with the Lord Jesus Christ, there's a difference to nature. this corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died, he rose again and became the firstfruits of them that slept. He became the first fruit and then He is Lord of the harvest and oversees the whole harvest coming in. That's different than nature, isn't it? Nature, the seed goes in the ground, it spends itself, there is a multiplication and that's what we have today.

Some 60, some 100-fold, that's beyond what we get today in our harvest, perhaps 60 or 70 multiplier, but not 100, but the multiplication of Christ. You think of it, what was the multiplication? Revelations tells us there should be a number that no man can number of every kindred, nation, tribe and tongue. As he fell in the earth and died, there was a springing up, you see, of an abundant harvest. the harvest of souls.

So the whole picture you see of these seven feasts, it is very much around the harvest theme. But there's subtle differences. There's things that are not natural. It's supernatural for the grain of wheat that falls in the ground to then first of all be the first fruits of them that slept. He rose again victorious over sin, death, hell, and the grave. And that's all in this third feast. Pictures what happens, as we would think of it, of Easter Sunday. The first fruit rising, presented to God.

Jesus said, you see, when Mary met him in the garden, when she was thought she was talking to the gardener, if I just quickly look at that scripture, it's John 20. John 20, it says this, Jesus saith unto her, Mary, she turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, master, this is outside the grave. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my father and your father, and to my God and your God. He was going to be presented as that first fruits of the barley harvest and earnest of the entire harvest. and he was going to be presented to God, and I believe he was going to go, as it were, to his father to be presented. This is separate from the ascension which happened 40 days later. And then he speaks immediately as, my father and your father, and my God and your God, all flowing from that great work.

Well, that's the third feast, the raising of the first fruits of the wheat, sorry, the barley harvest. Well, then we come in verse 15 to the next feast, which is the Pentecost, which particularly we remember today. and ye shall count, this is verse 15, and ye shall count unto you from the morrow, after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven sabbaths shall be complete. So this is the seven sevens, which is 49, and the 50th day ye shall offer a new meat offering. So this is the second feast that was specifically designed right from Leviticus, to be on the first day of the week.

And we think of that, it was the first day of the week when God said, let there be light. And there was light. The resurrection. I am the light of the world. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face. of Jesus Christ.

And this Pentecost, we also have another occasion in the experience of Christ, where there was the ascension for 40 days. He rose again and then was seen of many over those 40 days. And then he ascended up to heaven. And then he did, you see, then he did what he promised he would do. He would send the spirit. And that's Pentecost.

And so we see this is the first fruits. Then Pentecost is the first fruits, not Christ, the first fruits of his people. And it was it fell on the first fruits of the of the wheat harvest. So there's different harvest here that we're talking about. Verse 17, and ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two-tenths deals. They shall be of fine flour, they shall be bacon with leaven, and they shall be the firstfruits unto the Lord. Again, it's called the firstfruits, but this is not Christ, this is his church.

You see, really the day of Pentecost was the first time the gospel was preached as we know it today. It's the first time Christ and him crucified were preached. Before it was looking forward to him coming in types and shadows, but then this was the first time it was really preached looking back at what was accomplished and the preaching of the gospel as we know it. And really, you see, the sending of the Spirit was so important, because all that had been accomplished by Christ's death was salvation accomplished, but if it isn't applied, it's of no value. and it's the sending of the spirit to apply what had taken place at Calvary, what had taken place in the grave, the unleavened bread, and then the feast of the first fruits with rising again, the resurrection power. And all these things are needing to be understood and known in the experience of God's people, the resurrection power. And then the coming of the spirit, the filling of the spirit, the spirit that speaks not of himself but speaks of Christ, the spirit that brings us into conviction of sins and makes Christ precious. And this is the feast that we think about today on the Pentecost.

And so these were all there in these seven feasts. And then if we move on, then we're told in verse 24, speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath of memorial, a blowing of the trumpets.

So there was a big gap. In the first month you had, you see, the males were all required to appear three times before the Lord in a year. The first time was Passover, unleavened bread and the feast of firstfruits. They were all together within eight days. That was their first time. Then they had a gap of 50 days and then they had Pentecost. That was the second time they were to appear before God.

And then they had a large break. the whole harvest all that time harvesting and then really at the end of end of that was that we have the seventh month and then the first so there was then a cluster of another three feasts in the seventh month. So this is verse 24, speak unto the children of Israel, saying in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets and holy convocation.

So this this this feast of the Lord was the sounding of the trumpet. We think of the gospel trumpet gives no uncertain sound to prepare for our way. And as we come, perhaps we've known something of coming under the blood. We've known something of being sheltered under his precious blood. But sometimes the Lord's people need times of awakening as well, don't they? We can settle down.

We need to be roused up. we need to be awakened the trumpet this was the next one which was on the first day of the seventh month the blowing of the trumpet and also of course this ultimately would bring in the end of time the last trump shall sound and time shall be no longer and so in the providence of God you see these These feasts have come to pass and come into reality in what Christ did and Christ accomplished. So the blowing of the trumpet, that's the fifth one. But then we come to the sixth. The sixth feast is the great day of atonement. This was on the tenth day of the seventh month. This was the day of atonement. And you might say, well, how does the Day of Atonement differ from the Passover? Well, the Passover was all about how to be spared from judgment. But the emphasis on the Great Day of Atonement was how can an unholy people hold communion with God? There's a difference, there's a similarity, but there's a difference.

And so you see, the whole plan of salvation is not that God would just save people from the wrath to come and that's the end of it. No, he saves them from the wrath to come to make them his bride. To make them have communion with him, to bring them into communion with him. and that's the great theme you see of the great day of atonement. Yes, there is the two goats, the one live goat and there's the one that was killed, there is the death, but it's very much more the work of the priest.

And this was done not by the individual households. You see, Passover was very much of a family thing. You in your household, I in mine. Each head of the house would take that lamb and kill that lamb and put the blood on the doorpost. It was not done by anybody else, it was done by that household. It was very personal. And it was, if they didn't do it, there would be the death of the firstborn. picturing the great judgment that needs to be the substitution of Christ so that we are saved from our sins, an absolutely vital part of Christianity. But I mentioned there's a progression, you see.

The Lord's people are not just a people that have been saved from judgment. there are people that are being prepared for worship, prepared to worship the Lamb as He had been slain. They've been prepared for that, but they're sinful still. So I've overlooked to say a few things that I intended to. On the Passover they didn't bring sheaves and wave them before the Lord there was these two loaves in verse 17 if i can just backtrack to there you shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of two tenths deals they shall be of fine flour they shall be bacon with leaven here there's a before it was unleavened bread but this is a picture of the church of God Now there's two loaves and many believe that's Jew and Gentile, the Jews and the Gentiles brought into the church and yet there's leaven now and it's pictured that the Lord's people are not a perfect people. There are people that still have sin remaining in them, and offered with this was lambs and so on, with it, to atone for their sin. But the Lord's people are not a perfect people.

And though at the beginning, perhaps, of the way, when you first come to a knowledge of the things of God, you can only see the big outward sins, and you think, well, if I keep away from those, if I keep from perhaps getting drunk for the weekend, or get away from those, big outward sins, then I'm doing quite well. But as the Lord leads us on in the pathway, we realize, well, you may be kept from doing those outward things, but it doesn't mean you're holy. You can still see sin working. And so the sensitivity to sin increases.

And you see these two ways, these loaves, you've lost sight of the individuals. They're one church. It's very interesting in 1 Corinthians And chapter 10, let me just quickly look that up. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 20. No, verse 17, sorry. for we being many are one bread this is 1 corinthians 10 verse 17 and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread to make bread you have to grind the corn the corn down don't you there's a grinding process there's a humbling there's a baking of the bread, there's a fiery trial for the church, and yet together that makes the loaf, that makes the church.

The church was formed, you see, by the sending of the spirit and those two loaves picturing the first fruits of the church, and then that harvest is still going on to the end of time. It was the beginning. That's why it's the firstfruits, separate from Christ as the firstfruits, but this is the firstfruits of the Church, and which he has purchased with his own blood.

So, in the progression, there's a realization that though we have been brought out of Egypt, we've perhaps been brought out of the grosser sins. And yet sin still remains. And as we become more sensitive to sin, we see its rear and its ugly head more and more in our lives. Not that we become worse necessarily, but we become more sensitive to it.

Well, this is the great day of atonement. And on the 10th day of this seventh month, there should be a day of atonement. It shall be an holy convocation unto you and ye shall afflict your souls. This was a day of heart searching. uh contrition for their sin and this was this was the the individual households didn't didn't do anything here they were to afflict their souls but it was what the high priest did but there was no priest in the passover there was no mention of a priest here is the great work of the priest what he's doing he's going to take that blood he's not going to put it on the doorpost he's going to take it into the holy of holies He's going to sprinkle it on the mercy seat. There will I meet with thee from above the mercy seat.

You see, there's a union in the great day of atonement, which isn't there in the Passover the same. It's a sense of being united God with his people and having worship and having fellowship with them. And they need a mediator. They need one to bring them into fellowship.

Ah, the work of the high priest is so central. But the high priest is also pointing to Christ. You see, Christ was the first fruits. He rose again. He died. But then he rose again and became that high priest that then presents his own blood. to the Lord you see how vital it was you see that he didn't just the picture of a grain of wheat falling into the ground and then dying he did do that but he didn't stop there he then rose again supernaturally against nature he rose again and then is able to be see there's a different work in in in the atonement the day of atonement there's a different emphasis it's still about putting away sin and and those things there's the similarities but there's it's the work of the high priest it's the it's the goat is sent into the wilderness never to be seen again their sins have taken away oh what happens to our sins how this a great high priest takes that blood and applies it and you see this is a progression And as we see not just that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us and has sheltered us from the destruction, now the blood of Jesus Christ is being brought to bring us nigh to God, to give us union and communion with him. You see it's a different, there's a progression. this great day of atonement, to bring cleansing and communion.

Well then, the last feast is that of the Feast of Tabernacles. Israel was to move out of their normal dwellings and go back into making these booths out of branches. And it was a festival of celebration. and they were to live in these booths or tents and this picture of God with his people you see in John's gospel it says and we beheld his glory let me just quote it right John chapter one And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And that word there, dwelt, is tabernacled. And you see, God is dwelling with his people.

In the Passover, it's Christ for us. The lamb in our place, it's Christ for us. In the Pentecost, you see, it's Christ in us. the Holy Spirit applying the, all those, the things that Christ accomplished to our hearts personally. Then, in this, the Feast of the Tabernacles, it's Christ with his people.

And you see, that's really glory, isn't it? We think of Revelation. Revelation picks up this point. in Revelation 21 verse 3 and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the tabernacle tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God. This idea of communion.

You see it's not just a case of being sheltered from judgment. It is absolutely vital to be sheltered from judgment. But that is not the whole gospel. That is not the whole plan of salvation. Christ did not die to save a people from going into destruction and then had nothing more to do with them. The gospel is those people who he sheltered from judgment are then brought nigh and made to be have communion with him and that is what heaven will be, a place of continual communion with the Lamb.

That is worship, that is glory. and how these seven feasts then, they show the progression from the first step coming under the blood, absolutely vital. But then to recognise more and more our need, how that sin is still remaining, to start with we think putting away the gross sins, that makes us a holy person, perhaps we think. But then as we realise that actually there's still sin mixed in us. Yes, we might be kept from the gross or outward sins, but we still see sin in us.

And there is this then, this need for the day of atonement, where there would then be that access to God. And then there would be that dwelling with God, the communion with his people. And so Christ dwelling with his people. are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations. which ye shall proclaim in their season. They were particular times, linked to harvest. Oh, there's many things that are linked to harvest.

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. Christ could have gone back to glory and avoided the cross and he would go back to glory alone. But he didn't. He laid down his life. And from that life being laid down, there is that abundant harvest. But not just that.

He rose first. he rose first to be the great high priest, to present his own blood, to be presented to God, and as he was accepted, then his whole body, his whole church, these two loaves, even with their leaven, they're accepted in the beloved, because they're in him. There is no spot in thee to present to himself a glorious church, having neither spot nor wrinkle, This is the great work of salvation.

Do we know anything of it? Have we been led to see that we need to flee to God from the judgment to come? Have we known something of that? Sheltering under the blood, but that's not the end. That's not the whole complete. There is, not that that's not enough, but in the experience of God's people, he will lead them on.

He will lead them on to be prepared to sing the song of the redeemed. He will lead them to those fountains of living waters. He will lead them on. And these seven feasts in Leviticus give us pictures of that great plan of salvation going from redemption to glory and everything in between. May the Lord have his blessing. Amen.

The 7 Feasts of the Lord

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The 7 Feasts of the Lord

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