Leviticus is about the appointed days of the Lord, as is stated in verse, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.” We learn about our Lord not only through His written Word, but also through commemorative holy days to share the truth to people of all ages. Leviticus 23 tells us first about a weekly celebration, the Sabbath (verse 3). It then gives instructions for several spring celebrations or festivals – Passover (verses 4-5), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (verse 6), the Wave Offering of First Fruits (verses 9-14), and Pentecost (verses 15-22). The chapter continues to describe several autumn festivals or celebrations – The Feast of Trumpets (verses 23-25), the Day of Atonement (verses 26-32), and the Feast of Booths (verses 33-36).

Why did the Lord appoint these feasts? Leviticus 23 is almost like a yearly planner for the people of Israel, indicating these celebrations or festivals as holy days that were to be observed. Through the observation of these feasts, God is prescribing for his people to come apart from their regular routine to find their rest in Him. They were regulated days, but certainly not seen as burdensome. These celebrations were expressions of gratitude to God. And these celebrations were “holy convocations”, were they were to be celebrated as a gathering, as an assembly of God’s people.

What can we learn out of this prescribed list of festivals? First, while we no longer celebrate them in our Christian calendar, we can be reminded of the two seasons that we do celebrate and that we value – The season of Advent leading to Christmas, and the season of Lent leading to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. May we be reminded of the need to come together to remember the meaning of Christ’s birth and Christ’s death. That as we recount the events yearly through different means, that we be reminded of God’s great love for us, and His redemptive plan for us. 

Second, these festivals are all days set apart to worship God. God wants His people to find rest in Him, to put down their daily routine and to just be with Him. That these feasts were described other than the Sabbath showed that Sabbath is distinct from these ceremonial feasts. While we may no longer observe these feasts, we continue to observe a day of rest as we come into His presence to worship Him. However, other than the Sunday rest that we take, God wants us to yearn for a greater rest, one that can only be found in our Lord Jesus Christ. May we find true spiritual rest in Jesus, and as we look forward to the day that He may come again. 

Prayer : Dear Lord, thank you for your great love for us, thank you for your redemptive plan for us. Thank you, Jesus, for being our Saviour, that we may find true rest in you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.