A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus (Part 4)

Now, let’s go back to Exodus, specifically Exodus 23, even more specifically Exodus 23:14-17. God gives Moses the command that all the males of Israel should come to the place where God causes His name to dwell, in order that they may keep three feasts: Unleavened Bread (אֶת־חַג הַמַּצֹּות (chag hamatzot)), Firstfruits (רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)), and Ingathering (or Tabernacles (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth)). Exodus 23:14-17—“14 Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” If God says something once, it’s important. If he says it twice, it’s even more important. If He says the same thing twice within a span of about thirty seconds—you better pay attention. Twice, in four verses (verse 14 and verse 17), God tells the people, “Three times all your males shall appear before Me.” I think God was pretty emphatic about this regulation.

And since Christ was God in the flesh, do you think He was pretty adamant about keeping these feasts? And if so, why? Well, since we know that the Law was meant to point us to Christ, and that the feasts and sacrifices pointed to Christ (see Galatians 3:23-25), and since Christ was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4), then Christ knew that he must fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law (Romans 8:3), which is why He was so steadfast about going to Jerusalem during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Matthew 26:1-4—1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings—that is, after instructing His disciples concerning the signs that would accompany the Great tribulation and His eventual return—when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples, “2 You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. Does this passage not show the utter foolishness of men? We humans think we have everything all figured out; we think that our plans are foolproof and that we are so wise. And yet, while the elders and chief priests are plotting ways to destroy this Man from Nazareth, who has brought forth good news to both Jew and Gentile, making all their plans under cover of darkness and in their inner rooms, God knew all they were plotting, and far from being surprised, or caught off guard, or having to change His plans, this was in fact happening in the exact way that God had planned. Acts 2:22-23—“22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.” Adam Clarke— 

“It was necessary to show the Jews that it was not through Christ’s weakness or inability to defend himself that he was taken; nor was it through their malice merely that he was slain; for God had determined long before, from the foundation of the world, to give his Son a sacrifice for sin; and the treachery of Judas, and the malice of the Jews were only the incidental means by which the great counsel of God was fulfilled.”

And only by dwelling within a tabernacle of flesh could the Son of God taste death. After all, how could He die if he had come in all of His glory, all of His eternal Godhood, all of His unchangeableness? If God had not become man, then He could not have been a sacrifice. If He had not kept the Law—not just the Ten Commandments, but the entirety of the Law given to Moses by God—He could not have been a perfect sacrifice. Therefore, so that He might be that perfect sacrifice, not only did Jesus comply with all the rules and ordinances and regulations of His everyday life, He complied with those commands that “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD”. And because of His perfect obedience to the Father in obeying all of the statutes contained in the Law, we who are imperfect and fallen and sinful and rebellious and—fill in your own synonym here—even though it is impossible for any man to fulfill the Law no matter how hard he may try (Galatians 2:16, Romans 3:20), we can be counted righteous by the obedience of our Lord and Savior (see Romans 5:12-19). Let us keep the feasts, with clean hands and a pure heart, by our faith in Christ as our substitute who died so that we may live (1st Corinthians 5:8).

Finally, there is an end-times application for (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth). Turn to Zechariah 14. There are really two prophetic words in this chapter of Zechariah that refer to events that will happen sometime after Christ returns. And these predictions really throw a monkey wrench into people’s amillenial doctrine. The first prediction is Zechariah 14:1-4—1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. There are some in the amillenial camp who will say that this prediction was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. However, there are some details in this word that did not come to pass during that fateful period. For one thing, who would come against Jerusalem? All the nations—not just the Romans. Second, what does the word say will happen after this tragic event? Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations. Did God go into battle against ‘those nations’? No. Third, and most obvious, His feet did not stand on the Mount of Olives so that mountain was split in two. Unless there was some great, cataclysmic event that was never recorded in history. Since these events have not taken place, then this prophecy is still be left to be fulfilled.

The second prophecy in Zechariah 14 relates to (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth)). And this prophecy flows from the same thought stream as the passage we just saw. It’s all one long passage, and look what happens after those things we just read. Zechariah 14:13-17—13 It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor's hand; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together: gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15 Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be. 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth)). 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. OK folks, you know the question: Are all the nations which came against Jerusalem going up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? The answer, of course, is a resounding……NO! None of the things contained in this 14^th chapter of the burden of Zechariah have come to pass. And since God is not a lira, that means that there must be some future fulfillment, and the things that Jesus spoke of in the Olivet Discourse, and which Paul wrote about in parts of his epistles, have not come to pass, and thus the amillenial position is severely weakened. From the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary—

“The other two great yearly feasts, Passover and Pentecost, are not specified, because, their antitypes having come, the types are done away with. But the Feast of Tabernacles will be commemorative of the Jews’ sojourn, not merely forty years in the wilderness, but for almost two thousand years of their dispersion. So it was kept on their return from the Babylonian dispersion (Nehemiah 8:14-17). It was the feast on which Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:8)…The feast on which Jesus gave the invitation to the living waters of salvation (“Hosanna,” save us now, was the cry, Matthew 21:9; compare Psalm 118:25, Psalm 118:26) (John 7:2, John 7:37). To the Gentiles, too, it will be significant of perfected salvation after past wanderings in a moral wilderness, as it originally commemorated the ingathering of the harvest. The seedtime of tears shall then have issued in the harvest of joy [Moore]."

 Let us keep (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth)), for now, in our hearts, rejoicing that God the Son left His throne to tabernacle among us, to invest His glory within a tent of flesh, to become weak for our sakes, that we may be made mighty through Him. And let us also rejoice that our earthly tabernacle will one day be made as His glorified body, spotless, blameless, sinless and eternal, never decaying, never becoming sick, never again subject to the bonds of death. For we shall reign with Him, we shall be His people, and He shall be our God.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 23 (Part 3)

Leviticus 23:23-25—23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’” The Feast of Trumpets, or ֹ רַאשׁ הַשַׁנַה(Rosh Hashanah), the Jewish New Year. This appointed time fell on the first day of the month ofתִּשְׁרֵי  (Tishri). Now you may be asking, “But isn'tתִּשְׁרֵי  (Tishri) the seventh month? Why does the Jewish New Year fall on the first day of their seventh month?” Good question. And the answer is simple. תִּשְׁרֵי (Tishri) was the seventh month of the religious year for the Israelites—but it was the first month of the calendar year. That is, although their secular (for lack of a better word) calendar ran fromתִּשְׁרֵי  (Tishri) toאֲדָר  (Adar), the festival season (the religious season) started on Passover (פֶּסַח (Pesach)) on 14 נִיסָן (Nisan) and ran through the Feats of Tabernacles (סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth)) on 15תִּשְׁרֵי  (Tishri). But since God sees things the way they are supposed to be seen—with all things beginning from Him and being done for His glory—God counts His festal months from נִיסָן (Nisan).

Besides, what better month to command three festal Sabbaths than during the seventh month of the religious season? After all, God rested on the seventh day of creation. He gave the Israelites the sign of the seventh-day Sabbath. And during the seventh month, He commands three festal Sabbaths. Keil and Delitzsch—

“The seventh month of the year, like the seventh day of the week, was consecrated as a Sabbath or sabbatical month, by a holy convocation and the suspension of labour, which were to distinguish the first day of the seventh month from the beginning of the other months or the other new moon days throughout the year. For the whole month was sanctified in the first day, as the beginning or head of the month; and by the sabbatical observance of the commencement, the whole course of the month was raised to a Sabbath…This significant character of the seventh month was indicated by the trumpet-blast, by which the congregation presented the memorial of itself loudly and strongly before Jehovah on the first day of the month, that He might bestow upon them the promised blessings of His grace, for the realization of His covenant.”

Now, since we know that each of the sacrifices and each of the appointed times were a picture of Christ, then one of two things must be true of each—either they were fulfilled by Christ during His first coming, or they will be fulfilled in His second. And as the resurrection of Christ fulfilled the Day of Firstfruits (יֹמ הַבִּכּוּרִים (yom habikkurim)) and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the picture of Pentecost (שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot)), The Day of Trumpets (רַאשׁ הַשַׁנַה (Rosh Hashanah)) will see its fulfillment when the trumpet sounds, and we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the dead in Christ rise with those who remain and we all meet Christ in the air. 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17—16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Just as the trumpets sounded to usher in the month of rest and sabbath, so to the trumpet will sound ushering us into the rest of the Lord Christ—not as though we do not rest in Him now, knowing that we cast all our cares upon Him, but when we are taken up out of this world of sin and rest from our labors. 1ststorinthians 15:50-53—50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Mister Exell comments on the nature of that trumpet—

“Sudden. Our Lord intimates this (Matthew 24:38, etc.). The destruction of Jerusalem was a fit representation of this, it was awfully sudden. When the trumpet sounds to judgment there shall be the giddy and profane pursuing their unhallowed pleasures. In a moment! in the twinkling of an eye, the trumpet shall sound! Oh! to be found watching, waiting, praying, ready…Universal. It shall re-echo in heaven, reach every corner of earth, and penetrate the dark abyss of hell. Every soul shall hear it that ever lived in the world from the days of Adam to the period when the last infant shall be born, the king and the peasant, the righteous and wicked, etc…Final. It is the close of all things the termination of our probation. There is a period when you shall hear of salvation, when you shall attend the sanctuary, when you shall read the Bible and surround the sacramental table for the last time.”

Leviticus 23:26-32—26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath." This is, of course, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which we studied during our look at Leviticus 16 (here and here). So we shall move on from here.

Leviticus 23:33-44—33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. 37 These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD. 39 Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.  40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.'" 44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

The last of the feasts. And how fitting that this is listed last, since this will be the last one fulfilled by Christ. Any person who holds to an amillenial doctrine will not agree with my assessment, but I do believe I have Scripture on my side. We will see that Scripture shortly. For now, let’s talk about סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth), otherwise known as the “Feast of Tabernacles” or the “Feast of Booths” or “Feast of Ingathering”. Either of those titles is sufficient, since the people were to (a) dwell in tents for seven days, and (b) gather in the last of their crops. Let’s look at each of these separately.

First, very quickly, the people were to gather up what was remaining in their fields and celebrate the goodness of YHVH. They did this by feasting for seven days. WOW! You think Thanksgiving in this country is cause for gluttony—Thanksgiving lasts one day. ONE DAY! This was SEVEN DAYS of feasting on what God had blessed the people with! And on two of those days—you didn’t work! The first and last day were a sabbath in addition to any seventh-day sabbath that might fall within that frame of time. So, in reality, you had THREE DAYS off from work, and even on the days you did work, you were expected to eat heartily, always giving thanks to God for providing such an increase. This concept is not exclusive to סֻכּוֹת (Sukkoth). Paul tells those of us in the church under the new covenant to do that very thing—not just one day out of the year; not just one specific seven-day period out of the year; but every time we eat we are to eat, giving thanks to God. 1st Corinthians 10:31—Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Colossians 3:17—And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Romans 14:6-8—6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Second, they were to dwell in tents, or ‘tabernacles’. If you have studied the Bible for any length of time, and you do not see the significance of this, then keep reading. For this is, along with Passover, one of the clearest pictures of the Christ to come. For John, in the outset of his account of the gospel, tells us, John 1:14—And the Word became flesh and dwelt [literally, tabernacled] among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word, of course, Christ, who was very God of very God; there was never a time when He was not God; He is one with the Father (to rebuke the Arians and Jehovah's Witnesses), yet separate from the Father (to rebuke the Modalists and Sabellians). And when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4). And in being sent forth, he took on a body of flesh, prepared for Him by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Thus, He dwelt among us sinful, wretched, despicable, vile, filthy humans. More specifically speaking, he ‘tabernacled’ among us, for that is the true meaning of the Greek word σκηνόω (skenoō), seeing as how the Greek σκηνόω (skenoō) is the equivalent of סֻכּוֹת (sukkoth), and means “to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle.” In fact, the LXX uses the Greek σκηνή (skēnē) in verse 42—

 

ἐν   σκηναῖς    κατοικήσετε      ἑπτὰ     ἡμέρας

In      tents       you shall dwell     seven      days

The significance is clear. Christ came to us, dwelling in a body of flesh—but He was only here for a short time. But oh how the apostles missed this! Especially good ol’ Simon Peter, thinking He had come to establish a kingdom here on earth. That was not His aim, however, as is evidenced by His answer to Pilate in John 18:36—"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." When Mary His mother saw Him on the morning He rose from the tomb, she, wanting to keep her Son with her, was rebuked—gently—by that Son she loved so dearly. John 20:17—"Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father." She, like so many others, did not realize that “it is to your advantage that I go away” (John 16:7). And even to the end of His days on earth, even until the moments before He was taken back up in the clouds, His disciples were still clamoring for Him to stay. Acts 1:6—When they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And the Lord had to teach them one last thing—that his mission was done; He had finished the work the Father gave Him to do, that the days of Him living on this planet in a tabernacle of flesh were over, and that He must return to His throne to await the day he would return. In the meantime, however, he would give them power to act in His name, His power, His authority, Acts 1:7-8—7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

And even as Christ’s time upon the earth, so our time here is fleeting also. What is your life? Is it not a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away? (James 4:14). That was the other object lesson God was teaching the Israelites—that this world is not the end. We are only here temporarily, in a ‘tabernacle’ that God clothes us with. One day, even when this tabernacle is worn out, we will not cease to exist. But, as Paul said in the aforementioned passage from his first letter to the Corinthians (1st Corinthians 15:50-53), we will put off this body, and put on a new and glorious body. He wrote a similar sentiment to the church at Philippi. Philippians 3:20-21—20 Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body. And in the epistle which would serve as possibly his dying words, Paul told his young protégé that he was prepared to put off his coat of flesh and go to meet his Lord. 2nd Timothy 4:6—I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. John gave us a glimpse of our future apart from this filthy, fleshly tabernacle in 1st John 3:2—Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And Peter echoed the language of סֻכּוֹת (sukkoth) when he wrote to the Circumcision, 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me (2nd Peter 1:13-14). A more recent writer penned the words to a song that stirs many congregations to remember that this world is not the be-all/end-all of everything:

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through

My treasures are laid upon somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me to Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

 

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven’s not my home oh lord what would I do

Angel’s beckon me to heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

 

Father, help us to always see Christ when You show us glimpses of Him in the Old Testament. And please allow us to see Him when He works salvation in our lives. May we always and ever seek that salvation, and broadcast it forth to others, that Your glory may shine in this ever-darkening world, and that we may be ready to go to You when the final trumpet is blown.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 23 (Part 2)

For the next section, I'm going to use the KJV, because the wording is actually a little clearer concerning the reckoning of the days and how they are counted. Leviticus 23:15-16 (KJV)—“‘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: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.’”

 This is the “Feast of Weeks”, or in Hebrew שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). Or, in the Greek, πεντηκοστή (Pentecost). Real simple. But this is a principle that some Jewish teachers (and even some Christian Bible scholars) mess up on. And they do so based on a faulty interpretation of the timing of רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) or “Firstfruits.” See, some think of רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) as always falling on the 16^th of Nisan, or the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, two days after the Passover celebration (remember, the lambs were killed on the 14^th, and the feast was the 15^th). But why the confusion—I have not a clue. Because the wording is very specific, and there is really no room for misinterpretation. You then start counting from the Sunday following Passover (“the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering”), you count fifty days until the day after the seventh sabbath. Now, let’s revisit the day of Christ’s crucifixion for just a moment, and you'll see why as we do—because many people, when they read the gospels, they read that the day Christ was crucified was a “High Sabbath”—even though the text does not use the phrase “High Sabbath”, but rather “high day.” John 19:31—The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day). Remember, during the various “appointed times” you had sabbaths during those times that could fall on any day of the week. The Day of Atonement was a sabbath—it could fall on any day of the week. Passover was a sabbath—it could fall on any day of the week. This particular sabbath (Passover) fell on a Friday the year our Lord was killed.

 The second day following that Passover sabbath (our Thursday) was the weekly seventh-day sabbath. It had to be in order to line up with Scripture. Because from “the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering” until “the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days.” In order for Pentecost (literally, “the 50^th day”) to fall on a Sunday, we must understand that רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)—“the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering”—was not simply 16 Nisan, but rather, the Sunday (the “morrow after the sabbath”) following Passover. And one more thing—when God wanted to be specific about an “appointed time” falling on a certain day of a certain month—He said so. For example, Passover was to be 14 Nisan; the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to start on 15 Nisan. Leviticus 23:5-6—“5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.” The “Feast of Trumpets” was to be held on 1 Tishri. Leviticus 23:21—“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’” The Day of Atonement was on 10 Tishri. Leviticus 23:27—“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement.” The Feast of Tabernacles was to be held on 15 Tishri. Leviticus 23:34—“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.” For all these “appointed times” God was very specific in setting a certain day of a certain month aside for that “time.” And yet, for רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), He simply says it is to be on “the morrow after the sabbath,” and that שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) was to be “the morrow after the seventh sabbath…fifty days.” No specific date. And if God meant for these times to be held on a specific date, he would have said so. But because He didn’t, then I believe it is safe to assume these times could have fallen on any day in their allotted month. Perhaps a graphic of the differences between the two reckonings will help:

 

 By this chart, reckoning שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) from 16 Nisan, the 50^th day falls on a Thursday. Is Wednesday a sabbath day? No. Does God know what He’s talking about when he commands שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) to be observed on “the morrow after the sabbath”? Another problem is this: look at the chart—how many sabbaths do you count between 16 Nisan and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot)? SIX. How many sabbaths are you supposed to count? SEVEN. Does God know what He’s talking about when he commands the people to count seven sabbaths between רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot)? As much as I admire men like John Gill, and Alfred Edersheim , Keil and Delitzsch, and many others—I must disagree with their interpretations of the observance ofרֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). They do not fall on specific dates; the day of the week they are to be observed is always on (what we call) Sunday, or “the morrow after the sabbath.” Now, since פֶּסַח (Pesach, Passover) and מַצָּה (Matstsah, Unleavened Bread) and רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) were observed during the month of Nisan (comparable to our March or April), what month is שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) observed? Well, coming seven weeks after רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), this would put שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) sometime in the month of Sivan, what we call late May or early June.

Now that we have the calculation and timing of שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot), we can move on to the next question: what is the significance? Well, for that let’s look and see what they were commanded to do on that 50^th day. Leviticus 23:17-22 (NKJV)—“‘17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’”

Let’s look at a couple of differences between רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). First, on רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), the people were to bring an omer of the harvest—the bare grain from the field. On שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot), they were to bring two loaves baked with leaven. The symbolism here is fairly clear—the first offering was to show that they were trusting in God that he would give them a great harvest; with the second, they were thanking God for providing the harvest. On רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) they were to bring one lamb of the first year. On שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) they were to bring seven lambs of the first year—and one bull and two rams (verse 18), not to mention “one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering” (verse 19)! You bring all these animals as a way of thanking God for providing for not only you and your family, but because He has provided for these animals as well. Because God, in His faithfulness, has added to your numbers—and has provided these animals, which offerings would go toward the forgiveness of your sins. Could this possibly be pointing to some future event where numbers would be added to God’s people? Where people would celebrate the forgiveness of their sins by the offering of a Lamb that God Himself provided?

Well, what do you know—that’s exactly what the symbolism is pointing to! Acts 2:1-4—1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (we will leave the discussion of tongues for another day). The day of πεντηκοστή (Pentecost), or שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). Christ’s resurrection coming on רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)—Christ being the firstfruits of the resurrection (see 1^st Corinthians 15:20) and offering His own sheaf of “firstfruits” to the Father (see Matthew 27:52-53)—it’s only fitting that the first omer of the harvest would then be used to create a lump, leavened by the giving of the Holy Spirit as flames of fire (see Acts 2:3), and would be prepared on שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). On this day God brought together many of His Jewish children from afar—“9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:9-11)—that they may offer thanks and praise to God that He did not simply accept a few omers of bare grain, but that those who were gathered were the increase of God’s fields, being chosen as a select crop, made full and bountiful by God Himself.

And on that first πεντηκοστή (Pentecost) of the new covenant, in thanking God and showing gratitude that He had bestowed the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them, they offered, as did the Israelites under the old covenant, an offering for sin. For after Simon Peter taught the men of Judea that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), they then offered, as their Sin Offering, their repentant hearts. Acts 2:37—Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Should we not be more grateful to God that He has given us salvation through His Firstfruit, and the ability to believe by the giving of His Holy Spirit, than for even the food on our table? Is not salvation and eternal life more important than food? John 6:27—“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Well did Spurgeon say,

“Under the Old Covenant, the Commandments were given. But under the New Covenant, the will and the power to obey are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit. No more have we the Law of God upon stone, but the Spirit writes the precept upon the fleshy tablets of the heart! Moses on the mount can only tell us what to do—but Jesus, ascended on high, pours out the power to do it! Now we are not under the Law, but under Grace, and the Spirit is our guiding force. In the Church of God, our rule is not according to the letter of a law, but according to the Spirit of the Lord! Some people look for a specific ordinance for every item of procedure on the part of the Church. But, as far as I can see, there is a singular absence of written rule and ritual concerning particulars—apart from the two great standing ordinances.”

Part 3 next week