This is the latest draft installment in my “Priests of the Bible” series, in which I reflect on the biblical feasts.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts” Leviticus 23:1-2.

In this chapter we will concentrate on Leviticus 23 and what it has to say concerning the seven Feasts of YHWH (eight if you include the Sabbath) that God ordained to be “holy convocations” (as opposed to holidays as typically understood today as times of relaxation and leisure) for the Children of Israel, on the dates specified (see Figure xx). We will consider for each of the feasts what was required or took place on each occasion, the part played by priests, where the Feasts are mentioned outside the Torah and the prophetic aspects of each feast, trying to maintain a healthy balance between spiritualising every tiny aspect of each feast and ignoring spiritual aspects altogether.

For each feast an offering was required, or more than one type of offering in some cases, including some that did not involve blood sacrifice. Other than what was offered on the Day of Atonement these are the same offerings as detailed in Leviticus 1-7 and discussed in Chapter 9. Given it was the priest who made these offerings, this shows why the part played by priests during these feasts was significant. We later read: “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty” Deuteronomy 16:16. Given “the place” would become the Temple in Jerusalem, where the priests operated, it is easy to see how the priests played an important role. Given the dates of the other four feasts, it is likely when the men made that pilgrimage they would likely have celebrated these other feasts too.

Those “three times” represented the time of the barley harvest (Unleavened Bread – Spring), wheat harvest (Weeks – Spring) and fruit harvest (Tabernacles – Autumn) respectively, illustrating the importance of remembering God’s provision at harvest time. Prophetically, we will argue the spring feasts (Passover, Unleavened bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost) looked forward to Jesus first coming (death, burial, resurrection, coming of the Holy Spirit) and the autumn feasts (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles) looked forward to Jesus second coming (announcing His return, Israel seeing their crucified Messiah and weeping, Jesus dwelling with Israel during the Millennium). 

It should be noted that the months in which the Jewish feasts fell are based on the lunar calendar rather than the solar calendar we use today. It means the actual day the feasts fall on, by today’s reckoning, will be different each year. It is further noted that in addition to the Seven Feasts of YHWH there are other feasts Jews today celebrate, notably Purim and Hanukkah, which we will discuss at the end of the chapter. Given there are now no longer a temple or priests, it follows there are no longer sacrifices but what was practiced in Old Testament times has been replaced by a quite different set of traditions and just like the Christians feasts, e.g. Christmas and Easter are celebrated quite differently, often having little or nothing to do with the Christianity, the same could be said for the Jewish feast celebration having little or nothing to with Judaism. As interesting as a study on how Jews today celebrate the feasts, this is outside the author’s experience and the scope of this book.  

The Sabbath (v3)

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings”.

While we can trace back the sabbath to the time of creation in Genesis 1, we cannot find it being mandated on people until the Israelites got to Sinai in Exodus 19, and when it was one of the ten commandments to: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” Exodus 20:8. There are other sabbaths too, notably the seventh year one when the land was given a rest from growing crops. Moreover, after seven times seven years, there will be a year of Jubilee when people would be freed from depths and if indebted in any way given their freedom. Back to the Sabbath, the importance of observing God’s command and consequences of non-observance is illustrated in Numbers 15:32-36 when we learn that a young man was stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath.

We might reflect on how Sabbath observance in earlier Old Testament times compares with attitudes now to be found in contemporary Christianity. Notably, Jesus and the first Christians (all Jews) observed the Sabbath but not with the extra rules imposed by the religious leaders of the time. Most Christians today do not do anything differently on the Sabbath (seventh) day to that on other days (other than often seeing it as the start of a weekend break). Many do things differently on the Sunday (first) day, with some even referring to it as the Lord’s Day, when no work is done and attending Christian services and reflection. There is considerable variance, including a lackadaisical attitude by many. There may be a biblical mandate for Gentile believers not observing the Sabbath in the same way as their Hebrew brethren, but there is none for substituting Sunday for Saturday as a special day, which was done at the behest of church authorities after the New Testament period.  

The Bible talks about a “sabbath rest”. With reference to “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest” Psalm 95:10,11, we read: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” Hebrews 4:1-11.

Before we turn our attention to the Seven Feasts of YHWH, we might reflect on some underlying principles concerning the Sabbath, some of which apply to these various feasts, particularly the importance of recognising that we follow a holy God who also wishes to bless us. In this day of the rich and powerful exploiting the poor and disempowered, and a world that is anything but being at rest, God’s solution is better than Marxist or other alternatives, and comes with a blessing: “Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:  But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth” Deuteronomy 15:5-8.

As for entering into the rest, whatever that is, part of the Christian hope is reflecting on what the Sabbath foreshadows and can be further seen in the millennial reign of Christ and their final state.

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv4-8)

“These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein”.

Of all the feast of YHWH, the Passover is the one that many Christians particularly identify with, because it was when Jesus celebrated it with His disciples that he instituted the Lords Supper (Communion) that Christians ever since and across all denominational strands have celebrated.

The first Passover coincided with the tenth and final plague of Egypt, after which Pharoah let the Israelites go in order to journey into the Wilderness and eventually possess the land that God had promised to Abraham. It was a terrible occasion when the firstborn son of every Egyptian family and of every animal was slain by God and the Israelites were only spared because they had sacrificed a (Passover) lamb and applied the blood to the side posts and upper door posts of their houses.   

We are given a full account on what was required in Exodus 12, when we read: “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (12:1,2). While Jews today equate their new year Rosh Hashanah with the Feast of Trumpets it is at Passover time the new year truly begins because of its enormous significance in the life of the nation and was its major turning point.

While this author has tried not to give too many personal anecdotes, he hopes readers with bear with him for sharing this one … The building that the church fellowship he was associated with for much of his life had little of the religious paraphernalia that typically went along with many places of worship. The exception was texts embedded into the walls. At the back of the Hall where we met was the text “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” Exodus 12:13. It could be clearly seen by the preacher at the front and was meant to serve as a reminder that when he preached, he was not to forget the Blood – which is something that Christians are meant to do whenever they drink from the communion cup: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” Matthew 26:28. Our two texts are related insofar that Jesus is our Passover Lamb.

It is notable that mention is made of keeping the Passover and encouraging God’s people to celebrate it at the appointed place, including those in Israel after it had separated from Judah, and for priests to be sanctified in order to officiate, under the last two good kings of Judah (Hezekiah – 2 Chronicles 30, and Josiah – 2 Chronicles 35) and also on the return from exile (Ezra 6). 

In the passage covering the Passover, coverage is given of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which began as soon as the Feast of Passover had ended just before the Feast of Firstfruits begins. It appears the practical reason for unleavened bread is that it needed to be prepared in haste as the people needed to leave Egypt in haste. Some commentators point to the Bible association of leaven with evil, e.g. “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. And the people needed to disassociate from that which is evil. If we are to associate Firstfruits with Jesus rising from the dead as argued in the next section and Passover with Jesus’ death on the Cross, in this, then what comes in-between is Jesus’ burial, when He descended into Hell. It is a time of sober reflection preceding a time of triumphal jubilation when Jesus rose from the dead.   

Offering the Firstfruits (vv9-14)

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be 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 he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings”.

The Feast of Firstfruits served as a reminder to the Israelites of God’s provision in the Promised Land. Ultimately, the Israelites were to acknowledge that God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and provided them a place to live and grow crops (Deuteronomy 26:1–11).

As its name suggests, the Feast of Firstfruits required the Israelites to bring “a sheaf of the first grain” they harvested each year to the priest. The priest would then take the sheaf and wave it before the Lord the day after the Sabbath. On the same day, all the Israelites were to sacrifice a year-old lamb without defect as a burnt offering and give a food offering of grain, oil, and wine. The Israelites were not allowed to eat any of the crop until the day the first portion was brought before the priest. The first fruits belonged to God, and was when the people of Israel acknowledged God as the source of their crops and the one who provided for them.

The Feast of Firstfruits marked the first harvest of the year, heightening the symbolism that reminded the Israelites of God’s provision. The first thing the Israelites did after a long and laborious season of growing crops was express their thankfulness to God for meeting their needs. And because ancient Israel was an agriculturally based society, the Israelites were acknowledging God’s provision for both their food and their income. Like the other Jewish feasts in the Old Testament, the Feast of Firstfruits prophetically foreshadowed the coming Messiah and His ministry. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul refers to Christ and His resurrection as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Just as the first portion of the harvest in the Old Testament anticipated the full harvest still to come, Jesus’ resurrection anticipated the full resurrection to come for all those who are in Christ. His resurrection signals the very beginning of a brand-new creation promised in the Old Testament (Isaiah 43:18–19; 65:17). We are reminded “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” Romans 8:23. For believers today, it is a foreshadowing and reminder of what Christ has done in redeeming creation and what He will do when He finally returns.

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) (vv15-22)

“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: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God”.

The Feast of Weeks is the second of the three “solemn feasts” that all Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend (Exodus 23:14–17; 34:22–23; Deuteronomy 16:16) and offer sacrifices. This important feast gets its name from the fact that it starts seven full weeks, or exactly 50 days, after the Feast of Firstfruits. Since it takes place exactly 50 days after the previous feast, this feast is also known as “Pentecost” (Acts 2:1), which means “fifty.”

In all three of the feasts that Jewish males were required to attend, “firstfruit” offerings would be made at the Temple as a way of expressing thanksgiving for God’s provision. Just as the Feast of Firstfruits included the first fruits of the barley harvest, the Feast of Weeks was in celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest. Since the Feast of Weeks was one of the “harvest feasts,” the Jews were commanded to “present an offering of new grain to the Lord”. This offering was to be “two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah” which were made “of fine flour . . . baked with leaven.” This is also the only feast where leavened bread is used.

The offerings were to be made of the first fruits of that harvest. Along with the “wave offerings” they were also to offer seven first-year lambs that were without blemish along with one young bull and two rams. Additional offerings are also prescribed in Leviticus and the other passages that outline how this feast was to be observed. Another important requirement of this feast is that, when the Jews harvested their fields, they were required to leave the corners of the field untouched and not gather “any gleanings” from the harvest as a way of providing for the poor and strangers.

To the Jews, this time of celebration is known as Shavuot, which is the Hebrew word meaning “weeks.” This is one of three separate names that are used in Scripture to refer to this important Jewish feast. Each name emphasizes an important aspect of the feast as well as its religious and cultural significance to both Jews and Christians. Besides being called the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus 23, this special feast celebration is called the “Day of the Firstfruits” in Numbers 28:26 and the “Feast of Harvest” in Exodus 23:16, and among Christians is more commonly known as Pentecost.

Like other Jewish feasts, the Feast of Weeks is important in that it foreshadows the coming Messiah and His ministry. Following His resurrection, Jesus spent the next 40 days teaching His disciples before ascending to heaven (Acts 1). Fifty days after His resurrection and after ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as promised (John 14:16–17) to indwell the disciples and empower them for ministry. The promised Holy Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost.

On the Day of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks, the “firstfruits” of the church were gathered by Christ as some 3,000 people heard Peter present the gospel after the Holy Spirit had empowered and indwelt the disciples as promised (Acts 2). With the promised indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of God’s spiritual harvest under the New Covenant began. Today that harvest continues as people continue to be saved, but there is also another coming harvest whereby God will again turn His attention back to Israel so that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Looking back to Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28–32) and forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s last words on earth before His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:8), Pentecost signals the beginning of the church age.

The Feast of Trumpets (vv23-25)

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord”.

The Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before God. It is one of seven Jewish feasts or festivals appointed by the Lord and the first of the three feasts that occur in the autumn. The Feast of Trumpets began on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month. Its name comes from the command to blow trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1-6). It is also referred to Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,” because it marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. During this celebration, no kind of work was to be performed, but burnt offerings and a sin offering were to be brought before the Lord.

In the Leviticus passage, the words trumpet blasts are a translation of the Hebrew word teruah, which means “a shout” or “a blowing.” It appears that the shofar (ram’s horn) was to be blown at this time, as it was on the other new moons (Psalm 81:3). Jewish tradition indicates that both the ram’s horn and the priestly silver horns (hazozerah) were used in the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets was important for several reasons. First, it commemorated the end of the agricultural and festival year. Also, the Day of Atonement fell on the tenth day of this month, and the Festival of Booths began on the fifteenth day and represent a progression of thought beginning with repentance on the Festival of Trumpets, forgiveness on the Day of Atonement and rest on the Festival of Booths, all being bound up with the Second Coming of Christ. The blowing of the trumpets on first day of the month heralded a solemn time of preparation for the Day of Atonement; this preparation time was called “Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.” The trumpet sound was an alarm of sorts and can be understood as a call to introspection and repentance.

The prophets linked the blowing of trumpets to the future Day of Judgment: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1; also Zephaniah 1:14, 16). In the New Testament, we see that the Lord’s Second Coming will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Each of the judgments in Revelation 8-9 is signalled by a trumpet. Just as the shofar called the Jewish nation to turn their attention to the Lord and ready themselves for the Day of Atonement, so will the “trump of God” call us to heaven and warn the world of coming judgment.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (vv26-32)

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath”.

While all the feasts mentioned are significant and complementary, but given the special relevance of the Day of Atonementto some of the central themes of “Priests of the Bible” we present our thoughts on this particular feast in a separate chapter (Chapter 11) that is devoted to Yom Kippur.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, Booths) (vv33-44)

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord”.

The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16). The importance of the Feast of Tabernacles can be seen in how many places it is mentioned in Scripture, sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13).  Many important events in Israel’s history has taken place at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. It was at this time when Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord: “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month” 1 Kings 8:2.

It was at the Feast of Tabernacles that the Israelites, who had returned from exile to rebuild the temple, gathered to celebrate under the leadership of Joshua and Zerubbabel (Ezra 3). Later, the Jews heard Ezra read the Word of God to them during the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8). Ezra’s preaching resulted in a great revival as the Israelites confessed and repented of their sins. It was also during this Feast that we read: “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37–39).

The Feast of Tabernacles begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the autumn harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness. It was the last of the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate in. As one of the pilgrim feasts, it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths. During the eight-day period, many sacrifices were made. It required all twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial duties.

God’s instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles were given soon after God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days. Like all feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees. The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. The feasts are significant for they foreshadow the work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took place in conjunction with the Feasts.

The Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second Coming when He will establish His earthly kingdom. It is the one feast that Gentiles are required to observe, during Christ’s millennial reign. “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” Zechariah 14:16-18.

The Feast of Tabernacles is unique, insofar the nations also were invited in ancient times to come up to Jerusalem at this season to worship the Lord alongside the Jewish people. This tradition first arose from the command given to Moses that Israel should sacrifice seventy bulls at this time, which were offered for the seventy nations descended from Noah (see Numbers 29:12-35). The entire Numbers 29 chapter is taken up with the various sacrifices offered on each day of the Feast. When Solomon later dedicated his Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, he also called on the Lord to hear the prayers of all the foreigners that would come there to pray (2 Chronicles 6:32-33). Thus, Jerusalem and the Temple itself were destined from the start to be a “house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13). Another unique aspect of Sukkot is that it is a feast of joy. It is an autumn harvest feast to be marked with great rejoicing in the ingathering of the fruit of the land. Israel also was called to instruct the nations in the laws of God and the people were to take joy in this task. Thus, Sukkot also serves as a harbinger of the joyous last-days ingathering of the nations.

Some argue Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles as seen in the words John when he wrote: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14. The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which means to “dwell in a tent.”

The Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to the coming Messiah, who would deliver His people from the bondage of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, reminded the Jews and should remind Christians that God has promised to deliver His people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies. Part of God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption that will come when Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” Psalm 91:1-16.

Feast of Purim

Purim is the first of the feasts not ordained by YHWH that is celebrated still by Jews today. We read about the origins of this feast in the Book of Esther. “Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them, The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim. And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry. And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book” Esther 5:26-32. It is a time of celebration recalling how the Jews were spared from annihilation, as recorded in the Book of Esther.

Feast of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the second of the feasts not ordained by YHWH that is celebrated by Jews today but is not found in the Bible. Hanukkah (Chanukah – “dedication”) is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. It is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Temple. In the second century BCE, Israel was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the Jewish people to accept Greek culture and beliefs rather than of YHWH. Against all odds, a small band of faithful but poorly armed Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated and drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Temple and rededicated it to the service of YHWH. According to tradition, when they sought to light the Temple’s Menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity. It has been suggested that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah but there is insufficient evidence to prove this.