Leviticus: Reasons to be joyful!
Couple years ago my wife asked me for my help to teach her Pri 4 bible class students on Leviticus 23. It was extremely challenging because Leviticus is often perceived as a dry and boring book on do’s and don’t. How was I to get these kids to be interested?
The OT is a “shadow of things to come”. The real thing is when Jesus comes. The OT period is the spiritual kindergarten when God introduced key principles in activities to enable Jesus to fulfill the Law in Spirit and Truth when He appeared.
Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Chapter 23 is on feasts.
Leviticus 23:1-2 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.
My question to the kids was, “Why do we celebrate special occasions like birthdays, Christmas or Chinese New Year?”
Key words that came out were “remember someone”, “happy occasion”, “enjoy”. Yes! Feasts are for enjoyment (derived from the word joy) . They are to remember, commemorate some one or some event.
The Lord God asked the Israelites to celebrate when they were still in the wilderness. What reasons would you have to celebrate in a wilderness? It must be utterly boring, day in day out, either take care of roaming sheep or packed your stuff, walk and walk for miles , set up tents, next morning up and go again in the hot sun with same dry scenery at snail’s pace for days, weeks and months ( or 40 years?)
These are feasts to be celebrated:
Sabbath Lev. 23:3
Why? Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Slaves are not their own. They belonged to the owner. Even if they wanted a rest they needed the owner’s permission. You are no more a slave, God is telling them. Don’t behave like one. Rest! It is a gift to you! Sabbath simply means rest and God dedicated to the Israelite a special day.
Passover – or Feast of Unleavened Bread – Lev.23: 4
Why? Exodus 12:11-12 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
The Lord had passed over them and gave them a new beginning, a life of freedom from that moment onwards. Death to the Egyptians firstborn instead.
Feast of Firstfruits – Lev.23:9
Why? Leviticus 23:10 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:
God has and will provide the best, the firstfruits. Give back your best to God! The only way you can give your utmost best to God and consider it a celebration and not a grudge is from a heart of gratefulness!
Feast of Weeks or Harvest later called Pentecost– Lev.23:15
Why? Ex 23:16 Feast of harvest; so called because the harvest then began to be ripe. It was called also the feast of weeks, or of sevens, because it was kept seven weeks after the passover; also the feast of Pentecost, which means the fiftieth, because it commenced on the fiftieth day after the passover, and was commemorative of the giving of the law from mount Sinai, which took place fifty days after the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Ex 34:22; Le 23:14-21; Nu 28:26-31
A wonderful day to remember for God has given them His Holy Law, “a light unto their path” on this day of Pentecost.
Feast of Trumpets– Lev.23:23
This feast of was celebrated at the beginning of the month Tisri, the first month of the civil year. It received its name from the circumstances that the trumpets usually blown at the commencement of each month were on that occasion blown with unusual solemnity (Le 23:23-25; Nu 10:10; 29:1-6). It was one of the seven days of holy convocation. The special design of this feast, which is described in these verses, is not known.
The feast declares a new beginning. A new start to celebrate!
Day of Atonement – Lev. 23:26
Why? Leviticus 23:28-29 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.
It was day of joy because atonement was made for the sins of the people committed in a whole year.
Feasts of Tabernacle or Booths – Lev23: 33-44
Why? Leviticus 23:41-43 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.
A reminder of their wandering in the wilderness in tents or booths. What was there to rejoice? True rejoicing come knowing that the Promised Land was ahead and later generations should rejoice remembering how blessed they were compared to their ancestors in the wilderness.
In the New Testament, the shadow is no more but the real Person casting the shadow has appeared. We have much joy to celebrate every day , every moment in this spiritual wilderness in a secular and carnal world.
Indeed as He promised:
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
1) Jesus is our Sabbath! Lord of Sabbath. He is our Rest. In Him we are at rest. In our state of rest, very day and every moment we worship him!
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
2) Jesus is our Passover! Because of Jesus, death has passed us over.
1 Corinthians 5:7 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:
Jesus is our Unleavened Bread, the sinless body broken for us! The Bread of Life!
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
3) Jesus is the Firstfruits of resurrection!
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
4) Jesus is the gift of the Holy Spirt! Given to us on Pentecost!
Acts 2:1-3 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
5) When Jesus comes again, the trumpet will sound and he will bring us home!
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
6) Jesus is our Atonement, offered once and for all! We are free! Free! Free from sin!
Romans 5:11-12 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Hebrews 9:23-28 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
7) Jesus’ tabernacled (dwelt, camped) with us.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled (dwelt) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
and He dwells in us when His Holy Spirit indwelled in our bodies through baptism.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 8:9-11 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the 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.
One day we will no longer live in our earthly bodies, our tabernacle. We will return home to Him. What a glorious day that will be!
2 Peter 1:13-14 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
Why so downcast O, my soul? We have every reason to rejoice, O ye of little faith!
Add comment December 25th, 2008
