The Feasts of the Lord

 

The Feasts of the Lord
There are two important Hebrew words that appear in Leviticus, chapter 23, and each word is translated as 'feast' in English. 
 In verse 2, the word for feast is the Hebrew word 'mo'ed'- "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts (mo'ed) of the Lord..."
The word 'mo'ed' means an appointment, a fixed time or season, a cycle or year, an assembly, an appointed time, a set time or exact time.  By
understanding the Hebrew meaning of the English word "feast", we can see that God is telling us that He is ordaining a "set time or exact time or an appointed time" when He has an appointment with humanity to fulfill certain events in the redemption. 
Jesus came to earth at the exact time ordained by God as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4, and God has an exact time or set appointment when, in the future, He will judge the world as written in Acts 17:31.
In verse 6 is another Hebrew word translated as "feast"- "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast (chag) of unleavened bread..." 
The Hebrew word 'chag', which means a "festival", is derived from the Hebrew root word 'chagag', which means to move in a circle, to march in a sacred procession, to celebrate, dance, to hold a solemn
feast or holiday. 
God gave the Festivals as cycles to be observed yearly so that, by doing them, we can understand God's redemptive plan for the world, the role that the Messiah would play in that redemption, and our personal relationship to God concerning how we grow from a baby Bible believer to a mature Bible believer.
Now to fully understand the Feasts being appointed times given by God, it is important to understand the Biblical Calendar that God gave to us.
There are two primary calendars in the Bible.  The first one is called the Civil Calendar and is used from Genesis 1:1 to Exodus 12.  The second calendar in the Bible is the Religious Calendar. The Religious Calendar is used from Exodus 12 to Revelation 22.  God established the Religious Calendar in Exodus 12:2
"This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." 
Why did God change the calendar? 
I think it was to emphasize these Feasts, which He gave and which are His appointed times. They foreshadow important events in redemption that would happen on the days He ordained on the Religious Calendar.  These important days on the
Religious Calendar are the same days that He gave as Festivals in Leviticus, chapter 23. 
There are a total of seven Feasts (the divine number for perfection or completeness in the Bible).  They are listed here in Leviticus 23. 
God divided the seven Festivals into three major Festival seasons. 
The Feast of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and
First Fruits are observed together in the first month of God's Religious Calendar in the spring of the year. 
Then the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, is observed in the third month. 
The Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are observed in the seventh month, which is in the fall of the year. 
Three is the number of complete and perfect testimony and witness. (2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 John 5:8)  So the Feasts are a witness to God's divine plan and the role of Messiah fulfilling that plan.
In Leviticus 23:2 it is written, "...the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations..." 
The Hebrew term translated as convocation in Leviticus 23:2,4 is 'miqra', which means "a
rehearsal".  God gave the Festivals to be yearly "rehearsals" of the future events in the redemption. 
Because God gave the "rehearsals" to teach us about the major events in the redemption, if we want to
understand those events, then we need to understand what God was teaching us by these rehearsals.  We will look at them more in detail over the next several weeks, but for tonight, let me give you an overview of the Feasts. 
The Festivals of the Lord found in Leviticus, chapter 23, were given to us by God so His people could understand the coming of the Messiah and the role that the Messiah would play in redeeming and restoring both man and the earth back to God following the fall of Man in the Garden of Eden.
The Festivals are divided into two major portions, depending upon whether they occur in the spring or the fall.  The Spring Festivals teach about the First Coming of the Messiah, and the Fall Festivals
teach about the Second Coming of the Messiah. 
During the course of the year, the rains come in Israel at two primary times - the spring and the
fall.  In Hosea 6:3 we read- "...His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth."  The "latter and former rain" in this passage is commonly interpreted and understood to be the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The "former and latter" rain also refers to the First and Second Coming of the Messiah.  The Hebrew word for the former rain, found also in Joel
2:23, is 'moreh', which means "teacher".  Jesus, the teacher, was sent by God to the earth to faithfully teach us righteousness, just as God faithfully sends us the rain. (Isaiah 55:10-11) 
The harvest (believers in Christ) is the product that the rain (Jesus) produces.
The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 2:16-17 refers to the Feasts as a "shadow of things to come." 
The first four Feasts or Festivals, which are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost, primarily teach about the significant events in the First Coming of the Messiah and why these events were an important part of God's redemption of man.
The last three Feasts, which are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, give us a fascinating insight concerning important events that surround the Second Coming of the Messiah. 
God gave the Festivals to teach about the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the empowering of the believers by the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, the coronation of the Messiah, the wedding of the Messiah, the Millennium, and much more.
The four Spring Festivals are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.
The four fall festivals are The Fest of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and The Fest of Booths or Tabernacles. 
Now for every one of the feasts there is an Historical Application, there is a Messianic application, and there is a spiritual application. 
You may be saying, “Why study these feasts?” 
Well, here’s why: 
-The Feasts are in the Bible, and all the Bible is inspired by God.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
-The Feasts are a shadow of things to come that teach us about the Messiah.  (Colossians 2:16-17, Hebrews 10:1)
But ultimately: 
-God gave the Feasts so we could learn and understand God's plan of redemption for the world and our personal relationship to Him.  (Romans 15:4)
Think about this: 
Historically, we can study Passover, and be reminded of Israel’s deliverance out of Egyptian bondage. At the same time, we are seeing the Death of Our Passover Lamb as a sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, we must repent and trust by faith in the shed blood of Jesus.
Then we have The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Historically, it is a reminder of the exodus out of Egypt. In Christ, we are reminded of the burial of Christ. 
For the New Testament believer, there is a reminder of our need to be brought out of our old way of life, only possible because of death of Jesus. 
In The Feast of First Fruits, there is the historical significance of the crossing of the Red Sea. In regard to Jesus, it speaks of His resurrection, and to the child of God the privilege of walking in newness of life. 
Then we have Pentecost. That transports us back to the giving the commandments at Mount Sinai.
Then it carries us forward to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and for us the immersion in the Holy Spirit at our conversion. 
Then we have the feast of Trumpets. Historically, there was the blowing the 'Shofar' (trumpet), signaling the Jewish New Year.  For us, the spiritual significance is the Rapture/First Resurrection blowing of the trumpet. Personally, we are to hear and respond to the call of God on our lives in ministry.
On the Day of Atonement, the priest entered the Holy of Holies and through ceremony provided for the cleansing of the people's sins. Likewise, it is a reminder of Christ’s Coming Again as our Messiah, therefore, we are to yield ourselves to God so that we are living in His presence face to face.
Then we have The Feast of Tabernacles. To the Jew it meant entering the Promised Land and great rejoicing. In regard to Christ, it is a reminder of the Millenium, when He rules and reigns for a thousand years. And for us it is a reminder of the privilege of daily rest in the eternal care of God through Christ.