◄ Leviticus 23:44 ►
So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Study Bible
So Moses announced
The phrase begins with "So," indicating a conclusion or result of previous instructions given by God. "Moses" is the central human figure in the Pentateuch, serving as the mediator between God and the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "announced" is "dabar," which means to speak or declare. This highlights Moses' role as a prophet and leader, faithfully communicating God's commands to His people. His announcement is not merely a relaying of information but a divine proclamation, underscoring the importance of obedience and reverence to God's word.

to the Israelites
The term "Israelites" refers to the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. This designation emphasizes their identity as God's chosen people, set apart to live according to His statutes. Historically, the Israelites were a nomadic people at this time, journeying through the wilderness. The context of their identity is crucial, as it reminds them of their covenant relationship with God, which is central to their existence and purpose. The feasts Moses announces are not just cultural events but are deeply tied to their identity and spiritual heritage.

the appointed feasts
The Hebrew word for "appointed" is "moed," which means a set time or season. "Feasts" in Hebrew is "chag," indicating a festival or celebration. These appointed feasts are divinely ordained times for worship, reflection, and community gathering. They serve as reminders of God's provision, deliverance, and promises. Each feast has its own significance, rooted in historical events and spiritual truths. They are not arbitrary but are carefully designed by God to teach, remind, and draw His people closer to Him.

of the LORD
The phrase "of the LORD" signifies ownership and origin. The feasts are not human inventions but are instituted by Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God. This underscores the sacredness and authority of these celebrations. The use of "LORD" in all caps in the BSB indicates the translation of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, God's personal and covenantal name. It is a reminder of His eternal presence, faithfulness, and sovereignty. The feasts are thus acts of worship directed towards God, acknowledging His lordship and grace.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The central figure in this passage, Moses is the leader and prophet chosen by God to deliver His laws and instructions to the Israelites. He serves as the mediator between God and His people.

2. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are receiving the laws and instructions for worship and community living.

3. The Appointed Feasts
These are the sacred times set by God for the Israelites to observe. They include the Sabbath, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, who establishes these feasts as a means for His people to remember and celebrate His provision, deliverance, and holiness.

5. The Wilderness
The setting where Moses delivers these instructions, as the Israelites journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Remembrance
The appointed feasts serve as reminders of God's faithfulness and deliverance. In our lives, we should establish regular times to remember and celebrate God's work in our history.

Community Worship
These feasts were communal events, emphasizing the importance of gathering together in worship. We should prioritize corporate worship and fellowship as a vital part of our spiritual lives.

Holiness and Obedience
Observing the feasts required obedience to God's commands, reflecting His holiness. We are called to live lives of holiness, set apart for God's purposes.

Christ as Fulfillment
The feasts point to the work of Christ, who fulfills the law and the prophets. Understanding the feasts enriches our appreciation of Christ's redemptive work.

Spiritual Rhythms
Just as the Israelites had rhythms of worship, we should cultivate spiritual disciplines and rhythms that keep us aligned with God's will and purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How do the appointed feasts in Leviticus 23 help us understand the character and priorities of God?

2. In what ways can we incorporate regular times of remembrance and celebration of God's work in our personal and communal lives today?

3. How does the communal aspect of the feasts challenge our current practices of worship and fellowship within the church?

4. What parallels can we draw between the appointed feasts and the life and work of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament?

5. How can understanding the original context and purpose of these feasts enhance our spiritual disciplines and rhythms in our daily walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 12
Provides the initial instructions for the Passover, which is one of the appointed feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23.

Numbers 28-29
Offers further details on the offerings and sacrifices associated with these feasts, emphasizing their importance in Israelite worship.

Deuteronomy 16
Reiterates the significance of these feasts and provides additional instructions for their observance, highlighting their role in community and worship.

Hebrews 10
Connects the Old Testament sacrifices and feasts to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, showing the fulfillment of these appointed times in the New Covenant.
Sermons
The FestivalsR.A. Redford Leviticus 23:1-44
Feasts of the LordW. H. Jellie.Leviticus 23:2-44
God's FestivalsHenry, MatthewLeviticus 23:2-44
God's Holy DaysHenry, MatthewLeviticus 23:2-44
Seven Feasts Mentioned in This ChapterD. C. Hughes, M. A.Leviticus 23:2-44
The Great FeastsJ. C. Gray.Leviticus 23:2-44
The Holy FestivalsJ. A. Seiss, . D. D.Leviticus 23:2-44
The HebdomadJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 23:23-44
The Feast of TabernaclesJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 23:33-44
The Feast of TabernaclesR.A. Redford Leviticus 23:33-44
People
Ephah, Israelites, Moses
Places
Teman
Topics
Appointed, Clear, Declared, Feasts, Fixed, Israelites, Orders, Seasons, Sons, Speaketh, Thus
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 23:44

     7438   sanctuary

Library
The Consecration of Joy
'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 34. 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. 35. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 36. 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 …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

In the Last, the Great Day of the Feast'
IT was the last, the great day of the Feast,' and Jesus was once more in the Temple. We can scarcely doubt that it was the concluding day of the Feast, and not, as most modern writers suppose, its Octave, which, in Rabbinic language, was regarded as a festival by itself.' [3987] [3988] But such solemn interest attaches to the Feast, and this occurrence on its last day, that we must try to realise the scene. We have here the only Old Testament type yet unfilfilled; the only Jewish festival which has …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Deputation from Jerusalem - the Three Sects of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes - Examination of their Distinctive Doctrines.
APART from the repulsively carnal form which it had taken, there is something absolutely sublime in the continuance and intensity of the Jewish expectation of the Messiah. It outlived not only the delay of long centuries, but the persecutions and scattering of the people; it continued under the disappointment of the Maccabees, the rule of a Herod, the administration of a corrupt and contemptible Priesthood, and, finally, the government of Rome as represented by a Pilate; nay, it grew in intensity …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Chronology
45. The length of the public ministry of Jesus was one of the earliest questions which arose in the study of the four gospels. In the second and third centuries it was not uncommon to find the answer in the passage from Isaiah (lxi. 1, 2), which Jesus declared was fulfilled in himself. "The acceptable year of the Lord" was taken to indicate that the ministry covered little more than a year. The fact that the first three gospels mention but one Passover (that at the end), and but one journey to Jerusalem, …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

"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
Rom. viii. 11.--"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." It is true the soul is incomparably better than the body, and he is only worthy the name of a man and of a Christian who prefers this more excellent part, and employs his study and time about it, and regards his body only for the noble guest that lodges within it, and therefore it is one of the …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Jesus Living at Nazareth and visiting Jerusalem in his Twelfth Year.
(Nazareth and Jerusalem, a.d. 7 or 8.) ^C Luke II. 40-52. ^c 40 And the child grew [This verse contains the history of thirty years. It describes the growth of our Lord as a natural, human growth (compare Luke i. 80); for, though Jesus was truly divine, he was also perfectly man. To try to distinguish between the divine and human in Jesus, is to waste time upon an impracticable mystery which is too subtle for our dull and finite minds], and waxed strong [His life expanded like other human lives. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Healing Peter's Mother-In-Law and Many Others.
(at Capernaum.) ^A Matt. VIII. 14-17; ^B Mark I. 29-34; ^C Luke IV. 38-41. ^c 38 And he arose out of the synagogue [where he had just healed the demoniac], ^b 29 And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came { ^c entered} ^b into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [Peter and Andrew had dwelt at Bethsaida (John i. 44). They may have removed to Capernaum, or Bethsaida, being near by, may be here counted as a part, or suburb, of Capernaum. Its name does not contradict …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
(from Bethany to Jerusalem and Back, Sunday, April 2, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 1-12, 14-17; ^B Mark XI. 1-11; ^C Luke XIX. 29-44; ^D John XII. 12-19. ^c 29 And ^d 12 On the morrow [after the feast in the house of Simon the leper] ^c it came to pass, when he he drew nigh unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, ^a 1 And when they came nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage unto { ^b at} ^a the mount of Olives [The name, Bethphage, is said to mean house of figs, but the …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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