The Feast of Weeks Leviticus 23:15-22 February 14, 2016 www.wordforlifesays.com Please Note: All lesson verses and titles are based on International Sunday School Lesson/Uniform Series 2010 by the Lesson Committee, but all content/commentary written within is original to wordforlifesays.com unless properly quoted/cited. You are always encouraged to do your own personal studies as well. God bless you! Introduction: As noted in last week s lesson dealing with the Passover, these celebrations are remembrances of what God has done for His people. In last week s lesson, deliverance and the remembrance thereof was celebrated. In this week s lesson, provision and God s blessings, are celebrated and remembered. The meaning behind each is clear to remember what God has done. Knowing the significance of these feasts the people are to follow a very detailed and prescribed order of the right way to celebrate. Leviticus 23:15-16 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. Leviticus 23 opens with God speaking to 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, (vs. 2). Here, right at the beginning of this chapter we see that the feasts are God-ordained. He calls them my feasts and wants these special festivities to be set aside from other days, in commemoration of some point of their relationship with Him.
After He laid the law once again for the Sabbath, seen in verse 3 of this same chapter (seen previously also in Gen. 2:3 and Exo. 20:8-11), He yet again declares, These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons, (vs. 4). Each feast had its own season of celebration and He proceeds to announce the why s and how s of each particular one that is to be carried out. This is very important because when one seeks to worship God, they want to worship and honor Him according to the way He sees fit. Today s lesson, as our title states, is referencing the Feasts of Weeks (see also Exodus 23:16, 34:22; Num. 28:6; Deut. 16:9-10). This is the time of the wheat harvest. Following the order laid out in Leviticus, Passover (discussed in last week s lesson) was celebrated on the 14 th day of the first month known as Nisan/Abib (Nisan is the current Jewish calendar and Abib is the Hebrew calendar), they are the same month (Lev. 23:5). The very next verse tells us, And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread and that this was celebrated for seven days, (Lev. 23:6), which is also referred by some as the Passover Week. On the 1 st and the 7 th days of those seven days were to be a holy convocation when no work was to be done, (Lev. 23:7-8), and offerings were to be made to the LORD all seven days. Next, we see where the Feast of the Firstfruits begin as well in verse 10-11a where it tells us, 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... (emphasis mine). This firstfruit offering (from the barley harvest) was made on the 16 th day of this same first month. In our lesson today, it is from the time of these Firstfruits or the day after the Passover s Sabbath that we begin to count from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths
shall be complete... after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD, (vss. 15-16). When the time has been counted and reached the prescribed fifty days, we arrive at our celebration of study for this week: The Feast of Weeks. It is here they were to offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Often, when we see the word meat in our day and age we think of animal products and the like. Here, it was a new grain or cereal offering that was also referred to as meat. The previous harvest yielded barley. This harvest would yield wheat making it a new meat offering. Leviticus 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be o fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. The instructions were that the people were to bring out two wave loaves baked with leaven. This is a big difference between the bread used during the Passover celebration which was unleavened. Remember, the Passover was celebrated in haste and was remembered for not having time to rise; whereas these loaves will be offered as a wave offering before the LORD (see also verse 20). One of the possible reasons for the leaven in the loaves may be because these offerings were for the priest that offered it. Leviticus 7:9 tells us, And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven... shall be the priest s that offereth it. We see in the above verse that these loaves were called two wave loaves and according to Leviticus 10:15 the wave offerings were to be eaten by the priests. Some people suppose and teach that the leaven present in these loaves speaks of the evil that is still present in the church today. They are the firstfruits unto the LORD. Hold up! I thought we already counted fifty days from the firstfruits before to end up here at the Feast of Weeks. We did. That harvest, the barley harvest, had its own firstfruits (the first and best of that particular crop that was designated to the Lord). The same is true for the
wheat harvest. The first and best of this crop as well would be designated as the firstfruit unto the LORD. Leviticus 23:18-19 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 offering. Above we see a total of thirteen animals that were offered for the celebration of the Feast of Weeks. Seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering and one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offering, (see also Numbers 28:26-31). (For more information on the burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offering, please refer to our previous lesson: Give God Your Best. ) One important point of note is as we discussed before in a previous lesson, these offerings were to be without blemish (compare Ex. 12:5; Lev. 9:2-3; 14:10; 22:19-25; Num. 28:19, 31, and more). This would in turn represent what Jesus Himself accomplishes on the cross, who offered himself without spot to God, (Hebrews 9:14; see also Romans 5:11). In our previous lesson: Give God Your Best, we discussed from Leviticus 22 (the chapter right before today s lesson) the importance of these offerings and their state. In that, I wrote: In bringing an offering unto God under this category it had to be the best one could give. When walking through their herds and flocks, they were to be very careful in choosing their presentation before God. He was and is to be honored above all. Therefore, no deformities or defects were to be present; it couldn t have any faults or imperfections. God requires more! The ordinary just won t do.
One should always desire to honor and please God in all they bring to Him. (www.wordforlifesays.com) In that lesson, I also stated: God does not leave His worshippers blind to His expectations. In all of the shall s and shall not s listed in His word, God openly shows people what to do and what not to do. The time of ignorance is over (Acts 17:30). God has laid out the standards for living and worshipping. In the Old Testament it was through the law and rituals and sacrifices. Since, Christ came to fulfill all of that (Rom. 10:4; Mat. 5:17-20), we are now to have our lives found in Him and live as such (Phil. 3:9). (www.wordforlifesays.com) All feasts, all offerings, are special times dedicated to God and should be reverenced as such. Anything less was an unacceptable form of worship. Leviticus 23:20 And the priest shall wave with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. The Levites were the only tribe of Israel that was not allotted an inheritance when the dividing of land took place. God said, The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance, (Deuteronomy 18:1). Here, we see an example of some of the offerings that were designed for the priest to participate in and keep: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. We have already stated in verse 17 that this was a wave offering and that according what is written of the wave offerings, Leviticus 10:15 says, it shall be thine, and thy son s with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded. Here, we see the priest take the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with two lambs that came from the animals listed in previous verse.
Leviticus 23:21 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. This day of celebration would be set apart from others. It is a holy convocation. What that means is a day distinguished for special service and worship like the Sabbath we are more familiar with. In all actuality, it is a Sabbath or a day of rest; a sacred day where work was prohibited (requirements also seen in the typical Sabbath and other feasts). The Feast of Weeks was, in fact, one of the three major Jewish festivals where all the Jewish males were required to appear in Jerusalem (see Ex. 23:17; 34:23; Deut. 16:16). Although, as Christians we may not be as familiar with that particular day as other holidays, yet for the Jewish people, this day was and is a big deal. It was one that was celebrated and passed down from generation to generation as a statute forever. Not in the Bible, but even today, for example, if one were to do a study on how the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot/Hebrew) is celebrated in our modern era amongst the Jewish people you would find out there s a lot of things involved that mark this day as special. Similar to some of our federal holidays you would see businesses and such are closed. Special treats, particularly those of dairy, are eaten. Services with singing and celebration are enjoyed. Sometimes people stay up all night at the wall in Jerusalem or in synagogues to read the Torah (the reason modern Jews commemorate this day for remembering the giving of the Law). And, children bring in fruits and such in baskets and wear wreaths on their heads. As someone once said, I said all of that to say this, it is an all-out affair dedicated, remembered, and celebrated apart from all others. It really is a big deal then when it was celebrated for the abundance God supplied for the wheat harvest (in the Bible) and now for those who celebrate it by reason of receiving God s law on Mt. Sinai (not in the Bible, but the way modern Jews celebrate it).
Leviticus 23:22 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. During the harvest God also made sure provisions were made for those less fortunate. Therefore, when they reaped the harvest they were not to completely wipe the fields clean (make clean riddance). In fact, they were to leave the corners of thy field untouched so that those who would have need could find food during desperate times as well. We see a great example of this in the story of Ruth when she went to the fields of Boaz to glean the leftovers that she and Naomi may have some food to eat (this may also be the reason why the Jews during the modern celebration of the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, read Ruth). God always provides for His people. He made a way for those who had to share with those who didn t. The people s responsibility was to follow the guidelines of the feasts and the harvest that all might be blessed. Conclusion: Although we do not celebrate the Feast of Weeks either as they did then in the Bible or now during modern times with Shavuot, we can learn to appreciate the blessings God has provided for us and celebrate daily His loving care over us. Why is it so important for us, as Christians, to learn the ins and outs of these feasts? Because it has EVERYTHING to do with our Christian faith! Through it all we can make our connection of faith through Jesus Christ, as the fulfiller of not only all the laws, but we can see Him in these feasts as well. To recap we are working in the original time frame of the Passover (14 th day), its Sabbath, 15 th day (which is the 1 st of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread noted earlier), and the day after that (the 16 th day) which is also the first day of the week, or the Firstfruits. From there we added the prescribed 50 days to arrive at today s lesson of the Feast of Weeks or as we are more familiar with, Pentecost according to Acts 2.
Why is this important? Jesus was crucified on the Passover and became our Passover Lamb (see 1 Cor. 5:7). (Keep in mind the Jewish calendar and time starts at evening. With this being said, He ate the Passover meal with His disciples, we commemorate as the Last Supper, and then went out into the Garden of Gethsemane where He was arrested that night and crucified the next morning which was all still the Passover). They needed to take His body off the cross before Sabbath because it was a high day, (see John 19:31; in general bodies were not to stay hanged on a tree past sunset, see Deut. 21:23). This particular Sabbath was extra special and considered a high day because it was the Sabbath of the Passover Week (still celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread). He rose on the third day, which is the first day of the week (Mark 16:9; Matthew 28:1-7; John 20:1-9), or the day of Firstfruits (see 1 Cor. 15:20, 23). After rising from the dead, He walked the earth for forty days (see Acts 1:3) and then ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). From there, we know that on the day of Pentecost (which means 50 - which we can add and arrive to because it was for 40 days He walked the earth after resurrection + 10 days of disciples waiting in Jerusalem in the upper room, = equaling 50 total days), was the day when the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost came in with sound as of a rushing mighty wind, appearing like cloven tongues as of fire, (see Acts 2:1-4). It is also important to note that it was 50 days from the very first Passover from Egypt when the children of Israel received the Law of God (the Ten Commandments and such) on Mt. Sinai. This was the very first Feast of Weeks celebration, or Shavuot, (as referred to by many Jews) and is still celebrated in this manner among Jews, as discussed before, (not in the Bible) for the receiving God s written word/law. According to some, back then the Law was written on tablets of stone as God spoke in His thunderous voice from over the mountain from heaven. But, in the Pentecost experience of Acts, as His Spirit was poured out according to prophecy
(see Acts 2:16-18), God s Law would now be written on the hearts of men according to prophecy (Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10). Thus, through Christ, all was fulfilled.