LEVITICUS 53


     We will now begin in Leviticus 23:1 "And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying," Leviticus 23:2 "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."

     These feasts are really days set aside as holy days. I believe
this includes the daily, weekly, monthly, as well as special feast
days. Some of the festivals, or feasts, that quickly come to mind are
the feast of trumpets, passover, feast of unleavened bread, pentecost,
day of atonement, and feast of tabernacles. Of course, there were
daily offerings, sabbath, and new moon festivals. These were times to
remember the blessings God has bestowed upon His people. These are
very holy times. All people who worship choose days that are important
to keep holy. Each one of these festivals are recognized for a
separate reason, which we will cover in these lessons. These are not
times we have chosen as holy days, but days God has chosen as holy
days.

     Leviticus 23:3 "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."

     In six days God created the heavens and the earth, and on the
seventh day He rested. This set the pattern for the time of work and
the time of rest to be observed on this earth. Convocation, in the
Scripture above, means public gathering. Sabbath, in the Scripture
above, means intermission. God established this intermission from
work for the good of man, as well as having a day set aside to worship
Him. Jesus explains this in Mark 2:27 "And he said unto them, The
sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:"  The sabbath
Moses spoke of here, was to be observed from sunset Friday until
sunset Saturday. This was observed on the last day of the week, or the
7th day.

     Leviticus 23:4  "These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy
convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons."

     This is not speaking of just sabbath, but is speaking of all the
festivals, as well. When we were in Israel, the beginning of Sabbath
was proclaimed by three blasts on the ram's horn. These holy times
were to be observed by all, not just the high priest and the priests.

     Leviticus 23:5 "In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at
even [is] the LORD'S passover."

     The first month of their religious year was Nisan which is
approximately the same as our April. I say approximately, because they
did not observe the same time as we do today to change a month. Every
complete change of the moon proclaimed a new month. Their months were
about 28 days long. The LORD's passover was a time to remember the
night in Egypt, when death passed over the Hebrew's homes which had
the blood of the lamb over the door. In all of Egypt, those who did
not have the blood over the door, lost the first born of both man and
beast. To remember this special night, each passover, Jewesh families
eat the passover supper. The animal is roasted and they eat bitter
herbs and unleavened bread with the meal. We go into this in greater
detail in other lessons. I would like to say that we Christians have a
passover Lamb. His name was Jesus Christ our LORD. When we are washed
in His blood, we receive eternal life. Jesus, not only ate passover
with the disciples, but was in fact the Passover Lamb Himself. Both
His eating and His being the Passover Lamb occurred between sunset and
the next sunset. Both things occurred on the day passover was
celebrated.

     Leviticus 23:6 "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."

     The unleavened bread symbolized the body of Jesus which was
without sin. Unleavened means free from sin. Jesus is the Bread. Jesus
took our sin on His body that we might receive His righteousness. This
feast of unleavened bread was an extension of eating unleavened bread
of the passover. Unleavened bread continued 7 days beyond passover.
We have been reminded that 7 means spiritually complete. The
unleavened bread of the passover was eaten in a ceremonial meal. The
week of unleavened bread is to be observed even in ordinary meals
eaten that week.

     Leviticus 23:7 "In the first day ye shall have an holy
convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein."

     This time of separation from work and the things of the world
gave them a time when they could remember that God had made them His
people, and they were to live holy lives. This unleavened bread
reminded them of the necessity to live without sin.

     Leviticus 23:8 "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]."

     We remember, from previous lessons, that offerings made by fire
showed total dedication to God. Notice the beginning and the end of
this week were holy days. We must not only begin with God, but we must
end with Him, as well.

     Leviticus 23:9  "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
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:"

     It appears that firstfruits of the grain were to be offered in
conjunction with unleavened bread. The first and best of the harvest
was chosen, and put in a sheaf, and brought, and waved before the
Lord.  No one was to eat any of the harvest, until the first had been
given to God. This would be dedicating the whole crop to God. It is
interesting to note, that no crop which had been fertilized or
artificially watered would be acceptable for this firstfruit offering.
God had promised His people that their crops would do well, as long as
they worshipped Him alone.

     Leviticus 23:11 "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."

     This sheaf of grain that was offered was showing that all the
crop really belonged to God. It is through the blessings of God, that
bountiful crops are produced. Any farmer will tell you, that by the
grace of God, they have a good crop. The persons {usually three men}
who went and brought in the sheaf of grain were not breaking the
sabbath. It was permissible to go and get the sheaf for the offering
in the temple. Actually passover, unleavened bread, and firstfruits of
the harvest happened approximately the same time. Jesus was the
Passover Lamb, Jesus was the Unleavened Bread, and He is the First
Fruits of  God's harvest.

     Leviticus 23:12 "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."

     We have gone into this more fully in another lesson, but I will
touch on just a few things here. Of course, the fact that this is a he
lamb is because it shadows the body of Jesus, and therefore must be a
male. A male lamb that is one year old has never been with a female
lamb.  This indicates the fact that Jesus never married. This was a
burnt offering showing that Jesus paid it all for us. All of these
offerings, here, seem to overlap. That is exactly what Jesus did for
all of us in that one offering of Himself. Jesus did not just fulfill
one or two of these offerings, but He fulfilled them every one, in the
perfect sacrifice of Himself. This sacrifice of Himself was to do away
with all other sacrifices. His sacrifice was for all time for everyone
who would believe and accept Him as our sacrifice.

     Leviticus 23:13 "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."

     We touched on this, also, in an earlier lesson, but I would like
to remind all of us of just a few highlights of this. The meat
offering did not contain flesh, but was made up of the elements used
in making bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life. This was called a meat
offering, because it shadowed the flesh of Jesus. This is one of the
few places where the drink offering is mentioned. This wine symbolizes
the blood of Jesus. The Bread symbolizes His body. John 6:53 "Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in
you." Matthew 26:26  "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and
said, Take, eat; this is my body."  Matthew 26:27 "And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of
it;" Matthew 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins."

     We have said this before, but it is very important to remember
that God is a Spirit. If God was the author of the Bible, as I believe
He was, then the only way to truly understand the Bible is through the
Spirit.













































                             Questions 53

1.  What were the feasts of the LORD called in verse 2?
2.  Name some of the holy days.
3.  What were the people to remember in these festivals?
4.  Who decided which days were holy?
5.  ___ days shall work be done.
6.  What is the 7th day?
7.  What set the pattern for 6 days of work and one day for rest?
8.  What does convocation mean?
9.  What does sabbath mean?
10. What did Jesus say about the sabbath in Mark?
11. In recent years in Jerusalem, how is sabbath proclaimed?
12. Who was to observe these holy times?
13. When is the LORD's passover to be observed?
14. What was the first month of the religious year for the Jews?
15. What signaled a new month?
16. What did passover remind them of?
17. What were they to eat at passover?
18. Who is the Christian's Passover Lamb?
19. How does Jesus save our lives?
20. How could Jesus eat the passover supper and be the Passover Lamb ?
21. When did unleavened bread officially begin?
22. What does unleavened mean?
23. What does the number 7 mean spiritually?
24. What did this time of rest allow them to do?
25. When did firstfruits occur?
26. What was offered as firstfruits?
27. What peculiarity did the crop where the sheaf of grain was taken
    have?
28. What was to be done with the sheaf of grain?
29. How are bountiful crops produced?
30. What three festivals happened about the same time?
31. What was to be offered at the same time as the sheaf being heaved
    unto the LORD?
32. Why must the lamb that was offered be a he?
33. What was meant by this lamb being under one year of age?
34. Is it correct to sacrifice now? Why?
35. What was peculiar about the meat offering?
36. Why then, was it called a meat offering?
37. Quote John chapter 6 verse 53.
38. How does the author believe is the only way to truly understand
    the Bible?