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📖 Check Your Understanding
2
The Story
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God's feasts. “The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts” (23:2). A holy convocation was a holy gathering. The ICB calls them “holy meetings.”
Appointed times. They were to be held “at their appointed times” (23:4). God set the calendar.
The Sabbath first. “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest” (23:3).
Remember and look ahead. The feasts helped Israel remember what God had done. The New Testament says they also pointed forward.
A shadow. Paul wrote that festivals and sabbaths “are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). A shadow shows the shape of something real.
True rest. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
What we learn. God built reminders of His goodness into Israel's year, and every one of them points to Jesus.
Appointed times (23:2, 4). “Feasts” translates mo'adim (say: mo-ah-DEEM), appointed times. “Holy convocations” translates miqra'ei qodesh, sacred assemblies called together. These were set meetings between God and His people, not merely holidays.
Israel's year. God gave the Sabbath, then Passover and Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The spring feasts came with the barley and wheat harvests; the fall feasts came in the seventh month.
The Sabbath (23:3). The weekly Sabbath heads the list. It was “a Sabbath of solemn rest… in all your dwellings,” kept at home as well as at the sanctuary.
Shadow and substance. Colossians 2:16-17 calls festivals and sabbaths “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Hebrews 10:1 calls the law “a shadow of the good things to come.” The feasts were real worship for Israel and also previews of Christ.
Rest fulfilled. Hebrews 4:9-10 speaks of “a rest for the people of God” for the one who has “ceased from his works.” Christ offers the rest the Sabbath pictured (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus in the feasts. God's Word ties these feasts to Jesus: He is our Passover, the firstfruits from the dead, and the One who sent the Spirit at Pentecost.
God told Moses to teach the people about His feasts. A feast is a special time set apart for God. God planned these times on Israel's calendar. Some came every week. Some came once a year. The first one God talked about was the Sabbath. God told them to work for six days. On the seventh day, they should rest. The Sabbath was a gift. People could stop working and remember God. These feasts helped Israel remember what God had done. They also pointed to Jesus, who would come later. Jesus invites tired people to come to Him for rest. In Jesus we find the best rest of all.
God gave His people special feasts. Feasts are happy times to remember God. Every week they rested on the Sabbath. Jesus gives us rest too.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Why do you think God wants us to rest?
Passover. “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover” (23:5). It remembered the night God spared Israel in Egypt (Exodus 12:13).
Unleavened Bread. “Seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (23:6). Leaven is yeast, which makes bread rise.
Firstfruits. “You shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest” (23:10). A sheaf is a bundle of grain.
The day after the Sabbath. “He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord… on the day after the Sabbath” (23:11).
Our Passover. Paul wrote, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus died at Passover time.
Without leaven. Paul said to live “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8).
Risen first. “Now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Many Christians also see a picture in the timing: Jesus rose on the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath.
What we learn. Jesus is our Passover Lamb and the first to rise forever. His resurrection promises ours.
Passover (23:5). Held “at twilight” on the fourteenth of the first month, it recalled Exodus 12, when the blood on the doorposts was “a sign” and God said, “I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).
Unleavened Bread (23:6-8). A seven-day feast followed. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 leaven becomes a picture of “malice and wickedness,” and unleavened bread a picture of “sincerity and truth.”
Christ our Passover. Paul says it plainly: “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus was condemned on “the Preparation Day of the Passover” (John 19:14), and none of His bones were broken (John 19:36; compare Exodus 12:46). At the Last Supper Jesus said He longed “to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).
Firstfruits (23:9-14). The first sheaf of barley was waved “to be accepted on your behalf.” No one could eat the new grain until it was offered (23:14). The first part dedicated the whole.
The risen firstfruits. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 calls Christ “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The first sheaf promised the rest of the harvest, and Jesus' resurrection promises that all who belong to Him will rise. Many Christians also see a picture in the timing: the sheaf was waved “on the day after the Sabbath” (23:11), and Jesus rose “on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2).
Passover came in the spring. It helped Israel remember the night God saved them from Egypt. That night each family ate a lamb. God passed over the houses that were marked. The next day began the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened bread is flat bread made without yeast. Then came the harvest. Farmers brought the first bundle of grain to the priest. The priest lifted it up to God. It was called the firstfruits. The New Testament says Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He died for us at Passover time. He rose from the dead on the first day of the week. The Bible calls Jesus the firstfruits from the dead.
At Passover they remembered Egypt. God saved His people from slavery. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He saves us from sin!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
What does Jesus save us from?
Counting. “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath… seven Sabbaths shall be completed” (23:15).
Fifty days. “Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord” (23:16). This was the Feast of Weeks.
Two loaves. “You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves… They are the firstfruits to the Lord” (23:17). These loaves were baked with leaven.
Remember the poor. Right in the middle of the feasts, God repeated the gleaning law: “You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger” (23:22).
Pentecost. The Greek name Pentecost means fiftieth. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come… they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4).
A harvest of people. “That day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41).
What we learn. The feast of the wheat harvest became the day God began gathering a great harvest of people through Jesus.
The count (23:15-16). Seven full weeks were counted from the firstfruits sheaf, and on the fiftieth day “a new grain offering” was brought. Deuteronomy 16:10 calls it the Feast of Weeks; Greek-speaking Jews called it Pentecost, from the word for fiftieth.
Leavened loaves (23:17). Unlike most grain offerings, these two loaves were “baked with leaven.” They were not burned on the altar but waved and given to the priests (23:20). They were bread from the new wheat, a thank-You to God for the whole harvest.
The poor again (23:22). God repeats the gleaning law of 19:9-10 right inside the festival calendar. Worship and justice belong together.
Fulfillment. Luke tells us exactly when the Spirit came: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come” (Acts 2:1). Jesus rose at Passover time; fifty days later the Spirit was poured out, and “about three thousand souls were added” (Acts 2:41).
Firstfruits of the Spirit. Romans 8:23 speaks of believers who “have the firstfruits of the Spirit.” The Spirit is the first part of a harvest that will be completed at the resurrection of the body.
From the empty tomb to Pentecost. Christ the firstfruits rose; fifty days later, at the feast of the wheat harvest, the Spirit came; and a great harvest of people began. God planned Israel's calendar to point to the gospel.
After the first bundle of grain, the people counted. They counted seven weeks. On the fiftieth day they had another feast. It came at the wheat harvest. Each family brought two loaves of bread made with yeast. The priest lifted the loaves up to God. God also reminded them again to leave grain for the poor. Later this feast was called Pentecost. Pentecost means fiftieth. Fifty days after Jesus rose, His friends were together. God sent the Holy Spirit on them. Peter preached about Jesus. About three thousand people believed that day! It was like the first big harvest of people for God.
The people counted fifty days. Then they gave God new bread. Fifty days after Jesus rose, God sent His Spirit. That day was called Pentecost!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
What did God send at Pentecost?
Trumpets. “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets” (23:24).
Atonement. “The tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement… to make atonement for you before the Lord your God” (23:27-28).
Tabernacles. “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord” (23:34). The ICB calls it the Feast of Shelters.
Booths. “You shall dwell in booths for seven days… that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (23:42-43).
Joy. “You shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (23:40).
Living water. At this feast Jesus cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).
God with us. John says Jesus “dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He came to live with His people. Christians also look ahead to the day when “the tabernacle of God is with men” (Revelation 21:3).
What we learn. Every feast, from spring to fall, points to Jesus.
Trumpets (23:23-25). “A memorial of blowing of trumpets” opened the seventh month with rest and an offering, calling Israel to remember the Lord. Many Christians also see a picture of the trumpet that will sound at Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52).
Atonement (23:26-32). Leviticus 16 explains what the high priest did on this day; here God sets it in the calendar, with fasting (“afflict your souls”) and complete rest. Hebrews 9:12 shows its fulfillment in Christ's once-for-all entry.
Tabernacles (23:33-43). The sukkot (say: soo-KOHT), booths, recalled the wilderness years, and the feast celebrated the final harvest with branches and rejoicing (23:40).
Fulfillment in John. John 7 takes place at Tabernacles (7:2). On “the last day, that great day of the feast,” Jesus offered “rivers of living water,” which John explains as the Spirit (7:37-39). John 1:14 says the Word “dwelt among us,” using the Greek eskēnōsen (say: es-KAY-no-sen), literally pitched His tent.
The final hope. Revelation 21:3, “the tabernacle of God is with men,” and Revelation 7:9, with its crowd holding palm branches, echo the feast. Christians see these as the feast's final fulfillment.
The whole calendar. From Passover to Tabernacles, Israel's year told the story of redemption: rescue, new life, the Spirit, atonement and God dwelling with His people.
The fall feasts came in the seventh month. First came a day of blowing trumpets. The loud sound called people to remember God. Ten days later was the Day of Atonement. The high priest went behind the curtain. God made the people clean from their sins. Five days after that came the Feast of Shelters. Families built little huts out of branches. They lived in them for seven days. It helped them remember living in tents in the desert. God had cared for them there. At this feast Jesus once stood up and said something wonderful. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Jesus came to live with us and give us life.
In fall they blew trumpets. Then came the Day of Atonement. Then they lived in huts and celebrated. Jesus came to live with us!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
How did Jesus come to live with us?
📖 Complete the Open Bible section first!
📚 Story Questions
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The Gospel Connection
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The problem. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Like Israel in Egypt, we need to be rescued. We are not able to free ourselves from sin any more than Israel could free itself from Pharaoh.
Shadows cannot save. The feasts were good gifts, but they were “a shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17). “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). We cannot earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christ our Passover. “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus died for our sins at Passover time. Just as God passed over the houses marked by the lamb, God's judgment passes over everyone who trusts in Jesus.
The firstfruits. “Now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Fifty days later, at Pentecost, He poured out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). Because He rose first, everyone who belongs to Him will rise too (1 Corinthians 15:22).
The response. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Then every day becomes a reason to celebrate what He has done.
The human condition. Israel's calendar began with rescue from slavery. Humanity's deepest slavery is to sin: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Israel could not rescue itself from Pharaoh, and no person can free himself from the power and penalty of sin. The calendar began with an act of God, not an achievement of Israel.
The limit of the calendar. The feasts were repeated every year. Hebrews 10:1 explains why: the law had “a shadow of the good things to come,” and its sacrifices could “never… make those who approach perfect.” Religious observance, however faithful, cannot remove sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). The feasts came back every year because the final answer had not yet come.
The substance is Christ. Colossians 2:17 says the festivals were a shadow, “but the substance is of Christ.” He is our Passover, “sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). At His last Passover He took bread and said, “This is My body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19). The meal that remembered Israel's rescue became the meal that remembers ours.
Death, resurrection and the Spirit. He died at Passover, was buried, and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), becoming “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). At Pentecost the Spirit came and the harvest of the nations began (Acts 2:1-4, 41). By His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place “once for all” (Hebrews 9:12), fulfilling the Day of Atonement. The order matters: death, resurrection, the Spirit and the ingathering of a people. The spring feasts trace that order step by step.
The response. Faith in the risen Christ (Romans 10:9) brings a person into the story the feasts told. Believers now keep the feast “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8), and look forward to the day when “the tabernacle of God is with men” (Revelation 21:3). The Christian life, then, is a life of celebration rooted in what Christ has done and hope in what He will do.
Everyone sins. Sin separates us from God. We need someone to rescue us, like Israel in Egypt.
The feasts could not take sin away. They had to happen every single year. They were pictures pointing to something better. Pictures are good, but they cannot save anyone.
Jesus is that something better. The Bible calls Him our Passover Lamb. He died on the cross at Passover time.
On the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead! The Bible calls Him the firstfruits. Fifty days later He sent the Holy Spirit.
When we trust Jesus, our sins are forgiven. He gives us rest and a reason to celebrate. One day we will live with God forever. That will be the best celebration of all!
We all sin and need God's help.
Feasts and rules could not take sin away.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
He died on the cross for us.
He rose again, the first of many!
Trust Jesus and celebrate Him!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Which feast reminds you most of what Jesus did?
📖 Complete the Open Bible section first!
✝️ Gospel Questions
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Memory Verse
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“The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”
— Leviticus 23:2 (NKJV)
💡 What This Verse Means
This verse opens Leviticus 23, the chapter about Israel's special days. “The feasts of the Lord”: these celebrations belonged to God. He planned them, and they were about Him. “Which you shall proclaim”: to proclaim means to announce out loud. The people were to tell everyone when the feasts came. “To be holy convocations”: a convocation is a gathering. A holy convocation was a special meeting set apart for worshiping God. The ICB calls them “holy meetings.” “These are My feasts”: God says it twice in one verse. The feasts were His gift to His people and His invitation to come and celebrate. When you learn this verse, remember that God loves to be celebrated, and that every one of His feasts points to Jesus, our Passover Lamb and the firstfruits from the dead. Christians still gather to worship Him together. Every Sunday is a small celebration of the day Jesus rose.
Leviticus 23:2 introduces the whole calendar. It begins with “the feasts of the Lord” and ends with “these are My feasts.” Israel did not invent these holidays; God appointed them. The word for feasts, mo'adim, means appointed times, from the same root used in the name of the tabernacle of meeting. They were set meetings between God and His people. God told Israel to “proclaim” them, so the feasts were public and announced. They were “holy convocations,” sacred assemblies set apart from ordinary work. God still orders time for His people. The New Testament teaches that believers are not bound to keep Israel's festival calendar (Colossians 2:16-17), because the substance has come in Christ. Every one of these feasts points to Him. But God's people still gather regularly to remember what He has done and to look forward to what He will do. When you memorize this verse, you learn the key idea of Leviticus 23: appointed times. It also reminds you that Leviticus is not only a book of rules and sacrifices. Here God calls His people to celebrate, to rest and to rejoice before Him (23:40). The God of Leviticus is a God who throws feasts, and the Bible's story ends with a feast too (Revelation 19:9).
This verse is about God's special feasts. God says the feasts belong to Him. He planned them for His people. The people were to announce them out loud. They were holy meetings to worship God. Twice God calls them His feasts. The feasts helped people remember God. They also pointed to Jesus. We still gather to celebrate Him. God loves it when His people worship together. Jesus is the reason we celebrate.
God gave His people special feasts. They were happy times to worship Him. The feasts point to Jesus. We can celebrate Jesus every day!
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