text:
- Authoress
- Crits and Contests
- Contact
- Success Stories
- Baker's Dozen Success Stories
- General Success Stories
- Published Authors
- Secret Agent Success Stories
- Peter Adam Salomon
- Helene Dunbar
- Beth Hautala
- Monica B.W.
- Leah Petersen
- Danielle Jensen
- Tracy Holczer
- Leigh Talbert Moore
- Alice Loweecey
- Beth Hull
- Home
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Another Success Story!
Dear Authoress,
Thank you so much for your dedication and hard work in the writing community. Perhaps people don't say it enough, but I want you to know that your work is very appreciated and admired by myself and much of the Toronto literary scene. We discuss your blog often, and relay the good news, tidbits, tips and anecdotes to one another in our communal "Office" (i.e. the local Pub) often.
I'm very pleased to be able to inform you that there is some more good news for you to share with your readers.
In April 2009 I pitched my novel "Triptych" to Dragon Moon Press, the full was requested, and the manuscript eventually turned down due to some style and plot issues that the editor wanted me to address.
Heartbroken and determined to do better, I turned to Miss Snark to help improve my opening (I wrote a whole new prologue based on the advice of some of your commentors), to attack my hook (they were right, it WAS too confusing, and I added another three paragraphs to start the action just as the bullet left the barrell, rather than when the body hit the floor) and to even make sure that my character's first kiss was as sensual and strange as I hoped (lots of fantastic feedback there, including catching where I spelt my MC's name wrong. Woe!).
I worked very hard (adding about 30,000 more words and deleting about 10,000 in the process), racking up what I would assume were over a hundred hours worth of editing, and learned in the process the differences between the act of writing and the act of editing, both of which are rewarding crafts when one is will to be honest and ruthless and loving with their text. And all the while, I continued to reread my Miss Snark comments to make certain was wasn't continually comitting the same crimes.
With those changes under my belt, I resubmitted to DMP and... was offered a book deal!
So, I wanted to offer a massive thank you to both you, Authoress, and the Miss Snark community. You people are truly selfless, encouraging, and dedicated to your crafts.
I wish everyone the same luck I had, and I hope that when "Triptych" comes out in April 2011, that each of you will enjoy it! You - Authoress and the Miss Snark Family - all helped to make it what it is.
Thank you,
J.M. Frey
23 comments:
- JohnO said...
Congrats! Good to see hard work paying off!
And props to Authoress for helping make it all happen :-)
- May 25, 2010 at 10:41 AM
- Steve Hall said...
Congratulations on reaping the fruit of all your hard work! And thanks for giving even more hope and reinforcement to the rest of us. :)
And as JohnO said, huge props to Authoress for being such a wonderful enabler!
- May 25, 2010 at 10:46 AM
- Theresa Milstein said...
I've found the agent contests and regular contests invaluable. People here can be more honest than they are on my blog or critique group.
Thanks, Authoress!
- May 25, 2010 at 10:57 AM
- Bethany Elizabeth said...
Yay! I love success stories! They're encouraging, even ones like this where LOTS of work is involved. I mean, I know lots of work is always involved, but it's encouraging to know that even if something isn't quite ready yet, that doesn't mean it never will be. :)
Thanks for posting this!
- May 25, 2010 at 11:11 AM
- Jennifer Shirk said...
That's awesome. I love a happy ending like that. :)
- May 25, 2010 at 11:44 AM
- Merc said...
Congrats! :) It's wonderful to hear good news like this.
- May 25, 2010 at 12:24 PM
- Dorothy Dreyer said...
That's so encouraging!
Congratulations to J.M. Frey, and bravo, Authoress, for helping so many aspiring writers step foot in the right direction. :)
- May 25, 2010 at 12:25 PM
- Lisa and Laura said...
Congrats!! Authoress, these e-mails must give you the warm fuzzies. You've created a real community on this blog. A place where writers gather to hone their craft. Congratulations!!!
- May 25, 2010 at 12:47 PM
- Huntress said...
Fantastic! What a wonderful story.
Next April, I will be on the lookout for your novel.
Again, congrats!!
- May 25, 2010 at 12:52 PM
- Tricia J. O'Brien said...
That's such an encouraging story to hear. Thanks to JM Frey for sharing and to the amazing Authoress for this blog site. I haven't ever entered, but I lurk, reading and soaking up much. It's such an incredible resource and opportunity for writers.
- May 25, 2010 at 1:12 PM
- lynnrush said...
- May 25, 2010 at 1:32 PM
- Krista V. said...
Congratulations, J.M. Frey! (And thanks again, Authoress, for creating this wonderfully inspiring, helpful community.)
- May 25, 2010 at 1:49 PM
- kathrynjankowski said...
What a great letter! You're a huge asset to the writing community, Authoress. Many thanks.
- May 25, 2010 at 2:42 PM
- Michelle said...
Thanks for sharing your story, J.M.! Best wishes with your book.
Authoress, here's wishing you the writing success you deserve!
- May 25, 2010 at 4:13 PM
- Myrna Foster said...
Congratulations, J.M., and thanks for sharing your story! I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten here.
- May 25, 2010 at 8:40 PM
- Trish said...
Congratulations J.M. Frey, and thanks for sharing your wonderful news.
Authoress is amazing. She sacrifices her own writing time to help other aspiring writers. I appreciate that so much. There will be big cheers the day Authoress gets a contract. I hope it's soon.
I'll look out for Triptych, J.M.
- May 25, 2010 at 8:47 PM
- Deb Salisbury said...
Congrats, J.M. Frey!
And thanks for the heads up, Authoress. I love to read good news!
- May 25, 2010 at 9:14 PM
- Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...
Congratulations to J.M. Frey!
- May 25, 2010 at 11:17 PM
- Trish said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- May 26, 2010 at 1:16 AM
- Trish said...
Oooops! Sorry about that last comment. :( It was supposed to go on another website where the owner asked what children's books we were reading at the moment. Silly me. Um, well, I accidently hit send on the wrong blogger. Yipes! That'll teach me to have two web pages open at the same time. I'll go and pull my slipper out of my mouth now. *Blushing red with embarrassment.*
- May 26, 2010 at 1:30 AM
- Barbara said...
Good for you, J. M. Frey! It's great to hear about successes. So often in this business, all we hear about are people's rejections. Congratulations! And may there be many more books to come!
- May 26, 2010 at 4:01 AM
- Jemi Fraser said...
Wow - congrats! That's awesome :)
- May 26, 2010 at 8:54 PM
- Bee said...
Wow, that is fantastic!
- May 27, 2010 at 2:00 AM


text:
Facebook - Preceptaustin
Twitter - Preceptaustin
Blog - Preceptaustin
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament.
Genesis Exodus Leviticus
Song of Solomon
Corinthians 2
Corinthians Galatians
Ephesians Philippians
Thessalonians 2
Thessalonians 1 Timothy
Timothy Titus Philemon
Hebrews James 1
Peter 2
Peter 1
John 2
John 3
Choose an Option.
K. Arthur
Bakers Dictionary
Albert Barnes
William Barrick
William Barrick
Andrew Bonar
Andrew Bonar
Biblical Illustrator
John Calvin
R K Campbell
Adam Clarke
Thomas Constable
Donald Curtis
Ron Daniel
Bob Deffinbaugh
John Dummelow
J Ligon Duncan
J Ligon Duncan
J Ligon Duncan
Easy English
Alfred Edersheim "
Alfred Edersheim
Alfred Edersheim
Alfred Edersheim
Alfred Edersheim
Expositor's Bible
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
Don Fortner
James Freeman
Bob Fromm
Arno Gaebelein
Gene Getz
Gene Getz
Gene Getz
L M Grant
John Gill
Dave Guzik
Hastings' Dictionary
Robert Hawker
Matthew Henry
A M Hodgkin
F B Hole
Holman Bible Dictionary
Leon Hyatt
Jamieson, F, B
S Lewis Johnson
Andrew Jukes
Keil & Delitzsch
S H Kellogg
S H Kellogg
A R S Kennedy
Thomas Key
F D Kidner
Paul E Kretzmann
Lange's Com
Henry Law
Henry Law
Henry Law
C. H. Mackintosh
William MacDonald
Alexander Maclaren
John Master
J Vernon McGee
J Vernon McGee
F B Meyer
F B Meyer
Moody Bible
G Campbell Morgan
Henry Morris
Net Bible Notes
New American Com
Peter Pett
Matthew Poole
Preacher's Homiletical
Preacher's Homiletical
Pulpit Commentary
RBC Booklet
RBC Booklet
Arend Remmers
Don Robinson
Rob Salvato
C I Scofield
Joseph Seiss
Sermon Bible Com
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Chuck Smith
Ray Stedman
Ray Stedman
John Stevenson
Today in the Word
John Trapp
Treasury of S K
Merrill Unger
George Warnock
Daniel Whedon
Leviticus 23-24 Come Celebrate the
Leviticus -
Festivals (Feasts);
Day of Atonement (scroll
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23: The
Sanctity of Time/Calendar;
Calendar for Leviticus
Leviticus 24: The
Sanctity of the Tabernacle and the Divine Name
Leviticus 23 The Public Festivals or
Solemn Convocations
Leviticus 24 Duty of Priests - When Out
of Public View in the Holy Place
Leviticus 23 Illustrations
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus The Five Offerings - Notes and Simple Chart
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus - Expository Notes on the Bible
Leviticus 23 The Lord's Appointed Times
Leviticus 23:1-22;
Leviticus 23:23-44;
Leviticus 23 The Lord's
Appointed Times
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23:1-44 Holy Assemblies: Feasting Unto The Lord
Leviticus 24:1-9 Oil and Loaves: An Everlasting Covenant
Leviticus 24:10-23 Blasphemy and an Eye for an Eye: The Lex Talionis
Gifts to God
Leviticus 23 Feast of Unleavened Bread & Day of Pentecost (cp Acts 2)
Sabbath in the Temple;
Festive Cycles and Arrangement of the Calendar;
The Passover
Leviticus 23: The
Sanctity of Time/Calendar;
Calendar for Leviticus
Leviticus 24: The
Sanctity of the Tabernacle and the Divine Name
Leviticus 23 The Public Festivals or
Solemn Convocations
Leviticus 24 Duty of Priests - When Out
of Public View in the Holy Place
Leviticus 23 Illustrations
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus The Five Offerings - Notes and Simple Chart
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus - Expository Notes on the Bible
Leviticus 23 The Lord's Appointed Times
Leviticus 23:1-22;
Leviticus 23:23-44;
Leviticus 23 The Lord's
Appointed Times
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23:1-44 Holy Assemblies: Feasting Unto The Lord
Leviticus 24:1-9 Oil and Loaves: An Everlasting Covenant
Leviticus 24:10-23 Blasphemy and an Eye for an Eye: The Lex Talionis
Gifts to God
Leviticus 23 Feast of Unleavened Bread & Day of Pentecost (cp Acts 2)
The Paschal Feast and the Lord's Supper;
Feast of Unleavened Bread & Day of Pentecost
The Feast of Tabernacles;
The Day of Atonement;
Post-Mosaic Festivals
The New Moons: The Feast of the Seventh New Moon, or of
Trumpets, or New Year's Day
Leviticus 23:4-5 The
Lord's Passover;
Leviticus 23:6-8 The
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Leviticus 23:9-14 The
Feast of Firstfruits;
Leviticus 23:15-22 The
Feast of Pentecost
Leviticus 23:23-25 The
Feast of Trumpets
Leviticus 23:26-32 The
Feast of Atonement
Leviticus 23:33-44 The
Feast of Tabernacles
Leviticus 24:1-4 The
Golden Candlestick
Leviticus 24:5-9 The
Table of Showbread
Leviticus 24:10-13 The
Leviticus Manner's &
Customs - The Feast of Trumpets
Leviticus 23 Remembering God's
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus - enter Scripture, select Video for lecture - Leviticus
23:1-3 Times of Rest
Leviticus 23:1-3 Times of Rest
Leviticus 23:22 Helping Needy People;
Leviticus 24:10-23 Sin's
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23
Leviticus 23:33-44
Leviticus 24:1-9
Leviticus 24:10-23
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 The Feasts of Jehovah
Christ as Seen in the
Leviticus 23 Commentary
23:1-44 The Set Feasts of the Lord (The Expositor's Bible)
Leviticus 24:1-23
The Holy Light and the Shew-Bread (The Expositor's Bible)
Leviticus 17-26 Commentary
The Levitical Dietary Laws in the
Light of Modern Science
Leviticus Offerings and Sacrifices
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Commentary;
Leviticus 24 Commentary
Leviticus 23:3 The Sabbath;
Leviticus 23:10-11 The Sheaf of the First Fruits;
Leviticus 23:16-17 The Feast of Pentecost;
Leviticus 23:23-25 The Feast of Trumpets;
Leviticus 23:13 The Drink Offering;
Leviticus 23:34 The Feast of Tabernacles
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus Summary (33 page summary by chapter)
Leviticus 23:33-44 The Consecration of Joy
Leviticus 24 The Place of
Chapter 24 in the Structure of Leviticus
Hygiene-Pt 1
Hygiene-Pt 2
Hygiene-Pt 3
Leviticus Mp3's from Thru the Bible
Leviticus - The Tabernacle
- God's Portrait of Christ
Leviticus 23:27
Leviticus 24:4-8
Leviticus 23 Brief Comments;
Leviticus 24 Brief Comments
Leviticus Sermon Illustrations
Leviticus 21 Brief
Leviticus 22 Brief
Leviticus - Defender's Study Bible - type "Lev 23", etc in "all these
Leviticus 23 Brief Comments (includes
synchronized Thomas Constable's Notes)
23:22 Scroll down (Google Preview - some pages missing)
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Israel's Holy
Leviticus 24 Sanctuary
Light; The Shewbread; Blasphemy Punished
Feast of Atonement - Leviticus
Leviticus 23 Commentary (Hint:
Scroll down page for related Homilies)
Leviticus 23 The Holidays Of God: The Fall Feasts
Leviticus 23 The Holidays Of God: The Spring Feasts
Leviticus 23 The Seven Feasts of the
Leviticus 23:1-44: The
Seven Feasts of Israel
Leviticus 23 The Seven Feasts;
Leviticus 24 - 27 Putting Things In Order
23 Notes
Leviticus Lectures -
The Holy Festivals
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23:15-17 Feast
of First Fruits
Leviticus 23:23-25 The
Feast of Trumpets
Leviticus 23:39-43 The
Feast of Tabernacles
Leviticus 24:1-3 The
Golden Candlestick
Leviticus 24:5-9 The Shew-Bread
Leviticus 24:13-15 The
Blasphemer Stoned
Leviticus 23:5 Sermon Notes
Leviticus 23 God's Calendar
Leviticus 24 The Pattern Of
Leviticus 21-27 Priestly Laws, Special
Times, Blessings, Cursings and Vows - Power Point
Leviticus 23 Devotionals Leviticus 24 Devotionals
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 Commentary
Leviticus 23 The
Significance of the Sabbath
Leviticus 23 The Feasts of Tabernacles
Leviticus 23 Commentary
23 Commentary
23:1 The LORD spoke again to
Moses, saying,
Leviticus 23 begins with instruction on
the appointed times (Lev 23:2) and closes in a similar fashion (Lev
This introductory "formula" is found some 30 times in the book of
Lev 4:1; 5:14; 6:1, 8, 19, 24; 7:22, 28; 8:1; 11:1, 12:1; 13:1; 14:1;
16:1; 17:1; 18:1; 19:1; 20:1; 21:16; 22:1, 17, 26; 23:1, 23:9, 23, 26, 33;
24:1, 13; 27:1
Key Words:
Appointed times - Lev 23:2, Lev
23:4, 23:37, 44
Holy convocations - 11x in 11v -
Lev 23:2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 21, 24, 27, 35, 36, 37 (Note: This phrase
occurs six times in Nu 28-29, twice in Ex. 12:16, and nowhere else)
Work - 11x/10v - Lev 23:3, 7, 8,
21, 25, 28, 30, 31, 35, 36
Laborious - 6x/6v - Lev 23:7, 8, 21, 25, 35, 36
Rest - 4x/4v - Lev 23:3, Lev 24:24, Lev 23:32, Lev 23:39
Perpetual statute - 4x/4v - Lev
23:14, 21, 31, 41 - This phrase only occurs 15x/15v in the Bible.
The other 11 uses of perpetual statue - Ex 27:21, Ex 29:9, Ex
30:21, Lev 3:17, Lev 10:9, Lev 24:3, Nu 10:8, Nu 15:15, Nu 18:23, Nu
19:10, Nu 19:21
Dwelling places - Lev 23:14, 17,
21, 31 - This phrase signifies the feasts are to take place in the homes
and not just in the sanctuary.
23:2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed
times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times
are these: (Lev 23:4,37 Ex 23:14-17 Isa 1:13,14 33:20 La 1:4 Ho
2:11 Na 1:15 John 5:1 Col 2:16-17) (proclaim: Ex 32:5 Nu 10:2,3,10 2Ki
10:20 2Chr 30:5 Ps 81:3 Joe 1:14 2:15 Jonah 3:5-9)
KJV - Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (moed) of the LORD, which ye
shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts (moed).
The LORD's appointed times -
Don't miss this point - these festival times were God's idea, God's
agenda, His "appointment calendar" so to speak. He is explicitly
describing how He is to be worshiped in these festivals, all of which were
practical in nature, in that they brought the Israelites together for
rest, worship, praise, and thanksgiving; and prophetic in nature, in that
they were a "shadow" (Col 2:17) of God's divine plan of redemption.
Matthew Henry makes the point
that the appointed times or feasts were...
1. Many and returned frequently, which
was intended to preserve in them a deep sense of God and religion, and to
prevent their inclining to the superstitions of the heathen. God kept them
fully employed in his service, that they might not have time to hearken to
the temptations of the idolatrous neighborhood they lived in.
2. They were most of them times of joy
and rejoicing. The weekly sabbath is so, and all their yearly solemnities,
except the day of atonement.
Seven days were days of strict rest and
holy convocations; the first day and the seventh of the feast of
unleavened bread, the day of Pentecost, the day of the feast
of trumpets, the first day and the eighth of the feast of
tabernacles, and the day of atonement: here were six for holy
joy and one only for holy mourning.
The KJV has "the feasts" and is
probably more accurate translation than NAS as the Lxx has heorte which
means feast, festival, holy day (Jn 5:1; Acts18:21; Col 2:16) The
Appointed times (04150)
from the verb ya'ad meaning to appoint or fix)
can refer to either a time or place of meeting (eg, in "tent of meeting"
the word for "meeting" in Lev 1:1 is moed). Appointed sign,
appointed time, appointed season, place of assembly, set feast. An appointed meeting
time in general (Gen. 18:14; Ex. 13:10). Moed often designates a
determined time or place without any regard for the purpose. Since the
Jewish festivals occurred at regular intervals, this word becomes closely
identified with them. Thus moed is a common term for the worshiping
assembly of God's people. A specific appointed time,
usually for a sacred feast or festival (Hos. 9:5; 12:9).
Moed as in the
present context is used of those places where God's people were to focus
on God and their relationship with Him, which would include: the tent of
meeting (Ex. 33:7); the Temple (Lam. 2:6); the synagogues (Ps. 74:8).
Note how the NAS translates moed as
referring to time or place - appointed(3), appointed feast(3), appointed feasts(11),
appointed festival(2), appointed meeting place(1), appointed place(1),
appointed sign(1), appointed time(21), appointed times(8), appointment(1),
assembly(2), definite time(1), feasts(2), festal assemblies(1), fixed
festivals(3), meeting(147), meeting place(1), meeting places(1),
season(4), seasons(3), set time(1), time(3), times(1), times appointed(1).
Moed - 213x in NAS - Note that
most of the uses of Moed (about 137 verses) are in the phrase "tent of
meeting" ('ohel moed = the tented part of the tabernacle which
God had appointed as the place to meet His people) - Ge 1:14;
17:21; 18:14; 21:2; Ex 9:5; 13:10; 23:15; 27:21; 28:43; 29:4, 10f, 30, 32,
42, 44; 30:16, 18, 20, 26, 36; 31:7; 33:7; 34:18; 35:21; 38:8, 30; 39:32,
40; 40:2, 6f, 12, 22, 24, 26, 29f, 32, 34f; Lev 1:1, 3, 5; 3:2, 8, 13;
4:4f, 7, 14, 16, 18; 6:16, 26, 30; 8:3f, 31, 33, 35; 9:5, 23; 10:7, 9;
12:6; 14:11, 23; 15:14, 29; 16:7, 16f, 20, 23, 33; 17:4ff, 9; 19:21; 23:2,
4, 37, 44; 24:3; Num 1:1; 2:2, 17; 3:7f, 25, 38; 4:3f, 15, 23, 25, 28,
30f, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47; 6:10, 13, 18; 7:5, 89; 8:9, 15, 19, 22,
24, 26; 9:2f, 7, 13; 10:3, 10; 11:16; 12:4; 14:10; 15:3; 16:2, 18f, 42f,
50; 17:4; 18:4, 6, 21ff, 31; 19:4; 20:6; 25:6; 27:2; 28:2; 29:39; 31:54;
Deut 16:6; 31:10, 14; Josh 8:14; 18:1; 19:51; Jdg 20:38; 1 Sam 2:22; 9:24;
13:8, 11; 20:35; 2 Sam 20:5; 24:15; 1Kgs 8:4; 2Kgs 4:16f; 1Chr 6:32; 9:21;
23:31f; 2Chr 1:3, 6, 13; 2:4; 5:5; 8:13; 30:22; 31:3; Ezra 3:5; Neh 10:33;
Job 30:23; Ps 74:4, 8; 75:2; 102:13; 104:19; Isa 1:14; 14:13; 33:20; Jer
8:7; 46:17; Lam 1:4, 15; 2:6f, 22; Ezek 36:38; 44:24; 45:17; 46:9, 11; Dan
8:19; 11:27, 29, 35; 12:7; Hos 2:9, 11; 9:5; 12:9; Hab 2:3; Zeph 3:18;
Zech 8:19
Vine on moed (מוֹעֵד)
"appointed place of meeting; meeting."
Moed keeps its basic meaning of "appointed," but varies as to what
is agreed upon or appointed according to the context: the time, the place,
or the meeting itself. The usage of the verb in Amos 3:3 is illuminating:
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Whether they have agreed
on a time or a place of meeting, or on the meeting itself, is ambiguous.
The meaning of moed is fixed within the context of Israel's religion.
First, the festivals came to be known as the "appointed times" or the set
feasts. These festivals were clearly prescribed in the Pentateuch. The
word refers to any "festival" or "pilgrimage festival," such as Passover
(Lev. 23:15ff.), the feast of first fruits (Lev. 23:15ff.), the feast of
tabernacles (Lev. 23:33ff.), or the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27). God
condemned the people for observing the moed ritualistically: (read Isa.
The word moed also signifies a "fixed place." This usage is not
frequent: (see Isa. 14:13, Job 30:23).
In both meanings of moed—"fixed time" and "fixed place"—a common
denominator is the "meeting" of two or more parties at a certain place and
time—hence the usage of moed as "meeting." However, in view of the
similarity in meaning between "appointed place" or "appointed time" and
"meeting," translators have a real difficulty in giving a proper
translation in each context. For instance, "He hath called an assembly
[moed] against me" (Lam. 1:15) could be read: "He has called an appointed
time against me" (nasb) or "He summoned an army against me" (niv).
The phrase, "tabernacle of the congregation," is a translation of the
Hebrew ohel moed ("tent of meeting"). The phrase occurs 139 times.
It signifies that the Lord has an "appointed place" by which His presence
is represented and through which Israel was assured that their God was
with them. The fact that the tent was called the "tent of meeting"
signifies that Israel's God was among His people and that
He was to be approached at a certain time and place that were "fixed"
(yaad) in the Pentateuch. In the kjv, this phrase is translated as
"tabernacle of the congregation" (Ex 28:43) because translators realized
that the noun edah ("congregation") is derived from the same root as moed
The translators of the Septuagint had a similar difficulty. They noticed
the relation of moed to the root ud ("to testify") and translated the
phrase ohel hamoed as "tabernacle of the testimony." This phrase was
picked up by the New Testament in Rev. 15:5. Of the three meanings, the
appointed "time" is most basic. The phrase "tent of meeting" lays
stress on the "place of meeting." The "meeting" itself is generally
associated with "time" or "place." The Septuagint has the following
translations of moed:
(time), heorte ("feast;
festival"). The English translators give these senses: "congregation" (kjv,
rsv, nasb, niv); "appointed time" (nasb); "appointed feast" (rsv, nasb);
"set time" (rsv, nasb, niv). (Vine's
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words)
Convocation (04744)(miqra'
from the verb qara' meaning to call out loudly, to summon to a
specific task)
is a call, a summons, an assembly of persons "convoked" (called together), a collected body
of people called together for a "religious" purpose, such as a
public worship service. In Neh 8:8 miqra'
refers to a public reading from the Scripture. In Nu 10:2 miqra'
referred to the action of publicly calling with the goal being to bring
the community together. Here the Sabbath is referred to as a
Miqra' - 22x in NAS - Ex 12:16;
Lev 23:2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 21, 24, 27, 35, 36, 37; Nu 10:2; 28:18, 25, 26;
29:1, 7, 12; Neh 8:8; Isa 1:13; 4:5.
NAS renders miqra' -
assemblies(2), assembly(2), convocation(14), convocations(3), reading(1),
These holy convocations
degenerated over time into unholy convocations that were even detestable
to Jehovah...
Isaiah 1:13 Bring your worthless
offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination (toebah-word
study) to Me. New moon and
sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and
the solemn assembly.
There were 3 feasts that were
Ex 23:14 "Three
times a year you shall
celebrate a feast to Me. 15 "You shall observe the
Feast of Unleavened Bread;
(Luke writes "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called
the Passover, was approaching." Lk 22:1) for seven days you are to
eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the
month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before
Me empty-handed. 16 "Also you shall observe the
Feast of the Harvest
(Pentecost) of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the
field; also the Feast of the
Ingathering at the end of
the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17
"Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Freeman - It is curious to
notice how, at a time considerably later than the origin of these public
festivals, the exact day of their occurrence was made known. In these days
of almanacs and of exact astronomical calculations, we can hardly
appreciate the difficulties they encountered in finding the right time.
The first appearance of the new moon was the starting-point. To
ascertain this the Sanhedrin took the deposition of two impartial
witnesses as to the time they had seen it. They next spread the
intelligence through the country by means of beacons. A person with a
bundle of brushwood or straw went, to the top of Mount Olivet, where he
kindled his torch and waved it back and forth till he was answered by
fires of a similar nature from the surrounding hills. From these, in like
manner, the intelligence was spread to others until the whole land was
notified. After a time the Samaritans imitated the signs, thus making
great confusion. This made it necessary to send messengers all over the
country. These, however, did not go abroad at every new moon, but only
seven times during the year. In this way the time for these three great
feasts Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles as well as for other
important occasions, was published to the people. See citation from
Maimonides in BROWN S Antiquities of the Jews, vol. i, p. 424. These three
festivals were preceded by a season of preparation, called peres,
which lasted fifteen days. During this time each person was expected to
meditate on the solemnity of the feast, and to undergo whatever legal
purifications might be necessary. This is referred to in John 11:55 ( Now
the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up to Jerusalem out of
the country before the Passover, to purify themselves.). Roads,
bridges, streets, and public water-tanks were repaired for the convenience
of travelers. All the males of Israel were expected to attend,
excepting the aged, the infirm, and infants who could not walk alone.
They were commanded to bring offerings with them. (Manners
and Customs 1875)
In ancient Israel there were seven
religious festivals especially ordained by God (cf. Ex. 23:14-19): (1) the
Passover (v. 5), (2) the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv. 6-8), (3) the
Feast of Firstfruits (vv. 9-14), (4) the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, vv.
15-22), (5) the Feast of Trumpets (vv. 23-25), (6) the Day of Atonement
(vv. 26-32), and (7) the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths or Ingathering, vv.
Israel was unique in that her holy
celebrations were divinely established by God Himself. They were practical
in nature, in that they brought the Israelites together for rest, worship,
praise, and thanksgiving; and prophetic in nature, in that they were a
"shadow" (Col. 2:17) of God's divine plan of redemption. See chart, "The
Feasts of the Lord," Ex. 23:14.
Scofield - The feasts of the
LORD. These were seven great religious festivals which were to be observed
by Israel every year. The first three verses of this chapter do not relate
to the feasts, but separate the Sabbath from the feasts. Israel's
religious calendar began in Nisan (in the spring); their civil year, in
Tishri (in the autumn). The seven festivals of the Hebrews were included
within the first seven months of the religious calendar: the first three
feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits) took place in the
first month, Nisan; the last three (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and
Tabernacles), in the seventh month, Tishri. Between the first and last
three was the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) which followed fifty days after
the offering of the firstfruits.
23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a
sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work;
it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings. (Lev 19:3 Ex
16:23,29 20:8-11 23:12 31:15 34:21 35:2,3 Dt 5:13 Isa 56:2,6 58:13 Lk
13:14 23:56 Ac 15:21 Rev 1:10)
Related Resources:
Sabbath - Baker's Evangelical
Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Sabbath, the - Torrey's Topical Textbook
Sabbath - Holman Bible Dictionary
Sabbath (Gk - Sabbaton) - Vine's Expository
Dictionary of NT Words
Sabbath - Multiple Dictionaries, Naves and ISBE
What is the Sabbath day? from "Got Questions?"
How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest?
Does God require Sabbath-keeping of Christians?
What day is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday?
Before all the annual feasts are
described, God first reminds the people of the weekly Sabbath festival.
One man who dishonored the Sabbath by working was punished with death...
Nu 15:32 Now while the sons of Israel
were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath
day (~ "work") 33 And those who found him gathering wood brought him to
Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation; 34 and they put him in
custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him. 35
Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall surely be put to death; all
the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." 36 So all
the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him to death
with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Henry Morris - The weekly day of
rest, commemorating God's completed work of creation (Exodus 20:8-11), was
even more sacred than the seven annual feasts. No "servile" work could be
done in the latter (Leviticus 23:8,21,25,35,36), but no work at all could
be performed on the sabbath. Also, no work could be performed on the great
day of atonement (Leviticus 23:28). (Leviticus
- Defender's Study Bible - type "Lev 23", etc in "all these words")
Shortly after deliverance of Israel
from Egypt, but before the formal giving of the Law at Mt Sinai, God
instructed the people regarding the Sabbath principle. In the following
passages we see that a central tenet was "Trust in the Lord to provide
when He says He will provide." Notice how quickly they disobeyed
(reflecting their lack of faith or trust).
Ex 16:22 Now it came about on the sixth
day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all
the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to
them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a
holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will
boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." 24 So
they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not
become foul, nor was there any worm in it. 25 And Moses said, "Eat it
today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in
the field. 26 "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the
sabbath, there will be none." 27 And it came about on the seventh day that
some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the
LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and
My instructions? 29 "See, the LORD has given you the sabbath;
therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every
man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
Sabbath (07676)(sabbat)
comes from the verb shabath (07673) meaning to desist
(from exertion), cease (see this use of the verb in Ge 8:22, Jer 31:36),
rest (first used of God resting in Creation - Ge 2:2-3), repose, cease
from labor. So here the noun form sabbat means intermission, the
Sabbath (day), the day of rest, the holy seventh day; a week, the sacred
7th year, a sabbatical year.
It was not until the giving of the Law
at Mt Sinai that the keeping of the Sabbath became a part of the law and a
sign of God's covenant relationship with His people (Ex 20:8-11 Ex
Sabbath = A covenant sign
indicative of Jehovah's authority. When Israel kept the Sabbath, they showed
the pagan nations (the Gentiles had no Sabbath statute - see Ps 147:19-20) that they were
a distinctive people and were subject to their God. Keeping Sabbath was in
a sense a way of demonstrating Israel's trust in God, trusting that He would honor
their labors with fruit. We may plant the seeds and water them, but it is
God who gives the increase (1Co 3:6).
Shabbat - 88x in NAS - Ex 16:23,
25f, 29; 20:8, 10f; 31:13ff; 35:2f; Lev 16:31; 19:3, 30; 23:3, 11, 15f,
32, 38; 24:8; 25:2, 4, 6, 8; 26:2, 34f, 43; Num 15:32; 28:9f; Dt 5:12,
14f; 2Kgs 4:23; 11:5, 7, 9; 16:18; 1Chr 9:32; 23:31; 2Chr 2:4; 8:13; 23:4,
8; 31:3; 36:21; Neh 9:14; 10:31, 33; 13:15ff, 21f; Isa 1:13; 56:2, 4, 6;
58:13; 66:23; Jer 17:21f, 24, 27; Lam 2:6; Ezek 20:12f, 16, 20f, 24; 22:8,
26; 23:38; 44:24; 45:17; 46:1, 3f, 12; Hos 2:11; Amos 8:5. Translated
in NAS: every sabbath(2), sabbath(73), sabbaths(32).
Sabbath = rest for man: Ex 31:15
'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a
sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on
the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
Comment: On the Sabbath Israel
was commanded to imitate the Creator, Who Himself rested from His work of
creation on the seventh day (Ge 2:1-3; Ex 20:11),
Wiersbe: Based on Genesis 2:1–3,
the weekly Sabbath reminded the Jews that Jehovah God was the Creator and
they were but stewards of His generous gifts....Although believers today
aren't commanded to "remember the Sabbath Day" (Ro 14:1-12-note;
Col 2:16-17-note),
the principle of resting one
day in seven is a good one.
(Ed: Are you resting in Jesus beloved? cp Mt 11:28-30-note).
Sabbath = rest for animals: Ex
23:12 "Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall
cease from labor in order that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the
son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh
Vine: The "sabbath" was the
covenant sign of God's lordship over the creation. By observing the
"sabbath," Israel confessed that they were God's redeemed people, subject
to His lordship to obey the whole of His law. They were His stewards to
show mercy with kindness and liberality to all (Ex. 23:12; Lev. 25).
By "resting," man witnessed his trust in God to give fruit to his
labor; he entered into God's "rest." Thus "rest" and the "sabbath"
were eschatological in perspective, looking to the accomplishment of God's
ultimate purpose through the redemption of His people, to whom the
"sabbath" was a covenant sign. The prophets rebuked Israel for their
neglect of the sabbath (Isa. 1:13; Jer. 17:21-27; Ezek. 20:12-24; Amos
8:5). They also proclaimed "sabbath" observance as a blessing in the
messianic age and a sign of its fullness (Isa. 56:2-4; 58:13; 66:23; Ezek.
44:24; 45:17; 46:1, 3-4, 12). The length of the Babylonian Captivity was
determined by the extent of Israel's abuse of the sabbatical year (2Chr
36:21; cf. Lev. 26:34- 35).
Sabbath = rest for the land: Lev
25:4 but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath
rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune
your vineyard.
Comment: This demonstrates God's
concern for His creation! Sabbatical Year was the year when land
not tilled (Lev 25:4ff.). In a very real sense the land of Palestine needed
a rest from the sin of the sons of Israel. The length of the Babylonian
captivity was determined by the extent of Israel's abuse of the Sabbatical
year (2Chr 36:21 [cf. Lev 26:33, 34, 35]). After they had learned their
lesson of 70 years of exile, God allowed them to return to the land of
Wiersbe: Other peoples might
work on the seventh day and treat it like any other day, but the
Israelites rested on the seventh day and thereby gave witness that they
belonged to the Lord (Neh. 13:15–22; Isa. 58:13–14).
Sabbath = A Sign: Ex 31:17 "It
is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the
LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor,
and was refreshed."
Wenham makes an interesting
comment regarding the recurrence of the idea of "seven"...
Keil points out that the sabbatical
principle informs all the Pentateuchal laws about the festivals. There are
seven festivals in the year: Passover, unleavened bread, weeks,
solemn rest day, day of atonement, booths, day after booths. During these
festivals there were seven days of rest, first and seventh
unleavened bread, weeks, solemn rest day, day of atonement, first of
booths, first day after booths. The majority of these festivals occur in
the seventh month of the year. Every seventh year is a
sabbatical year (Ex. 21:2ff.; Lev. 25:2ff.; Deut. 15:1ff.). After
forty-nine (7 × 7) years there was a super-sabbatical year, the year of
jubilee (Lev. 25:8ff.). Through this elaborate system off casts and
sabbatical years the importance of the Sabbath was underlined. Through
sheer familiarity the weekly Sabbath could come to be taken for granted.
But these festivals and sabbatical years constituted major interruptions
to daily living and introduced an element of variety into the rhythm of
life. In this way they constantly reminded the Israelite what God had done
for him, and that in observing the Sabbath he was imitating his Creator,
who rested on the seventh day. (NICOT)
Victor Hamilton explains the
theological significance of sabbat...
In the first place Ex 20:8ff.
connects observance of the Sabbath with the fact that God himself rested
on the seventh day after six days of work (Gen 2:2–3). Everything God
made, as recorded in Genesis, he called good. Only the Sabbath, however,
he sanctified, indicating perhaps that the climax of creation was not the
creation of man, as is often stated, but the day of rest, the seventh day.
The Sabbath is thus an invitation to rejoice in God's creation, and
recognize God's sovereignty over our time.
Secondly, we observe in Dt 5:15 that a different reason is given
for observing the Sabbath. "You shall remember that you were a slave in
the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out with a mighty hand.
…; therefore, Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."
Exodus then connects the Sabbath with creation described in Genesis and
Deuteronomy connects the Sabbath with deliverance from Egypt described in
Exodus. Thus every Sabbath, Israel is to remember that God is an
emancipator, a liberator. The early Christians were on target, it seems,
when they connected the day of rest with the remembrance of Christ's
resurrection. He is the one who gives freedom. Actually there is no real
conflict between Deuteronomy and Exodus at this point. Whereas Deuteronomy
has in view the people of the Covenant, the Exodus verses place the
emphasis on the God of the covenant (AI, p. 481).
Thirdly, the Sabbath is a social or humanitarian ordinance which
affords dependent laborers a day of rest: Ex 20:10, Deut 5:14–15 and Ex
23:12, "That your ox and your ass may have rest, and the son of your
bondmaid, and the alien may be refreshed." Here then this commandment
takes a step in the direction of making all men equal before God. As the
Sabbath recalls the liberation from Egypt so it in turn must become an
agent of freedom by setting the dependents in society free. Is it possible
to connect this with the fact that in 1Co 16:2 it is recorded that on the
first day of the week there is a collection of money for the poor in
Fourthly, the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant and in this way the
Sabbath reaches into the future. The Sabbath now joins the signs of the
rainbow and circumcision. The pertinent texts are Ex 31:13, 17 and Ezek
20:12, 20. This accounts for the reason that the penalty for profaning the
Sabbath is death (Ex 31:14; Nu 15:32–36; Jer 17:19–27). As long as Israel
observes the Sabbath she affirms her loyalty to Yahweh and guarantees his
saving presence. For the Christian believer these promises are fulfilled
in a person, Christ. Through him we enter into God's own rest (Heb
4:1–11). (Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament- R Laird Harris, Gleason L Archer Jr., Bruce
K. Waltke).
Bruce Scott...
In Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is
believed to be a gift from God's treasury. Exalted and elevated, it is the
day held to be the foundation and epitome of Jewish faith. It is revered
and almost worshiped. The Sabbath is so important that it is looked on as
being the primary instrument by which the Jewish people have been
sustained and preserved throughout the ages. As one Jewish thinker said,
"More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the
Jews."....The purpose of the Sabbath was threefold.
First, the
Sabbath was to be a day of rest and refreshment for the Israelites, their
servants, their livestock, and any visitors staying with them (Dt.
5:13–14). For six days they were to labor, but on the seventh day they
were to have a complete rest or cessation from work. In so doing,
observant Jews identified with their God, who also worked for six days and
rested on the seventh.
Second, the Sabbath was to be a sign between
the Lord and Israel (Ex. 31:13). Similar to the sign of circumcision, the
Sabbath was to be kept throughout their generations as a sign of the
covenant between God and Israel. The penalty for not keeping the Sabbath
was the same as that for failure to practice circumcision. Non-observers
were cut off from the covenant people. God gave the sign of the Sabbath so
that Israel would know that He, the Lord, sanctified them.
the Sabbath was to be a day of remembering their physical redemption (Dt.
5:15). The people of Israel were not to forget that they had been slaves
in Egypt and that God had delivered them with great power and might.
Resting on the seventh day therefore involved more than just physical
refreshment. God did not rest on the seventh day because He was fatigued.
Rather, the idea of resting spoke more of cessation. The Israelites were
to cease whatever work they were engaged in during the week. They were to
detach themselves from the material, temporal, and mundane and focus on
the spiritual, eternal, and heavenly facets of life. They were to refresh
the inner man as well as the outer. They were to reflect on their
relationship with God, putting aside their own desires and putting God's
desires first (Isa. 58:13–14). By keeping the Sabbath in this way, the
Israelites marked out a distinction or division between themselves and the
godless world system around them. This is what God intended for Israel
when He instituted the Sabbath.
Rabbinical Judaism, however, has added
more to the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath. It teaches that the
seventh day of rest was not a result of God's ceasing from His work of
creation. Rather, God's work was actually finished with the creation of
the Sabbath on the seventh day. Jewish tradition also teaches that the
Sabbath is equal in itself to all the other commandments found in the
Bible. Therefore, keeping the Sabbath is like keeping all of the biblical
commands at the same time. Furthermore, whenever observant Jews keep the
Sabbath, they believe they are endowed with an additional soul for the
duration of the day of rest. At the conclusion of the Sabbath, that extra
soul leaves. This additional soul is given so that they may experience and
enjoy the spiritual delights of the Sabbath in all of their fullness. (The
Feasts of Israel- Seasons of the Messiah by Bruce Scott)
23:4 'These are the appointed times of the
LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed
for them. (Lev 23:2,37 Ex 23:14)
KJV - These are the feasts of
the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their
Appointed times of the LORD -
"Here again the feasts are called the feasts of the Lord, because he
appointed them. Jeroboam's feast, which he devised of his own heart (1Ki
12:33), was an affront to God, and a reproach upon the people."
Kevin Williams
comments that...
These appointed times of the
Lord are important for many reasons. To begin with, they are part of a
national system of "time-outs." Together, they provide weekly, monthly,
and yearly occasions to rest from the routines and common work of daily
life. The Provider of Israel designed these "time-outs" and
appointed times for rest, reflection, and worship. They are sacred
convocations that call the people of God together not only in the grandeur
and majesty of the temple, but also in the quiet shelter and simplicity of
every home of the land. Together, these appointed times form a system
of remembrance. The appointed times of the Lord give every
household, whether rich occasions are used to retell stories of Jewish
life and origins, these holidays provide a panorama of history that has
strong implications for all the families of the earth. Seen
individually and together, these feasts paint a compelling picture of the
past, present, and future work of a Messiah Who is the source of life and
hope and peace for all the nations of the world. (The Holidays of God
- Radio Bible Class)
The Spring Feasts consisted of...
1) Passover (Pesach)
2) Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot)
3) Firstfruits (HaBikkurim)
4) Pentecost (Shavuot)
The Fall Feasts consisted of...
5) Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
6) Atonement (Yom Kippur)
7) Tabernacles (Sukkot)
The second group of Fall Feasts
are separated from the Spring Feasts by a four-month period. The
first four feasts foreshadow truths concerning this present Gospel age.
The last three foreshadow blessings in store for Israel. The first four
are historic; the last three, prophetic.
These seven (the number of
"completion") annual holidays are honored by Orthodox, Conservative,
Reformed Jewish communities the world over.
Henry Morris describes the prophetic
significance of the feasts...
Many commentators, ancient and modern,
have noted that these seven annual "feasts [or religious festivals] of
Jehovah" not only had spiritual value to the Israelites who observed them,
but also gave prophetic witness to God's great redemptive work.
(1) Feast of the Passover (Leviticus 23:5) testifies of the
shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God. "Christ our
Passover...sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
(2) Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8) speaks of the
Lord's supper which would be instituted by Him on the night of the
Passover and would serve to remind His followers to walk in communion with
Him. "Therefore let us keep the feast,...with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8).
(3) Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14) foreshadows the coming
resurrection and restoration. "Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that
are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:23).
(4) Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-22) was fulfilled in the
descent of the Holy Spirit on the first body of Christian believers after
Christ's ascension, testifying to the world "that God hath made that same
Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
(5) Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) is separated by a long
period of time from the first four festivals and promises that someday
"the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven...with the trump of God," when
"the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible" (1
Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52).
(6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32) testifies of the certain
judgments to come--on Israel, on the nations, on believers and on the
lost--when complete separation between unforgiven sinners and perfected
saints will be established forever (note the two goats in Leviticus 16,
the chapter giving the details of this observance).
(7) Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43) speaks of the coming
eternal rest in the Holy City when "the tabernacle of God is with men, and
He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people" (Revelation 21:3).
Study Bible Note on Leviticus 23:4)
23:5 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is
the LORD'S Passover. (Ex 12:2-14,18 Ex 13:3-10 Ex 23:15 Nu 9:2-7
Nu 28:16 Dt 16:1-8 Jos 5:10 2Chr 35:18,19 Mt 26:17 Mk 14:12 Lk 22:7 1Co 5:7,8)
Leviticus 23:5ff
When and why is Passover celebrated?
The 14th of Nisan (meaning uncertain but some mentioned include "their
flight," "month of flowers" Assyrian - nisannu = "beginning"). Nisan
is the first month of the sacred year and seventh of the civil year,
answering nearly to our March-April. It was originally called Abib
(sprouting or budding), but began to be called Nisan after the Babylonian
captivity. Passover is a God's appointed celebration so that His people
would remember how He delivered their ancestors from the idols and
slave-yards of Egypt. Today on the 14th of Nisan, observant Jewish fathers
tell their children how the God of their fathers delivered their ancestors
from economic bondage and spiritual darkness. Before the beginning of the
10th plague, Moses instructed every Israelite home to sacrifice a blemish
free lamb, collect its blood (Life is in the blood) and with a hyssop
brush paint the lamb's blood on the lintel and door posts of their houses
(Ex 12:22). Only where there was blood on the doorway did the death angel
"pass over" and spare the life of the firstborn in that home (Ex 12:23).
At a Passover Seder, which later became known by His followers as "the
table of Communion," Jesus held up the elements of wine and matzah and
applied them to Himself. During the meal He broke unleavened bread with
His disciples, and then held that broken matzah in His hands, saying,
"This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me"
(Lk. 22:19). Then after the meal He held up a cup of wine and with the
same force of personal application to Himself, said, "This cup is the new
covenant in My blood, which is shed for you" (Lk 22:20). The Passover
celebration served to anticipated Messiah's ultimate deliverance of
an body of people willing to trust in His sacrificial death for their
What is the prophetic significance
of the Passover? One element of mystery is found in a Passover
tradition involving the "afikomen." On every Passover table there
is a cloth bag called a "matzah tosh." The bag is either square or round
and lies flat on the table. Within the matzah tosh are three pieces of
matzah bread, each separated in its own pocket. In this way they are
hidden from view, but the celebrants know they are there. During the
Seder, the middle matzah is removed from its place, broken in half, and
one portion is wrapped in a linen cloth. This wrapped piece of matzah is
called the "afikomen." Afikomen is not a Hebrew word, but a Greek
word that means "the coming one." The afikomen is removed from the
table and hidden. Later in the meal, it becomes a children's game to
search for the hidden afikomen. The child who finds it brings it back to
the table where "Papa" must ransom it back. Once it is paid for, the
afikomen is unwrapped and shared by all as the last food eaten so its
flavor will stay on the tongue and its memory stay in the mind the
rest of the evening. The rabbis cannot agree on the significance of this
unusual observance, or its origins. Some believe the three pieces of
matzah in the matzah tosh represent three crowns of learning. Jews and
Gentiles who believe in Jesus have seen in the afikomen a striking picture
of the trinity (tri-unity), so that in the three folds of the matzah tosh
there is a picture of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The middle matzah
represented by the Son is broken, wrapped in linen, hidden, and ransomed
(the price paid), and then brought back for the family to accept and enjoy
seems too deliberate to easily dismiss. While the symbolism of this ritual
remains a mystery to those who have not accepted the Messiah, through
messianic eyes the meaning seems clear and powerful. When Jesus said of
the unleavened bread, "Take, eat; this is My body," He was not instituting
an empty ritual. He was identifying Himself personally with both the
matzah and the Passover lamb, bringing to mind the words of the prophet
Isaiah (Isaiah 53:4-7) Today when Christians share in the bread of
Communion, they are carrying out the fulfilled picture of the Passover.
Another important element in a traditional Jewish Passover observance is
wine. During a typical Passover Seder, four cups are shared, each with its
own significant picture in the ritual. The first cup is called the "cup of
sanctification," which sets the feast apart from any commonplace meal. The
second cup is the "cup of plagues," remembering the calamities visited
upon the Egyptians. The third cup is called the "cup of redemption,"
recognizing and memorializing the Hebrews' release from captivity. The
fourth cup is called the "cup of praise," during which the family recites
Psalms 113–118, traditionally considered the praise Psalms. The third
cup, the "cup of redemption," the "Kiddush cup," in the
modern Seder comes after the eating of the afikomen. Because of the
ritualistic order of the meal and the rich significance of this
observance, some Christian theologians believe that this is the cup Jesus
lifted, blessed, and declared, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My
blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of
is a masculine noun thought by some writers (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew
and English Lexicon) to have its origin
from pacach/pasah which apparently means to pass over; to
spare (Ex 12:13, 23, 27 - "Jehovah will pass" = pasah).
Pesach/pesah virtually always refers to the
Passover, either the feast or the Passover animal.
Note that the Passover is combined with
the Feast of Unleavened Bread by Luke who writes "the Feast of
Unleavened Bread...is called the Passover, was approaching."
(Lk 22:1) Rooker adds that "These two ceremonies were apparently
combined at the beginning, for the Passover lamb was to be eaten with
unleavened bread (Ex 12:8)." (New American Commentary).
Passover - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
(see intro for etymology)
Feasts of Israel - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary -
scroll down for "Passover"
VanGemeren rightly states that
The etymology of the root פֶּסַח
(pesah) is much disputed, and some very tenuous links have been
established with the Akk. pašāu, to appease, and the Arab. fasaa,
be/become wide (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology &
Exegesis 3:642).
Rooker writes that...
The verbal root of the noun translated
"Passover" occurs only four times in the Old Testament (Ex 12:13, 23, 27;
Isa 31:5). The root has been variously explained: "to have compassion,"
"to protect," "to skip over." In Isa 31:5 the verb is parallel to the
verb "to rescue," which would harmonize well with the first or second
options and would indicate that what was critical during the tenth
plague was not the death angel's "passing over" Israelites' homes as much
as the fact that God was displaying his compassion in protecting his
people. (New American Commentary).
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to
the Old Testament gives the basic meaning of pesach/pesah
"a sparing, immunity from penalty and
calamity, hence—(1) a sacrifice offered on account of the sparing of the
people, the paschal lamb, of which it is said, Ex. 12:27 ("this is a
sacrifice of sparing [prop. of passing over] unto Jehovah, who passed over
the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the
Swanson has this analysis of
this Hebrew word pesach/pesah
1. Passover sacrifice, i.e., the
ceremonial offering of small mammals (sheep or goats) one year old, of
very high quality (Ex 12:21);
2. Passover Feast, i.e., a festival
celebrating deliverance from Egypt (Ex 34:25);
3. Passover meal, i.e., a meal eaten as
a part of the festival of Passover, eaten as a remembrance of hasty
deliverance (Ex 12:11) (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic
Domains: Hebrew Old Testament)
Pesach - 46v in the NAS - Ex
12:11, 21, 27, 43, 48; 34:25; Lev 23:5; Num 9:2, 4ff, 10, 12ff; 28:16;
33:3; Deut 16:1f, 5f; Josh 5:10f; 2 Kgs 23:21, 22, 23; 2 Chr 30:1f, 5, 15, 17f;
35:1, 6ff, 11, 13, 16ff; Ezra 6:19f; Ezek 45:21
Passover (Ex 12:1-14; Lev 23:5;
Nu 9:1-14; 28:16; Dt 16:1-7) On the 14th day of the 1st month (Nisan),
this festival commemorated God's deliverance of Israel from bondage in
Egypt. Passover speaks of the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God.
Christ died on the day of Passover.
Paul gives the clear prophetic
fulfillment of the OT shadow (Col 2:16-17, Heb 10:1) in a strong
command to the church at Corinth...
Clean out
imperative = command - Do
this now! Don't delay!) the old leaven (Remember the
is sin in the church in the form of
incest! Read 1Cor 5:1-6), that you may be a new lump, just as you are in
fact unleavened. For Christ
our Passover also has been
sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven,
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. (1Cor 5-8)
Criswell: As the firstborn of
the Israelites were saved from the stroke of the angel of death at the
first Passover by the blood of a lamb (cf. Ex 12:21-23), so salvation is
now offered through the blood of Christ, Who died at Passover as the
Passover Lamb (cf. 1Pe 1:18, 19).
Wiersbe - The innocent
lamb died for the firstborn; because the blood of the lamb was applied to
the door by faith, the firstborn sons were safe. This was "the Lord's
Passover" and the only means of deliverance that He provided that awesome
night when the death angel visited Egypt. To reject the blood of the lamb
was to accept judgment and death. The lamb typified Jesus Christ, who shed
His blood on the cross for a world of lost sinners (John 1:29; 1 Peter
1:19–20). "For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor.
5:7). Since the Passover lamb had to be perfect, it was chosen on the
tenth day of the month and watched carefully until it was slain on the
fourteenth day of the month. Jesus Christ "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21),
"did no sin" (1 Peter 2:22), and "in Him is no sin" (1 John 3:5). (Be
Freeman -
The first of the three great feasts, is
usually called the Passover, in commemoration of the passing over of the
houses of the Israelites by the destroying angel, at the time when the
first-born of the Egyptians were slain. The ancient Jewish canons
distinguish between what they term - the Egyptian Passover and the
Permanent Passover; the former signifying the feast in its original form,
and the latter representing it as modified in the subsequent years of the
history of the people. The essential parts of the feast, were however, the
same. It took place during the month Abib, or, as it was subsequently
called, Nisan, corresponding very nearly with April of our calendar. See
note on Dt 16:1. (NOTE: Abib means a green ear. This denotes
the condition of the barley in Palestine and Egypt during this month. It
was the first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and was in later
times called Nisan. See Neh.2:1; Esther 3:7. It corresponded nearly to our
month of April.) While it lasted great care was taken to abstain from
leaven. A he-lamb or kid of the first year was selected by the head of the
family and was slain, its blood being sprinkled originally on the
door-posts, and subsequently on the bottom of the altar. The animal was
then roasted whole with fire, and eaten with unleavened bread and a salad
of bitter herbs. It could not be boiled, nor must a bone of it be broken.
When they first ate it in Egypt the Israelites had their loins girt and
their shoes on, all ready for a journey, and they partook of it standing,
as if in haste to be away. In after years this position was changed to
sitting or reclining. Not fewer than ten, nor more than twenty, persons
were admitted to one of these feasts. Stanley (in his History of the
Jewish Church, vol. i, p. 559, Am. ed.) gives a deeply interesting
account, from his personal observation, of the modern observance of the
Passover by the Samaritan*--. For the mode of observing the Passover in
our Lord s time, see notes on Mt 26:19-20. It. is supposed by some writers
that, aside from the general design of the Passover, as already stated,
there was in some of its ceremonies an intentional Divine rebuke of the
idolatry of heathen nations, and especially of that of the Egyptians. One
of their deities was represented by a human body with a ram s head. To
have a lamb slain, and its blood sprinkled on the door posts, was an act
of contempt against this deity. Some heathen people ate raw flesh in
connection with their festivities. The Passover lamb was to be cooked.
This cooking was by roasting, for the Egyptians and Syrians some times
boiled the flesh of their sacrificial victims in water, and sometimes in
milk. It was to be roasted with h re, for the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and
ancient Persians are said to have roasted their sacrifices in the sun. It
was to be roasted whole, even to the intestines, for the heathen were in
the habit of looking into these for omens, and sometimes even ate them
raw. (Manners
and Customs 1875)
R A Torrey summarizes the
Feast of the Passover...
Ordained by God Exodus 12:1,2
Commenced the fourteenth of the first month at even Ex 12:2,6,18 ; Lev
23:5 ; Numbers 9:3
Lasted seven days Exodus 12:15 ; Leviticus 23:6
Passover Numbers 9:5 ; John 2:23
Jew's Passover John 2:13 ; 11:55
Lord's Passover Exodus 12:11,27
Feast of unleavened bread Mark 14:1 ; Luke 22:1
Days of unleavened bread Acts 12:3 ; 20:6
All males to appear at Exodus
23:17 ; Deuteronomy 16:16
Paschal lamb eaten first day of Exodus 12:6,8
Unleavened bread eaten at Exodus 12:15 ; Deuteronomy 16:3
Not to be in their houses during Exodus
Not to be in any of their quarters Exodus 13:7 ; Deuteronomy 16:4
Nothing with, to be eaten Exodus 12:20
Punishment for eating Exodus 12:15,19
First and last days of, holy convocations Exodus 12:16 ; Numbers
Sacrifices during Leviticus 23:8 ; Numbers 28:19-24
The first sheaf of barley harvest offered the day after the Sabbath in
Leviticus 23:10-14
Passing over the first-born Exodus
Deliverance of Israel from bondage of Egypt Exodus 12:17,42 ; 13:9 ; Deut
To be perpetually observed during the Mosaic age Exodus 12:14 ; 13:10
Children to be taught the nature and design of Exodus 12:26,27 ; 13:8
Purification necessary to the due observance of 2 Chronicles 30:15-19 ;
John 11:55
Might be kept in 2nd month by those unclean At appointed time Nu 9:6-11 ;
2Chr 30:2,3,15
No uncircumcised person to keep Exodus 12:43,45
Strangers and servants when circumcised might keep Exodus 12:44,48
Neglect of, punished with death Numbers 9:13
Improper keeping of, punished 2 Chronicles 30:18,20
On leaving Egypt Exodus 12:28,50
In the wilderness of Sinai Numbers 9:3-5
On entering the land of promise Joshua 5:10,11
In Hezekiah's reign 2 Chronicles 30:1
In Josiah's reign 2 Kings 23:22,23 ; 2 Chronicles 35:1,18
After the captivity Ezra 6:19,20
Before the death of Christ Luke 22:15
Moses kept through faith Hebrews 11:28
Christ always observed Matthew 26:17-20 ; Luke 22:15 ; John 2:13,23
The people of Jerusalem lent their rooms to strangers for Luke 22:11,12
The Lord's Supper instituted at Matthew 26:26-28
Custom of releasing a prisoner at Matthew 27:15 ; Luke 23:16,17
The Sabbath in, a high day John 19:31
The day before the Sabbath in, called the preparation John 19:14,31
Illustrative of redemption through Christ 1 Corinthians 5:7,8
23:6 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of
Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened
bread. (Ex 12:15,16 Ex 13:6,7 Ex 34:18 Nu 28:17,18 Dt 16:8 Acts
(Chag HaMatzot)
Leviticus 23:6-8
Then - time phrase marks
sequence, in this case the day after the Passover. Passover
occurred on a Friday, Feast of Unleavened Bread on Saturday and
Feast of First Fruits (our "Easter") on Sunday. As noted
earlier, the term Passover is used interchangeably with the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. However, technically, the Feast of Unleavened Bread
begins on Nisan 15, one day after the Passover celebration. "They departed
from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month;
on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with
boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians." (Nu 33:3) As they left Egypt,
the Jews took their bread in mixing bowls, without allowing time for
leaven (yeast) to form or bread to rise. When the order came to leave,
they left with flat bread and all! This act of leaving Egypt with
unleavened bread has led to one of the most colorful traditions of the
Passover season. In anticipation of the days of unleavened bread, Jewish
mothers do their "spring cleaning." With great care they sweep and search
and scrub their homes to remove every bit of leaven. Floors are swept,
pots are boiled, cupboards are emptied—all in an effort to remove any
trace of leaven. Then just before Passover, bonfires are lit in empty lots
and fields all over Israel to destroy any of the bread and crumbs that
have been found (compare Paul's charge in 1Cor 5:7-8). In Paul's eyes, and
in the understanding of other rabbis, leaven is an illustration of sin.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread therefore speaks of the need for God's
people to live new lives marked by a break from the bondage experienced in
the kingdom of sin and darkness. keep in mind, however, is the messianic
significance Jesus claimed for the matzah of Passover. When He broke the
unleavened bread of the Seder and said, "This is My body which is given
for you. This do in remembrance of Me," He was saying that the matzah of
the Passover had a meaning that is realized fully in Him. Some who believe
in Jesus see a mysterious and ironic picture of Him that has
unintentionally shown up in the way unleavened bread is made. By rabbinic
decree, matzah must be striped, pierced, and burned
in such a way as to appear bruised! (Read Isaiah 53:5, Zech 12:10)
As someone has well said "These so called co-incidences are really
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex
12:15-20; 13:3-10; Lev 23:6-8; Nu 28:17-25; Dt 16:3, 4, 8) This feast is
seven days long, beginning on the fifteenth of Nisan and continuing
through the twenty-first. It marked the beginning of the barley harvest
and immediately followed Passover and lasted until the 21st day of the
month. Unleavened Bread speaks of the holy walk of the believer (1Cor
Rooker - The unleavened bread
reminded the Israelites of the haste in which they left the land of Egypt.
They were forced to begin their journey before the dough could rise.
During this seven-day period only bread without yeast could be eaten. (The
New American Commentary page 285)
K. Arthur - When you think of
leaven, you think of sin and how a little leaven leavens the whole lump.
There is no leaven put in the dough to make it rise because God wanted to
show us to a picture. The blood of Jesus was shed for us and that blood,
and when we apply it in faith to the door of our hearts then we are no
longer slaves to sin for the Son has set us free. Therefore I no longer
have to practice sin. I can keep the feast of unleavened bread.
(Leviticus Lectures)
means festival and usually refers to the various feasts on the Jewish
calendar. "Holiday," i.e. a day or season of religious joy. The term
moed "appointed time," is also used for "feast," but is a broader term
including Sabbaths, new moons, etc. "The use of this noun is limited
mainly to the three pilgrim-feasts. Four times it is used for each of the
three in a single context (Ex 23:15–16; 34:18–22; Deut 16:16; 2Chr 8:13).
Otherwise the noun applies most often (twenty times) to the Feast of
Booths (Ingathering), secondly (eleven times) to the Feast of Unleavened
Bread (or Passover) and once to the Feast of Weeks (Deut 16:10)." (TWOT)
Septuagint (Lxx)
translates chaq with the
Greek word heorte = "a day or series of days marked by a periodic
celebration or observance, festival, celebration."
Vine - This word refers
especially to a "feast observed by a pilgrimage." That is its meaning in
its first biblical occurrence, as Moses declared to Pharaoh (Ex 10:9).
Haq/chaq usually represents Israel's three annual "pilgrimage feasts,"
which were celebrated with processions and dances. These special feasts
are distinguished from the sacred seasons ("festal assemblies"—Ezek
45:17), the new moon festivals, and the Sabbaths (Hos 2:11). (In a unique
use of haq/chaq) Aaron proclaimed a "feast to the Lord" at the foot of Mt.
Sinai. This "feast" involved no pilgrimage but was celebrated with burnt
offerings, communal meals, singing, and dancing. The whole matter was
displeasing to God (Ex 32:5-7).
Chaq - 55v in NAS - Ex 10:9;
12:14; 13:6; 23:15f, 18; 32:5; 34:18, 22, 25; Lev 23:6, 34, 39, 41; Num
28:17; 29:12; Deut 16:10, 13f, 16; 31:10; Jdg 21:19; 1Kgs 8:2, 65; 12:32f;
2Chr 5:3; 7:8f; 8:13; 30:13, 21; 35:17; Ezra 3:4; 6:22; Neh 8:14, 18; Ps
81:3; 118:27; Isa 29:1; 30:29; Ezek 45:17, 21, 23, 25; 46:11; Hos 2:11;
9:5; Amos 5:21; 8:10; Nah 1:15; Zech 14:16, 18f; Mal 2:3
Chaq is translated in NAS
as - feast(52), feasts(5), festival(1), festival sacrifice(1),
Unleavened bread is eaten for
seven days (Lev. 23:6; Nu 28:17). While the Passover is a separate
festival, observed on the fourteenth of Nisan, the meal was eaten
after sundown on the fifteenth of Nisan. The term "Passover," is applied
to the entire eight days (cf. Lk 22:1, Lev. 23:6; Nu 28:17). As noted
above Luke 22:1 associates Feast of Unleavened
Bread and Passover.
The first and the last days of this
feast were, like the first and last days of the main autumn festival, the
feast of booths, rest days when "no heavy work" could be done (Lev 23:7,
23:7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do
any laborious work. (Nu 28:18-25)
Ryrie - laborious work. Defined
in a later period as building, weaving, reaping, threshing, grinding, and
so on.
23:8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.
On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious
Laborious work - It is not
clearly stipulated as to what is "laborious." Some think it alludes
to Ex 20:9, which would be fairly restrictive.
Seventh day is a holy convocation
- The opening and closing days of this feast are like the first and
seventh days of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Autumn. Ordinary labor
like farming or trading stopped and a holy convention was held.
Wiersbe has this practical
application regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread....
For seven days following Passover, the
Jews ate only unleavened bread with their meals, and they carefully
cleansed all the yeast out of their homes (Ex 12:15–20). In many places in
Scripture, leaven depicts sin. Thus the putting away of leaven illustrates
the cleansing of one's life after he or she has been saved through faith
in the blood (2Cor. 6:14–7:1). We must get rid of the "old life" leaven (1
Cor. 5:7). Those things belong to our unconverted days and have no place
in our new Christian walk (1Pe 4:1–5). We must also put away "the leaven
of malice and wickedness" (1 Cor. 5:8; Eph. 4:31–32), the leaven of
hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of false doctrine (Gal. 5:7–9). The
"leaven of Herod" (Mark 8:15) represents the attitude of pride and
worldliness that was evident in that evil king's life. And the "leaven . .
. of the Sadducees" was unbelief (Matt. 16:6). The people weren't saved
from death and bondage by getting rid of leaven but by applying the blood
of the lamb by faith. People today think they'll be saved because they
reform or get rid of a bad habit, but good as doing these things are, they
can never do what only the blood of Christ can do. Salvation is through
the blood of Christ alone, the sinless Lamb of God, but "let everyone who
names the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19, NKJV). The
Christian life is not a famine or a funeral; it's a feast. "Therefore let
us keep the feast . . . with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"
(1 Cor. 5:8). Sin can be secretly introduced into our lives and quietly
grow so that it pollutes the inner person. One "toxic" Christian in a
church body can defile the whole body if given enough time. One false
doctrine, if allowed to grow, will destroy an entire ministry. (Be Holy)
23:9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
This "formula" is found some 30 times in the book of
23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land
which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring
in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
(When: Lev 14:34) (shall: Lev 2:12-16 Ex 22:29 23:16,19
34:22,26 Nu 15:2,18-21 28:26 Dt 16:9 Jos 3:15) (Pr 3:9,10 Eze 44:30 Ro
11:16 1Co 15:20-23 Jas 1:18 Rev 14:4)
Leviticus 23:10-14
Feast of Firstfruits (Lev
23:9-14; Nu 28:26) marked the beginning of the barley harvest, immediately
followed Passover and lasted until the 21st day of the month. First Fruits
symbolized the consecration of the entire harvest to God and was an
earnest, or pledge (guarantee) of the full harvest yet to be gathered.
Sheaf - The grain is not stated
but this would be at the time of the barley harvest (which preceded the
wheat harvest), so it is most likely a sheaf of barley.
Firstfruits speaks of Christ's
resurrection as the firstfruit of the resurrection of all believers (1Cor
15:20-23). Christ rose on the day of the Firstfruits (Easter)
"Firstfruits" in the NT
also refers to the earliest converts as the firstfruits of the Spirit (Ro
8:23); to the Jews as precursors of the Christian church (Ro 11:16); to
individual believers (Ro 16:5); to Christ as the firstfruits of
resurrection (1Cor 15:20); to believers born again by the Word of God (Jas
1:18); and to the group that had been redeemed as firstfruits (Rev 14:4).
The Feast of Firstfruits
occurred on our modern Sunday, the "day after the Sabbath" (Lev 23:11), on the first day of
the week, even as Christ was raised on the first day of the week. Like the
feast of firstfruits, the resurrection of Christ anticipates the harvest
which is to follow, the resurrection of the saints. When the priest on the
day of Christ's resurrection waved the sheaf of first fruits in the
Temple, it was before a torn veil and was but an antiquated form, for the
substance had come and the shadow had passed away (Col 2:16-17). Joseph's empty tomb
proclaimed that the great first fruit sheaf had been "reaped and waved" in
the heavenly Temple. This feast has been completely fulfilled in Christ.
Josephus says that the sheaf was of
barley and that until this ceremony had been performed, no harvest work
was to be done (Ant. 3.10.5).
Ryrie - First Fruits symbolized
the consecration of the entire harvest to God and was an earnest, or
pledge, of the full harvest yet to be gathered. See notes on 1Cor 15:20;
Jas 1:18; Rev. 14:4, as well as other NT uses in Ro 8:23; Ro 11:16; 1Cor.
Scofield - The Feast of
Firstfruits, Lev 23:10-14 is typical of resurrection first, of Christ,
then of those who are His at His coming (1Cor 15:23; 1Th 4:13-18).
23:11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the
day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 9:21 10:14
Ex 29:24)
23:12 'Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb
one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. (Lev
1:10 Heb 10:10-12 1Pe 1:19)
23:13 'Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour
mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with
its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. (grain:
Lev 2:14-16 14:10 Nu 15:3-12)(drink: Ex 29:40,41 30:9 Nu 28:10 Joel
1:9,13 2:14) (fourth: Ex 30:24 Eze 4:11 45:24 46:14)
23:14 'Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your
God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is
to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling
places. (eat: Lev 19:23-25 25:2,3 Ge 4:4,5 Jos 5:11,12)
(it shall be: Lev 3:17 10:11 Dt 16:12 Ne 9:14 Ps 19:8)
23:15 'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath,
from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there
shall be seven complete sabbaths. (Lev 23:10,11 Lev 25:8 Ex
34:22 Dt 16:9,10)
Feast of Weeks (Ex 23:16; 34:22;
Lev 23:15-21; Nu 28:26-31; Dt 16:9-12) took place 50 days after the barley
harvest, and involved new grain offerings to the Lord. Pentecost speaks of
the descent of the Holy Spirit after Christ's ascension and signals the
bringing together of Jews and Gentiles into one new body the Church.
Pentecost is also called the
feast of weeks (Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10,16; 2Chr 8:13), the feast of
harvest (Ex. 23:16), and the day of firstfruits (Nu 28:26; cp Ex. 23:16;
34:22; Lev. 23:17)
Freeman -
1. The Feast of Harvest is
sometime called the Feast of Weeks, because of the seven weeks; by
which its time was determined. Dt 16:9, 10. It is also called the Day of
First-fruits, (Nu 28:26) because on that day the first loaves made from
the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord. Its later name was
Pentecost, because it occurred fifty days after Passover. These fifty
days begin with the offering of the first sheaf of the barley harvest
during Passover week, (Lev. 23:10,) and ended with the Feast of Harvest.
This feast took place after the corn harvest, and before the vintage.
Its design was primarily to give an expression of gratitude to God for the
harvest which had been gathered; but the Jews assert, that in addition to
this, it was intended to celebrate the giving of the law on Sinai, which
took place fifty days after the Passover. Maimonides says that the reason
why the feast occupied but one day was because that was all the time
occupied .m giving the law. On this day the people rented from all labor.
Two loaves, made of the new wheat, were offered before the Lord. These
were leavened, in distinction to the Passover bread, which was unleavened.
Lev. 23:17. The Jews say that this was because the Passover was a memorial
of the haste in which they departed from Egypt, when they had not time to
get their bread leavened ; while the Feast of Harvest was a token of
thankfulness to God for their ordinary food. In addition to this offering
of the loaves, every per son was required to bring in a basket a portion
of the first-fruits of the earth, and offer it unto the Lord. Dt. 26:1-10.
At the same time there was a burnt offering of seven young lambs, one
young bullock, and two rams. A kid was given as a sin-offering, and two
young lambs for a peace offering. Lev. 23:18. 19. (Manners
and Customs 1875)
23:16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then
you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. (Ac 2:1)
Fifty days - The Lord "came
down" at Sinai on the 50th day after the first Passover (Ex 12:6;
19:1,11), just as the Holy Spirit came down fifty days after Christ's
crucifixion (Acts 1:3,4; 2:1-4)
Scofield - The Feast of Weeks, a
harvest feast known as Pentecost, vv. 15 - 22. The antitype is the descent
of the Holy Spirit to form the Church. For this reason yeast is present,
because there is evil in the Church (Mt 13:33; Acts 5:1-10; 15:1).
Observe, it is now loaves; not a sheaf of separate growths loosely bound
together, but a real union of particles making one homogeneous body. The
descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost united the separate disciples into
one organism (1Cor 10:16-17; 12:12-13,20). Pentecost took place fifty days
after the offering of the firstfruits, coming at about the beginning of
Leviticus 23:17 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a
wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine
flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD.
(two wave: Nu 28:26) (leaven: Lev 7:13 Mt 13:33)(firstfruits:
Lev 23:10 Ex 22:29 23:16,19 34:22,26 Nu 15:17,19-21 Dt 26:1,2 Pr 3:9,10 Ro
8:23 1Co 15:20 Jas 1:18 Rev 14:4)
Scofield - The wave loaves were
offered fifty days after the wave sheaf. This is precisely the period
between the resurrection of Christ and the formation of the Church at
Pentecost by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; 1Cor 12:12-13).
See Church (Mat 16:18; Heb 12:23, note). With the wave sheaf no yeast was
offered, for there was no evil in Christ; but the wave loaves, typifying
the Church, are "baked with yeast," for in the Church there is still evil.
23:18 'Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs
without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a
burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink
offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
(lambs: Lev 23:12,13 Nu 28:27-31 Mal 1:13,14)(their: Nu
23:19 'You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male
lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. (one
male goat: Lev 4:23-28 16:15 Nu 15:24 28:30 Ro 8:3 2Co 5:21)(lambs:
Lev 3:1-17 Lev 7:11-18)
23:20 'The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for
a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the
Lord for the priest. (wave them: Lev 23:17 7:29,30 Ex
29:24 Lk 2:14 Eph 2:14)(holy to: Lev 7:31-34 Lev 8:29 10:14,15 Nu
18:8-12 Dt 18:4 1Co 9:11)
23:21 'On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to
have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a
perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
(proclamation: Lev 23:2,4 Ex 12:16 Dt 16:11 Isa 11:10)(statute:
Lev 23:14 Ge 17:7 Ex 12:17 Nu 18:23)
23:22 'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap
to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest;
you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your
God.'" (Lev 19:9,10 Dt 16:11-14 Dt 24:19-21 Ru
2:3-7,15,16-23 Job 31:16-21 Ps 41:1-3 Ps 112:9 Pr 11:24,25 Isa 58:7,8,10
Lk 11:41 2Co 9:5-12)
23:23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23:24 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the
first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of
trumpets, a holy convocation. (seventh: Nu 10:10 Nu
29:1-6 1Chr 15:28 2Chr 5:13 Ezra 3:6 Ps 81:1-4 Ps 98:6 Isa 27:13 1Co 15:52
1Th 4:16)
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh
Hashanah) (Lev 23:23-25; Nu 29:1-6) first day of the 7th month (Tishri)
marked the occasion, which involved a Sabbath rest, the blowing of
trumpets, and a holy convocation. Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and
Tabernacles speak of events associated with the second advent of Christ.
This may be why these three are separated by a long gap from the first
four in Israel's annual cycle.
23:25 'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering
by fire to the LORD.'" (Lev 23:24-25, Num 29:1-6 Neh 8:2
Neh 8:9-12)
23:26 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23:27 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of
atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble
your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. (tenth:
Lev 16:29,30 Lev 25:9 Nu 29:7-11)(humble: Lev 16:31 Nu 29:7 Ezr
8:21 Ps 35:13 Isa 58:5 Da 10:2,3 Zec 12:10 Acts 2:37,38 2Co 7:10,11 Jas
4:9) (offering: Lev 16:11,15,24)
This shall be an everlasting statute
unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their
sins once a year. The Great Day of Atonement took place on the tenth day
of the seventh month, Tisri, corresponding to our October. It was a day of
great solemnity, especially designated and kept as a fast day, (see Lev
23:27; Nu 29:7 ; comp. Ps. 35:13 Isa. 58:5,) and in later times was known
by the name of The Fast. Acts 27:9. On this day the high priest, clad in
plain white linen garments, brought for himself a young bullock for a
sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering; and for the people two young
goats for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. The two goats
were brought before the door of the Tabernacle, and by the casting of lots
one was designated for sacrifice and the other for a scape-goat. The high
priest then slaughtered the bullock and made a sin-offering for himself
and family. He next entered the Most Holy Place for the first time,
bearing a censer with burning coals, with which he filled the place with
incense. Taking the blood of the slain bullock, he entered the Most Holy
Place the second time, and there sprinkled the blood before the
mercy-seat. He next killed the goat which was for the people s
sin-offering, and, entering the Most Holy Place the third time, sprinkled
its blood as he had sprinkled that of the bullock. Some of the blood of
the two animals was then put on the horns of the altar of incense, and
sprinkled on the altar itself. After this the high priest, putting his
hands on the head of the scape-goat, confessed the sins of the people, and
then sent him off into the wilderness. He then washed himself, and changed
his garments, arraying himself in the beautiful robes of his high office,
and offered the two rams as burnt-offerings for himself and for the
people. Lev 16. (Manners
and Customs 1875)
23:28 "You shall not do any work on this
same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf
before the LORD your God. (Lev 16:34 Isa 53:10 Da 9:24 Zec 3:9
Ro 5:10,11 Heb 9:12,26 Heb 10:10,14 1Jn 2:2 1Jn 4:10 1Jn 5:6)
This is described in Lev 16, but here
the stress is upon sorrow and repentance of Israel which possibly
foreshadows the repentance of Israel after their regathering Dt 30:4-6
preparatory to the Second advent of Messiah and the establishment of the
kingdom. See Zec 12:10-14 in connection with the atonement of Zech 13:1.
23:29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day,
he shall be cut off from his people. (will: Lev 23:27,32
Isa 22:12 Jer 31:9 Eze 7:16) (he shall be: Ge 17:14)
23:30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I
will destroy from among his people. (Lev 20:3,5,6 Ge 17:14 Jer
15:7 Eze 14:9 Zep 2:5 1Co 3:17)
23:31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute
throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. (
23:32 "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble
your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until
evening you shall keep your sabbath." (sabbath Lev
16:31 Mt 11:28-30 Heb 4:3,11)(humble: Lev 23:27 Ps 35:13 Ps
51:17 Ps 69:10,11 Ps 126:5,6 Isa 57:15,18,19 58:3-7 Isa 61:3 Mt 5:4 1Co
23:33 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23:34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh
month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. (fifteenth:
Ex 23:16 34:22 Nu 29:12 Dt 16:13-15 Ezr 3:4 Ne 8:14 Zec 14:16-19 John 1:14
7:2 Heb 11:9,13)
Scofield: The Feast of
Tabernacles, or Ingathering, Lev 23:34-44, is, like the Lord's Supper for
the Church, both memorial and prophetic - memorial as to redemption out of
Egypt (v. 43); prophetic as to the kingdom-rest of Israel after her
regathering and restoration, when the feast again becomes memorial, not
for Israel alone, but also for all nations (Ezra 3:4; Zech 14:16-21; cp.
Rev 21:3). This festival, its name derived from the fact that during its
observance the Israelites dwelt in booths or tabernacles (Lev 23:42-43),
began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri, and lasted for
one week.
23:35 'On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work
of any kind. (Lev 23:7,8,24,25)
23:36 'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On
the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering
by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.
(Seven: Nu 29:12-38) (eighth: 2Chr 7:8-11 Ne 8:18 John
7:37)(assembly: Heb. day of restraint, Dt 16:8 Joel 1:14 Joel 2:15)
Leviticus 23:37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as
holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD--burnt
offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's
matter on its own day--
(feasts: Lev 23:2,4 Dt 16:16,17) (each: Ec 3:1)
23:38 besides those of the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and
besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the
LORD. (Sabbaths: Lev 23:3 Lev 19:3 Ge 2:2,3 Ex 20:8-11)(besides:
Nu 29:39 Dt 12:6 1Chr 29:3-8 2Chr 35:7,8 Ezra 2:68,69)
23:39 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have
gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the
LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth
day. (when: Lev 23:34 Ex 23:16 Dt 16:13)(on the first:
Lev 23:24,36)
The Feast of Ingathering, more
generally known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), (Lev. 23:34,)
was instituted to remind the people that their fathers dwelt in tents in
the wilderness, (Lev. xxiii, 43 ;) and also to be an annual thanksgiving
after all the products of the earth corn, fruit, wine, and oil were
gathered for the year. Lev. 23:39. It was held in the seventh month, Tizri,
or Ethanim, corresponding to our October, and lasted for eight days;
during which time the people dwelt in booths made of the branches of palm,
willow, and other trees. Lev. 23:39-43. On each day there were offered in
sacrifice two rams, fourteen lambs, and a kid for a burnt-offering. During
the continuance of the feast seventy bullocks were offered, thirteen on
the first day, twelve on the second, eleven on the third, and so on, the
number being diminished by one on each day until the seventh day. when
only seven were offered. The eighth day was a day of peculiar solemnity,
and had for its special offerings a bullock, a ram, and seven lambs for a
burnt-offering, and a goat for a sin-offering. Nu 29:12-38. On the
Sabbatical year, the Feast of Tabernacles was still further celebrated by
a public reading of the law. Dt. 31:10-13. Whether this was intended to
include the whole law, or only certain portions, and if so, what portions,
is matter of dispute. Other ceremonies than these, originally instituted,
were afterward added. See John 7:37. These festivals at the gathering of
harvests were not peculiar to the He brews, but were in use among many
Gentile nations. "The ancient sacrifices, assemblies, and conventions for
sacrifices, were made at the gathering in of the fruits and productions of
the earth, as the season of greatest lei sure and rest." ARISTOTLE, cited
by MAIMONIDES, Reasons, etc., p. 257. (Manners
and Customs 1875)
23:40 'Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of
beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of
the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
(foliage: Ne 8:15 Mt 21:8)(palm trees: Ps 92:12 John
12:13 Rev 7:9) (rejoice: Dt 16:14,15 Isa 35:10 66:10 John 16:22 Ro
5:11 Php 3:3 4:4 1Pe 1:8)
Disciple's Study Bible - The
Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles or Ingathering) was a time of high
rejoicing. The expression "before the LORD'' is a reminder that we live in
full knowledge of God's watchful eye. See Ge 19:27. Prayer expresses our
joy and celebration in God's presence.
Leviticus 23:41 'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in
the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you
shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
(Nu 29:12 Ne 8:18)
23:42 'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel
shall live in booths, (Ge 33:17 Nu 24:2,5 Ne 8:14-17 Jer 35:10
2Co 5:1 Heb 11:13-16)
23:43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in
booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your
God.'" (Ex 13:14 Dt 31:10-13 Ps 78:5,6)
23:44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the
LORD. (Lev 23:1,2 Lev 21:24 Mt 18:20)
Home | Site Index | Inductive Bible Study | Greek Word Studies | Commentaries by Verse | Area Precept Classes | Reference Search | Bible Dictionaries | Bible Maps | It's Greek to Me | Bible Commentaries | Discipline Yourself | Christian Biography | Wailing Wall | Bible Prophecy
Last Updated July, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"The Kansas City Star, in a yearlong investigation, found that the beef industry is increasingly relying on a mechanical process to tenderize meat, exposing Americans to higher risk of E. coli poisoning. The industry then resists labeling such products, leaving consumers in the dark.
The result: Beef in America is plentiful and affordable, spun out in enormous quantities at high speeds, but it's a bonanza with hidden dangers. Industry officials contend beef is safer than it's ever been."*
A study from the Kansas City Star found that there is fecal matter in most beef, and thanks to a tenderizing process, the feces get pushed inside the meat, where it can poison people who cook it rare. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss why the GOPs constant deregulation of government inspection agencies may be the root of the problem.


text:
Monday, December 22, 2014
Follow us:
Mohawk Valley
BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. – The Maine-Endwell School District is taking the unusual step of mid-year staff cuts to help ease the burden on next year's budget.
The board met in executive session Thursday night, where it decided to go ahead with the reductions.
The board will not comment on what positions will be eliminated or how many, but staff members will be notified between now and January 10th.
The Maine-Endwell School District is still in the midst of budget planning for 2013. The preliminary spending plan was also presented to the public Thursday night.
Time Warner Cable video customers:Sign in with your TWC ID to access our video clips.
Sign in
To view our videos, you need to
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
© 1999-2014 Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Web design and web development by Tipit.