The Rich Biblical Significance of the Feasts of the Lord
By: Karen Engle, ICEJ USA Managing Editor
In his letters to the early church, the apostle Paul often mentions “the word of God,” “Scripture,” or “the Scriptures.” For example, in Hebrews 4:12 he says that the “word of God is living and powerful” and in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 writes that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
At the time Paul was writing, the New Testament had not yet been penned, so the only Scripture to which he could have been referring was the Old Testament—in Hebrew, the Tanakh, which stands for the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
Jesus, too, referred to “the Scriptures” long before the New Testament was written. He was living it! Shortly after His resurrection, He appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. Not recognizing Him, they updated this “fellow traveler” about the things that had taken place over the previous few days—Jesus’ crucifixion and burial—and how this man whom they had believed would redeem Israel according to the Prophets was now dead.
Jesus responded by using the Old Testament to remind the two men what their Scriptures said concerning their Messiah:
O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25–26)
Later in Jerusalem, as those two men from Emmaus recounted the experience to the eleven disciples and others with them, Jesus Himself stood amid them and said: “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (vv. 44–45). Then He opened their minds so they could understand what was written in the Scriptures—that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and repentance would be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem.
No one knows the details of what exactly Jesus expounded to them that day—only that the two disciples confessed that as Jesus “opened their mind so they could understand the Scriptures,” their hearts were “burning within” them (v. 32 NIV).
But I’m convinced that among many other prophecies about Himself, Jesus could have been pointing them to Leviticus 23 and the feasts of the Lord.
What Are the Feasts?
At this point, many Bible readers might bow out, convinced Leviticus is a book reserved for the scholarly sort. But I have found studying the feasts to be one of the most powerful and impactful things I’ve ever done as a believer. Why? Because every feast God established in Leviticus 23 points to Jesus, and altogether, they paint a glorious picture of God’s plan of redemption over all time.
In this series on the feasts, we’ll explore what this means and how learning about the feasts deepens our understanding of God’s redemptive work. But before we do that, we must first unpack what they are.
Feasts Diagram
The feasts are primarily found in Leviticus 23, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy, but they undergird the whole of Scripture. However, the most logical place to start when first learning about them is in Leviticus 23:1–2:
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “The feasts (mo’ed) of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations (quodesh miqra), these are My feasts.”
The English word “feast” makes it easy to assume they involve gathering for a hearty meal. Although some feasts indeed involve food, the Lord’s feasts are a much deeper activity in the Bible and hold a more profound meaning. So let’s unpack this verse.
In Hebrew the word “feast” is the word mo’ed (pronounced “mow-ed”), and it means “an appointment or a fixed time or season; also a signal.” Think of your calendar and any appointments you might have on it—a visit to the doctor, for example. When you make an appointment, the doctor expects you to keep it. Only in this case, God set these “appointments” with the Israelites long ago, and He expected them to keep them.
The feasts spanned springtime through the fall and formed Israel’s annual lifecycle. They commemorated God’s faithfulness and reminded Israel who He was and what His character was like—and of their impurity. They were special times God set apart to meet with His people so that they could draw near to and worship Him.
But Leviticus 23:2 gives us even more insight. God calls His feasts “holy convocations.” In Hebrew, “holy” is the word quodesh, which means, “set apart.” And the word “convocation” in Hebrew is the word miqra, which means, “a public meeting or a rehearsal.” Thus, God’s feasts are set-apart appointments on His calendar meant to be something practiced.
Who Are the Feasts For?
Notice in Leviticus 23:1–2 God says these appointments are “His” feasts. Though God initiated the feasts with the Jewish people, and though they are often referred to as the feasts of Israel, God clearly states they are “My feasts.” And He initiated them for a great purpose.
Even the sun, moon, and stars have a God-designed purpose related to these “feasts.” Consider Genesis 1:14, where God says:
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs (owth) and for seasons (mo’ed) and for days, and years.
The word “signs” in Hebrew is owth, which means a signal, a distinguishing mark, or proof. And “seasons” is that same Hebrew word mo’ed—a fixed time or season or an appointment.
God established the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens to operate as they do for timekeeping, so Israel would know when each feast was to occur—and to act as a signal, mark, or proof of something. Knowing this, let’s look ahead to the New Testament and some interesting wording Paul uses in his letter to the Colossians:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival (a feast day), a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16–17, emphasis added)
Some versions say, “the substance is found in Christ.” The Lord’s feasts (which include the weekly Sabbath, as well as new moon celebrations) are a mere shadow according to Paul—a type or a picture—of the reality, the “substance” found in Christ. Think of a musical theater production. In many dress rehearsals, the cast repeatedly practices their songs, acts, and dances to be fully prepared for their real performance in front of a live audience. God intended His feasts to be like a dress rehearsal, something to be practiced repeatedly but that were never the “real thing.” They always pointed to the true thing of substance: Jesus.
This truth should make every Christian want to discover what these feasts are, because understanding the “shadow of the things to come”—Jesus—will naturally bring greater understanding of His life and ministry.
What Are the Feasts?
Though there are other feasts in Scripture, like Purim (which Mordecai initiated in the book of Esther to celebrate the Jewish people’s victory over Haman) and the Feast of Dedication or “the Festival of lights,” otherwise known as Hanukkah (which began after the temple menorah oil miraculously stayed lit for eight days during the time of the Maccabean revolt when there was only enough for one day), God’s feasts were initiated by Him in Leviticus 23. This does not mean Purim and Hanukkah are not important feasts for the Jewish people! Even Jesus celebrated Hanukkah (see John 10:22).
However, God lists His feasts in Leviticus 23 as:
The Weekly Sabbath (Shabbat)
Passover/Unleavened Bread (Pesach) – Pilgrimage
Firstfruits (Hanafat Ha’omer)
Pentecost, or the “Feast of Weeks” (Shavuot) – Pilgrimage
Trumpets (Yom Teruah)
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Tabernacles (Sukkot) – Pilgrimage
Out of His seven feasts, God set apart three “primary” feasts—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—where He required Israelite men to celebrate the feast “at the place in which He chooses.” Initially that “place” was in Shiloh in the tabernacle, but later, it was at the temple in Jerusalem:
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. (Deuteronomy 16:16; see also Exodus 23:4–17)
These three special or “pilgrimage” feasts each represented significant encounters with God in the lives of His covenant people. The feasts also were intimately connected with ancient Israel’s agricultural calendar, which bursts with messianic significance. Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost occurred in the spring and were rehearsals for the first coming of Jesus. Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles, occurring in the fall, point to His second coming. (See chart on page 7.)
Between spring and fall, of course, are the summer months, indicative of the church age, the “times of the gentiles”—a season when Scripture says the Jewish people’s eyes would be veiled and hearts partially hardened to who Jesus is but also when Jerusalem would be under gentile sovereignty. From Jerusalem’s fall in AD 70 (some believe as far back as Israel’s exile to Babylon and the First Temple’s destruction in 586 BC) to the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem has indeed been under gentile control. But we are living in a new era, and for the first time in almost 2,000 years, Jerusalem is again under Jewish governance. The tide of the times of the gentiles is turning, and the feasts can teach us much about what comes next.
A Picture of the Work of Jesus
Too often Christians skip over Leviticus in the Old Testament because it seems antiquated or difficult, with so many sacrifices and offerings and rules. They ignore the feasts believing they are Jewish and not something to be concerned with. The feasts were, after all, like visual aids for the Jewish people meant to point them to their Messiah. However, when believers overlook the feasts, they miss something beautiful—and I believe what Jesus may have been unpacking for those two men on the road to Emmaus.
Because each feast portrays a particular aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry and altogether paint a complete picture of His work, understanding them sheds incredible light on His first coming, His return, and everything in between—as well as the significant theme of seventh-day rest in the Bible. We live in a generation that can look back at Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and see how He indeed fulfilled each of the three spring feasts and the weekly Sabbath. (We’ll learn more about how in a future article.) Because He fulfilled those feasts perfectly, we can trust He will fulfill the fall feasts to exact perfection too. And for that reason, we should run to study them to better understand what’s ahead for us—and importantly, the nation of Israel.
Keep learning about the significance of God’s feasts in the August issue of Word From Jerusalem, when we will introduce the fall feasts, beginning with Feasts of Trumpets.
Who Kept the Feasts In the Bible
Though God initiated the Feasts in the Old Testament with the nation of Israel, in the New Testament, we see that Jesus kept the Feasts—as did His parents, the apostle Paul, and the disciples:
Luke 2:41: His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
John 2:13: Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 5:1: After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians 5:8: Therefore let us [Paul and others] keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Acts 2:1: When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they [the disciples] were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 18:21: When they asked him [Paul] to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem.”
Acts 20:16 (see also Acts 16:8): For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.
耶和華節期的豐富聖經意義
作者：Karen Engle，ICEJ 美國分會總編輯
使徒保羅在寫給早期教會的信中經常提到「神的道」、「經文」或「聖經」。 例如，他在希伯來書 4:12 中說，「神的道是活潑的，是有能力的」，在提摩太後書 3:16-17 中寫道，「聖經都是神所默示的」。
保羅寫作時，新約還沒有寫成，所以他唯一可以參考的經文是舊約——希伯來語中的《塔納赫》，代表律法、先知和聖卷。
早在《新約》成書之前，耶穌也提到了「聖經」。祂就是這樣生活的！復活後不久，他在前往以馬忤斯的路上向兩個門徒顯現，距離耶路撒冷約七英里。他們沒有認出耶穌，而是向這位「同路人」通報了過去幾天發生的事情——耶穌被釘十字架和埋葬——以及這個他們相信根據先知的說法將拯救以色列的人現在已經死了。
耶穌用舊約聖經來回應這兩個人，他們的聖經是如何描述他們的彌賽亞的：
愚昧的人們啊，你們的心遲鈍地相信了先知所說的一切！基督受了這些苦，又進入他的榮耀，豈不是應當的嗎？」從摩西和眾先知起，凡經上所指著自己的話，都給他們講解明白了。（路加福音 24：25-26）
後來在耶路撒冷，當那兩個以馬忤斯人向十一個門徒和其他與他們在一起的人講述這個經歷時，耶穌親自站在他們中間說：「這些話是我在你們那裡的時候對你們說的： 摩西律法、先知書和詩篇上所記著我的話，都必應驗」（44-45節）。 然後他開啟了他們的思想，使他們能夠理解聖經上所寫的內容——彌賽亞將受苦，並在第三天從死裡復活，並且將從耶路撒冷開始，奉祂的名向萬國傳講悔改的道。
沒有人知道耶穌那天到底向他們解釋了什麼細節——只有兩個門徒承認，當耶穌「開他們的心竅，使他們能明白聖經」時，他們的心就「在他們裡面火熱」（32節，NIV） 。
但我相信，在關於他自己的許多其他預言中，耶穌可能會向他們指出利未記 23 章和耶和華的節期。
什麼是節期？
在這一點上，許多聖經讀者可能會退出，相信利未記是一本為學術界保留的書。 但我發現研究節期是我作為信徒做過的最有力、最有影響力的事情之一。為什麼？ 因為神在利未記 23 章中設立的每一個節期都指向耶穌，總之，它們描繪了神歷代救贖計劃的榮耀圖景。
在這個關於節期的系列中，我們將探討這意味著什麼，以及了解節期如何加深我們對上帝救贖工作的理解。 但在此之前，我們必須首先解開它們的本質。
節日圖
這些節期主要見於利未記23章、民數記28章和申命記，但它們是整本聖經的基礎。然而，當第一次了解它們時，最合乎邏輯的起點是利未記23:1-2：
對以色列子民說話，並對他們說：「你要吩咐以色列人，對他們說：以下是我的節期，是你們要宣告為聖會的耶和華的節期。」
英語單詞“feast”很容易讓人認為他們聚集在一起吃一頓豐盛的大餐。 雖然有些節期確實涉及食物，但耶和華的節期是聖經中更深層次的活動，具有更深刻的意義。 那麼讓我們來解開這節經文。
在希伯來語中，「節期」一詞是mo’ed（發音為“mow-ed”），意思是「約會或固定的時間或季節； 也是一個信號。」 想想你的日曆以及上面可能有的任何約會——例如去看醫生。當您預約時，醫生希望您遵守預約。只是在這種情況下，神很早就給以色列人定下了這些「約會」，並且希望他們遵守這些“約會”。
這些節期從春天一直持續到秋天，形成了以色列的年度生命週期。 他們紀念上帝的信實，並提醒以色列人祂是誰、祂的品格如何——以及他們的不潔。 這是神專門安排來與祂的子民相聚的特殊時期，以便他們能夠親近並敬拜祂。
但利未記 23:2 給了我們更多的見解。 上帝稱祂的節期為「聖會」。 在希伯來語中，「神聖」一詞是 quodesh，意思是「分別出來」。「集會」一詞在希伯來語中是 miqra，意思是「公開會議或排練」。 因此，上帝的節期是祂日曆上的特別約定，旨在實踐。
節期是為誰而設？
注意利未記 23:1-2 神說這些任命是「祂的」節期。 儘管神與猶太人一起設立了這些節期，並且這些節期常常被稱為以色列的節期，但神明確表示它們是「我的節期」。祂發起他們是為了一個偉的目的。
甚至太陽、月亮和星星也有與這些「節期」相關的上帝設計的目的。 想想創世記 1 章 14 節，神說：
讓天空中有光體來區分白天和黑夜，讓它們成為記號（owth）、季節（mo’ed）、日子和年份。
「徵兆」一詞在希伯來語中是owth，意思是信號、區別標記或證據。「季節」也是希伯來語單詞 mo'ed——固定的時間、季節或約會。
上帝在天上設立了太陽、月亮和星星，讓它們按照計時的方式運作，這樣以色列就可以知道每個節期何時發生，並作為某種信號、標記或證據。了解了這一點，讓我們展望新約以及保羅在寫給歌羅西人的信中使用的一些有趣的措辭：
因此，不要讓任何人根據你的飲食、宗教節日（節日）、月朔慶祝活動或安息日來評判你。這些都是即將發生的事情的影子；然而，現實是在基督裡找到的。（歌羅西書 2:16-17，強調）
有些版本說：「實質是在基督裡找到的。」根據保羅的說法，耶和華的節期（包括每週的安息日，以及新月慶祝活動）只不過是現實的影子，是在基督裡找到的「實體」的預表或圖畫。想想音樂劇製作。 在許多彩排中，演員們反復練習歌曲、表演和舞蹈，為在現場觀眾面前的真正表演做好充分準備。 上帝希望祂的節期就像一次彩排，需要反復練習，但這從來都不是「真實的事情」。他們總是指向真實的實體：耶穌。
這個真理應該讓每個基督徒都想知道這些節期是什麼，因為了解「未來事物的影子」——耶穌——自然會帶來對祂的生活和事工的更多理解。
什麼是節期？
儘管聖經中還有其他節期，例如普珥節（末底改在《以斯帖記》中發起，以慶祝猶太人戰勝哈曼）和獻殿節或「金燈節」，也稱為光明節（開始於猶太教之後） 在馬加比起義期間，聖殿燭台油奇蹟般地保持了八天，當時的油只夠一天使用），上帝的節期是由祂在利未記23章中發起的。這並不意味著普珥節和光明節對猶太人來說不是重要的節期！甚至耶穌也慶祝光明節（見約翰福音 10:22）。
然而，神在利未記 23 章中列出了祂的節期：
每周安息日（安息日）
逾越節/無酵餅（逾越節）——朝聖
初熟果子（Hanafat Ha'omer）
五旬節，或「七七節」（五旬節）——朝聖
吹角節
贖罪日（Yom Kippur）
住棚節（住棚節）——朝聖
在祂的七個節期中，上帝設立了三個「主要」節期——逾越節、五旬節和住棚節——祂要求以色列人「在祂所選擇的地方」慶祝這些節期。 最初那個「地方」是在示羅的會幕裡，但後來是在耶路撒冷的聖殿：
因以色列人的不潔淨和過犯，就是他們一切的罪，他要為聖所贖罪；因會幕在他們不潔淨之中，他也要為會幕照樣做。（申命記 16：16；另見出埃及記 23：4-17）
這三個特殊的或「朝聖「的節期每一個都代表著上帝聖約子民在生活中與上帝的重要相遇。這些節日還與古代以色列的農曆密切相關，農曆充滿了彌賽亞的意義。 逾越節、初熟節和五旬節發生在春天，是耶穌第一次降臨的預演。秋天發生的號角聲、贖罪日和住棚節都指向祂的第二次降臨。 （參見第 7 頁的圖表。）
當然，春季和秋季之間是夏季，代表著教會時代，即「外邦人的時代」——聖經說，在這個季節，猶太人的眼睛會被蒙蔽，心會部分變硬，不知道耶穌是誰，但同時，耶路撒冷將處於外邦人的主權之下。 從公元70年耶路撒冷陷落（有人認為早在以色列流亡巴比倫和公元前 586 年第一聖殿被毀）到 1948 年以色列國重生，耶路撒冷確實一直處於外邦人的控制之下。但我們生活在一個新時代，耶路撒冷近 2000 年來首次再次處於猶太人的統治之下。外邦人時代的潮流正在轉變，節期可以告訴我們很多關於接下來會發生什麼的事情。