God here gives careful instructions as to seven occasions when His people were to gather together around Him. They are called “Feasts,” not necessarily eating food. If the priests were going to be in God’s house, they would need to behave the way He directed. There were seven “feasts” each year. (1) the Sabbath; (2) the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread; (3) the first-fruits of harvest; (4) the Pentecost; (5) the feast of trumpets; (6) the day of atonement; (7) the feast of tabernacles. Together they tell a wonderful story. Briefly they are (1) Christ; (2) the death of Christ and our careful life every day; (3) the resurrection of Christ; (4) the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth; (5) Israel’s call just after the rapture; (6) when Israel will be restored to God; (7) the millennium. 7 is a picture of completeness. God delights in Christ, each feast reminds us in a different way of Him.
V.3 (1) Six days of creation, and then rest. Six days of work each week and then Saturday the Sabbath the last day, the day of rest. It is a picture of God finding His rest in Christ. Because the work of the first creation was ruined by sin, Christ had to come down and complete a new work. And that work can never be spoiled, Christ is God’s Sabbath.
V.4-8 (2) These two are the foundation on which the first rests. The Passover is redemption (Ex. 12). Leaven is a picture of sin. Christ was the Unleavened Bread (1 Pet. 2:22). Each believer has been given the power to live to God’s glory throughout his converted life, like the 7 days (2 Pet. 1:3).
V.10-14 (3) The first-fruits of the harvest. Christ in resurrection was the beginning of the true and great harvest — the church, us believers.
V.11 “The morrow.” Sunday, the Lord’s day, that is, the day after the Sabbath (Saturday). The Lord rose on the first day of the week, Sunday.
V.12 Christ is the Burnt offering. Leviticus chapter 1 and all of John’s Gospel.
V.13 Christ is the Meat (or meal) offering. Leviticus 2, and all of the gospels. His perfect life.
V.15-21 (4) Next the feast of weeks (Deut. 16:1010And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: (Deuteronomy 16:10)). They were to count 7 weeks or 49 days from the Sabbath. Then add one day making 50 days. Therefore, Sunday. The church’s day is the first day of the week, Sunday the Lord’s Day. Fifty days after the cross of Calvary (the Lord Jesus was dead all day Saturday) the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:11And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (Acts 2:1)).
V.17 A beautiful picture of the church here. Two leaves Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:12-1812That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:12‑18)). “Two or three gathered to my name” (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)). Leavened bread we believers still have the old nature in us.