The Feast of Trumpets: Leviticus 23:17-25

Leviticus 23:17‑25  •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 9
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Leviticus 23:17-2517Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. 18And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor unto the Lord. 19Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. 23And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:17‑25)
Notice these two loaves were to be brought “out of [their] habitations,” and so we see, in figure here, that we have been separated from “this present evil world” — separated unto the Lord. Moreover, these two loaves were spoken of as “firstfruits,” for even though we do not have our glorified bodies yet, we are the firstfruits of God’s new creation (James 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)) and just as sure of heaven as though we were already there — what grace!
Along with these loaves there were sacrifices, burnt offerings, a sin offering and peace offerings, for we are never to forget the work of Calvary as the ground of all our blessings. Every time we are reminded of our blessings, as in these feast days, we are reminded of the cost to God, and so here these things were to be waved before the Lord, then given to the priest as his portion. This would show us that when we have given the Lord His portion, He then delights to give us back all we can hold and more!
“No servile work” was to be done during any of these feasts, for nothing of the labor of our hands can bring the blessings the Lord has in His heart for us. He delights to have us sitting before Him, rejoicing in His work. Even our service is not to be “servile work,” but a “labor of love.”
The Poor and Strangers
Along with the instructions as to this feast of Pentecost, the children of Israel were told that they were not to reap the corners of their fields but to leave them for the poor and the stranger. It would appear that this is the character of things we can expect at the end of this dispensation of the grace of God. It began on the day of Pentecost with a mighty harvest, for three thousand souls were saved in one day, but now the poor and the stranger are being gathered in. The work does not assume large proportions in these favored lands of Christendom, but “the corners of the field,” a few here and a few there — “the poor” — and (perhaps in heathen lands) “the strangers” are being harvested before the day of grace closes. Undoubtedly, in applying this to Israel, it looks on to the bringing in of the nations with Israel in a coming day. The nations who will be saved through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom are thus included in the harvest also (Revelation 7:4-174And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:4‑17)).
But how about you? Are you the Lord’s? Have you allowed the precious message of His grace to touch and win your heart? Remember there are many who will have to say when it is too late, after the Lord has come and taken His own to heaven, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:2020The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. (Jeremiah 8:20)). Come now, before it is too late.
The Feast of Trumpets
This brings us to the next feast, the feast of trumpets. In applying it to ourselves (in this present church period), it would tell us of the Lord’s coming, when we shall hear the trumpet of God calling us home to the Father’s house above. What a day it will be when we are summoned into the presence of our blessed Saviour — set free from all that hinders us here — to be forever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-1816For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑18)). Surely that moment draws near. May we be found waiting and watching to see His blessed face! For Israel as a nation, this feast of trumpets typically applies to the time when they will be gathered back into their land for blessing (Matthew 24:3131And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31)). Now they are going back, but still in unbelief, yet it shows us that the end is near.
For Further Meditation
1. What might the “poor and stranger” represent in a spiritual sense?
2. When will the Jewish people be called back by the Lord to live in their land? Has this already happened? What scriptures show your answer to be correct?
3. A simple and heart-warming presentation of the seven feasts can be found in G. C. Willis’ book The Seven Feasts of Jehovah. You will find it very easy to read and profitable.