Essentially,
the book of Leviticus is a prescription on how to worship the great God. In
this book, we also learned how the high priest and the priests were ordained to
assist in the worship. One of the concerns was for qualified personnel to be rightly
equipped to do these sacred duties. Hence God expected that the conduct of
priests would befit the role that they were fulfilling. He expected these
consecrated priests to live a holy life for they were serving a holy God, who
alone qualified and sanctified them for their work. We see all these discussed
in earlier chapters. Alongside the right people to conduct the services, the
book also talks about the different kinds of offerings and the reasons why they
should be offered. In this chapter, we see the introduction of the annual
feasts to be celebrated within the worship calendar.
Before
talking about the annual feasts, Leviticus 23:1-3 first reiterated
the importance of observing the Sabbath on the seventh day of each week
throughout the year. It was a day set aside for worship and rest. In His
wisdom, the Lord knows that we need that day to recalibrate after six days of
work. Hence, it is wise for us to take the day seriously to worship the Lord
and stay in tune with Him.
In
verses 4-8 we see the discussion on the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, which speaks of redemption and the need to be rid of sins in
our lives as we walk the redeemed journey. In verses 9-22 we see the Feast of
the First Fruit and the Feast of Pentecost. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, we see the
Feats of First Fruit being typified as both Christ’s and our resurrection. In
the book of Acts, we learned that during the celebration of the Feast of
Pentecost that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples of Christ in the
Upper Room. Pentecost has since come to be acknowledged as the coming of the
Holy Spirit. In verses 23-25, we see the discussion of the Feast of
Trumpet, signifying the gathering of God’s dispersed people in the future. In verses 26-32 is the Day of Atonement which
we already dealt with in Leviticus 16. The Feast of Tabernacles is dealt with
in verses 33-36. God had provided and protected the children of Israel in their
wilderness journey, so He is also our protector and provider. We must take time
to celebrate and thank Him for His preservation, protection, and provision. He
will see us through till the day we meet Christ face to face.
Life
with God is an ever-advancing journey of holiness. Walking with the Holy God is
not a monotonous but a joyful one. Every experience we can have with Him should
inspire us to lift Him up with our praise. Unlike the Israelites who were given
instructions to celebrate these feasts, for us, they point us all to what God
through Christ has accomplished for us. We refresh ourselves in Him and through
Him offer a life of thanksgiving and praise. He is worthy of it all!
No comments:
Post a Comment