Regulations concerning Festivals: Leviticus 23–24
God established a religious year for Israel, broken into patterned celebrations which permitted Israel to relive its heritage annually.
Three of the annual feasts were “pilgrim festivals,” during which families were to journey to a central place of worship, later established in Jerusalem. These were times of special joy and celebration, linked with the agricultural seasons, but intended to help Israel relive salvation history and reaffirm commitment to God.
The three pilgrim festivals were Passover, including the week-long Feasts of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 13:3–10; Lev. 23:4–8; Deut. 16:1–8), Firstfruits (also called the Feast of Weeks and Pentecost) (Lev. 23:9–21; Deut. 16:9–11), and Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths) (Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–43; Deut. 16:13). During this last festival the people lived outside in rough shelters, commemorating the years of travel from Sinai to the Promised Land.
A vital principle underlying this religious system helps us understand how we can better communicate our own faith.
The principle is expressed in a Hebrew term, zikkaron, which is often translated as “memorial” and means “a reminder” or “a remembrance.” It is used of objects or actions that help Israel identify with some particular religious truth. For instance, the pile of stones beside the River Jordan that commemorated Israel passing through on dry ground is one such memorial (Josh. 4:7).
What was the zikkaron intended to do? It was intended to help individuals who saw or participated in it sense his or her identity with what God had done in the past. In essence the festivals of Israel were designed to help each new generation relive God’s great and wonderful acts for His people. In the festivals that annually reminded Israel of what God had done for them, the people were intended to sense their own identity with their forefathers, and to realize that God had worked His wonders for each one of them!
Festival System
| APRIL (NISAN) | 14–21—PASSOVER: remembrance of deliverance from Egypt; beginning of religious year |
| | |
| MAY (IYAR) JUNE (SIVAN) | 6—PENTECOST: feast of harvest and firstfruits |
| | |
| JULY (TAMMUZ) AUG. (AB) SEPT. (ELUL) OCT. (TISHRI) | 1–2—FEAST OF TRUMPETS ROSH HASHANAH: beginning of civil year 10—DAY OF ATONEMENT 15–21—FEAST OF TABERNACLES: remembrance of the years in tents on the way to Palestine |
| | |
| NOV. (MARCHESVAN) DEC. (KISLEV) | 25—HANUKKAH: feast of lights added in days of Maccabees |
| | |
| JAN. (TEBETH) FEB. (SHEBAT) MARCH (ADAR) | 14—PURIM: added later to remember deliverance under Queen Esther |
No comments:
Post a Comment