God's Holy Days
Leviticus 23 lists all of God's Holy Days:
vs. 1-2 (NAS) The LORD [#3068-Jehovah] spoke again to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD's appointed times [#4150-mow'ed: appointed time, place, or meeting] which you shall proclaim as holy convocations [#4744-miqra: convocation, assembly, rehearsal]-- my appointed times are these:
**Other scriptures: Psalm 104:19; Genesis 1:14
Sabbath [vs. 3] 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath [#7676-shabbath: desist from exertion, daily work, gainful employment] of complete rest, a holy convocation [#4744-miqra: convocation, public assembly]. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
**Other scriptures: Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 31:12-17; Hebrews 4; Ezekiel 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Isaiah 58:13-14
Passover [vs. 4-5] 'These are the appointed times [#4150-mow'ed] of the LORD, holy convocations {#4744-miqra] which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight [#6153-ereb: evening] is the LORD's Passover.
**Other scriptures: Exodus 13-14; Numbers 9:3; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 2 Corinthians 11:23
Days of Unleavened Bread [vs. 6-8] 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast [#2282-chag: festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast] of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation [#4744-miqra]; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
**Other scriptures: Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 2 Corinthians 11:23
Wave Sheaf Day - Count to Pentecost/Feast of Weeks [vs. 9-14] Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil, and offering by fire to the LORD[for] a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
Pentecost [vs. 15-22] You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath [#7676], from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. You shall bring in from your dwelling places two [loaves] of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths [of an][ephah]; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two males lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then save them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
**Other scriptures: Acts 2
Trumpets [vs. 23-25] Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest [#7677-shabbathown: a day of rest, all servile work prohibited], a reminder [#2146-zikrown: memorial, remembrance] by blowing [of trumpets] [#8643-truw'ah: a shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy], a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"
**Other scriptures: Numbers 23:21; Psalm 47:1; 2 Chronicles 15:14; Psalm 89:15; Jeremiah 4:19; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Numbers 31:6; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Luke 2:34-36; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:15; Joshua 6:5; Joel 2:1
Atonement [vs. 26-32] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble [#6031a: to afflict or to bow down] your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It is to be a sabbath [#7676-shabbath] of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."
**Other scriptures: Ezra 8:21; Zechariah 13:1-2; Isaiah 58:3; Deuteronomy 9:9; Psalm 35:13
Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day/Eighth Day [vs. 39] On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast [#2282-chag: festival, pilgrimmage feast, encircle, dance] of the LORD for seven days, with a rest [#7677-shabbathown] on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.
**Scriptures for Tabernacles: Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 8-9; Psalm 19:6; Deuternomy 16:13; Revelation 14:15
**Scriptures for the Eighth Day: Nehemiah 8:18; Jeremiah 9:2; 2 Kings 10:20; 2 Chronicles 7:8
Feast of Tabernacles [vs 40-44] Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice [#8055-samach: rejoice and be glad] before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate [#2287-chagag: to make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim feast] it [as] a feast [#2282-chag] to the LORD for seven days in the year. It [shall be] a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths [#5521-sukkah: booth, temporary dwelling] for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
****************************************
The following tabs are the collection of holy day lessons on the website. They are also found within the main devotional section. We pulled them out here for your convenience. There are sub-tabs of coloring pages, where applicable.
Eventually there will also be a list of resources for each holy day. (It's a work in progress.)
Overall Holy Day Lessons
Amos 5:21 - Celebrating God's Feasts
Celebrating God’s Feasts
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Babies have a very one-sided relationship with their parents. Babies are very self-centered. They want their needs meet and their wants satisfied right now, or actually, ten minutes ago. Young children’s relationship with their parents is also pretty one-sided. They want what they want and Mom and Dad are supposed to give it to them. But as children get older and mature in their thinking, they realize that Mom and Dad have feelings and needs and desires. They realize that they are in a relationship with their parents. That relationship, to them, is one of “I do what Mom and Dad say and I don’t get spanked” or it’s “I do what Mom and Dad say and I get 10 extra minutes of reading before shutting off the light at night.” Children often define their relationship with Mom and Dad in terms of obedience and consequence, both good and bad.
But the goal of parents is to get their child to the place where they are more mature than that. Obedience so that you won’t get punished or so that you can get a reward is still very juvenile. Parents want their children to obey them because they want to please them. That is, the child needs to think, “There’s no way I would do that! I don’t want Mom to be mad at me.” That’s a great motivator for the child. It demonstrates a development in the relationship that is very positive. But it’s not the goal. Parents don’t want their kids to stop at this point! Parents want their children to grow to the point where they don’t even have to stop and think what it is that should be done. They know. The rules of the family have become so much a part of the child, he just does them without a second thought.
Unfortunately, in our world today, there are too many people who never get past the young child stage. They think a relationship means “You give me what I want and I’ll be happy.” Mentally they stay very young, immature children. They don’t even think about acting in a way that pleases the other person.
Even more unfortunately, many people stay very immature in their thinking about God too. To them, God is there to provide for their needs and give them what they want. Their prayers are full of “Please heal my friend” and “please give me . . .” It’s all about that person; they are very self-centered. Some people make it to the point in their relationship with God where they obey because of the consequences. They think “If I obey God, He’ll bless me” or “If I disobeyed God, He won’t bless me.” This is thinking of God in terms of obedience and consequence. The danger here is that people think they can manipulate God. “If I do what He wants, He’ll give me what I want.” It is true that if you obey God, many times you will be blessed. But part of that is because it’s built in naturally. There’s a way that works in life and following God’s law often makes things work well. But sometimes when you obey God, it takes a while to see that it’s beneficial to do so. In fact, Hebrews 11 says that some of those people died in the faith not having received the promise. So you could work for the blessing all of your life and have to wait for the kingdom to get the real blessing that you’re looking for.
But God’s not really looking for people to obey Him just because of the consequences. He’s looking for people who want to please Him in the way they live. They value the relationship with God so much that the idea of displeasing Him causes them to re-evaluate their own desires and choices. Then, eventually, God wants people who love Him so much that, having turned their lives over to Him and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are changed from the inside out. These people obey God because it has become their nature to do so. They obey God without thinking about it. It’s who they are.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Why would God hate and despise the people’s feasts and take no delight in their solemn assemblies? God is talking about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day. Why would He hate and despise them? Because the people were keeping those days on the outside, but in their hearts, they were doing all kinds of evil things. They were oppressing the poor. They were involved in contentions with one another. They were not living their lives in obedience to God’s ways.
It’s a good reminder to us. We can’t just come to Sabbath and keep God’s holy days and expect Him to be pleased. We have to live our lives in obedience to Him in all of our thoughts and words and deeds. And we have to live in obedience because we want to please Him. Then, eventually, as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, we live as true children of the King - naturally and completely.
Think about it. Why do you keep the Feasts of the Eternal?
Leviticus 23 lists all of God's Holy Days:
vs. 1-2 (NAS) The LORD [#3068-Jehovah] spoke again to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD's appointed times [#4150-mow'ed: appointed time, place, or meeting] which you shall proclaim as holy convocations [#4744-miqra: convocation, assembly, rehearsal]-- my appointed times are these:
**Other scriptures: Psalm 104:19; Genesis 1:14
Sabbath [vs. 3] 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath [#7676-shabbath: desist from exertion, daily work, gainful employment] of complete rest, a holy convocation [#4744-miqra: convocation, public assembly]. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
**Other scriptures: Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 31:12-17; Hebrews 4; Ezekiel 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Isaiah 58:13-14
Passover [vs. 4-5] 'These are the appointed times [#4150-mow'ed] of the LORD, holy convocations {#4744-miqra] which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight [#6153-ereb: evening] is the LORD's Passover.
**Other scriptures: Exodus 13-14; Numbers 9:3; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 2 Corinthians 11:23
Days of Unleavened Bread [vs. 6-8] 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast [#2282-chag: festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast] of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation [#4744-miqra]; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
**Other scriptures: Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 2 Corinthians 11:23
Wave Sheaf Day - Count to Pentecost/Feast of Weeks [vs. 9-14] Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with oil, and offering by fire to the LORD[for] a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
Pentecost [vs. 15-22] You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath [#7676], from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. You shall bring in from your dwelling places two [loaves] of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths [of an][ephah]; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two males lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then save them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
**Other scriptures: Acts 2
Trumpets [vs. 23-25] Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest [#7677-shabbathown: a day of rest, all servile work prohibited], a reminder [#2146-zikrown: memorial, remembrance] by blowing [of trumpets] [#8643-truw'ah: a shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy], a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"
**Other scriptures: Numbers 23:21; Psalm 47:1; 2 Chronicles 15:14; Psalm 89:15; Jeremiah 4:19; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Numbers 31:6; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Luke 2:34-36; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:15; Joshua 6:5; Joel 2:1
Atonement [vs. 26-32] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble [#6031a: to afflict or to bow down] your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It is to be a sabbath [#7676-shabbath] of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."
**Other scriptures: Ezra 8:21; Zechariah 13:1-2; Isaiah 58:3; Deuteronomy 9:9; Psalm 35:13
Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day/Eighth Day [vs. 39] On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast [#2282-chag: festival, pilgrimmage feast, encircle, dance] of the LORD for seven days, with a rest [#7677-shabbathown] on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.
**Scriptures for Tabernacles: Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 8-9; Psalm 19:6; Deuternomy 16:13; Revelation 14:15
**Scriptures for the Eighth Day: Nehemiah 8:18; Jeremiah 9:2; 2 Kings 10:20; 2 Chronicles 7:8
Feast of Tabernacles [vs 40-44] Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice [#8055-samach: rejoice and be glad] before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate [#2287-chagag: to make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim feast] it [as] a feast [#2282-chag] to the LORD for seven days in the year. It [shall be] a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths [#5521-sukkah: booth, temporary dwelling] for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
****************************************
The following tabs are the collection of holy day lessons on the website. They are also found within the main devotional section. We pulled them out here for your convenience. There are sub-tabs of coloring pages, where applicable.
Eventually there will also be a list of resources for each holy day. (It's a work in progress.)
Overall Holy Day Lessons
Amos 5:21 - Celebrating God's Feasts
Celebrating God’s Feasts
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Babies have a very one-sided relationship with their parents. Babies are very self-centered. They want their needs meet and their wants satisfied right now, or actually, ten minutes ago. Young children’s relationship with their parents is also pretty one-sided. They want what they want and Mom and Dad are supposed to give it to them. But as children get older and mature in their thinking, they realize that Mom and Dad have feelings and needs and desires. They realize that they are in a relationship with their parents. That relationship, to them, is one of “I do what Mom and Dad say and I don’t get spanked” or it’s “I do what Mom and Dad say and I get 10 extra minutes of reading before shutting off the light at night.” Children often define their relationship with Mom and Dad in terms of obedience and consequence, both good and bad.
But the goal of parents is to get their child to the place where they are more mature than that. Obedience so that you won’t get punished or so that you can get a reward is still very juvenile. Parents want their children to obey them because they want to please them. That is, the child needs to think, “There’s no way I would do that! I don’t want Mom to be mad at me.” That’s a great motivator for the child. It demonstrates a development in the relationship that is very positive. But it’s not the goal. Parents don’t want their kids to stop at this point! Parents want their children to grow to the point where they don’t even have to stop and think what it is that should be done. They know. The rules of the family have become so much a part of the child, he just does them without a second thought.
Unfortunately, in our world today, there are too many people who never get past the young child stage. They think a relationship means “You give me what I want and I’ll be happy.” Mentally they stay very young, immature children. They don’t even think about acting in a way that pleases the other person.
Even more unfortunately, many people stay very immature in their thinking about God too. To them, God is there to provide for their needs and give them what they want. Their prayers are full of “Please heal my friend” and “please give me . . .” It’s all about that person; they are very self-centered. Some people make it to the point in their relationship with God where they obey because of the consequences. They think “If I obey God, He’ll bless me” or “If I disobeyed God, He won’t bless me.” This is thinking of God in terms of obedience and consequence. The danger here is that people think they can manipulate God. “If I do what He wants, He’ll give me what I want.” It is true that if you obey God, many times you will be blessed. But part of that is because it’s built in naturally. There’s a way that works in life and following God’s law often makes things work well. But sometimes when you obey God, it takes a while to see that it’s beneficial to do so. In fact, Hebrews 11 says that some of those people died in the faith not having received the promise. So you could work for the blessing all of your life and have to wait for the kingdom to get the real blessing that you’re looking for.
But God’s not really looking for people to obey Him just because of the consequences. He’s looking for people who want to please Him in the way they live. They value the relationship with God so much that the idea of displeasing Him causes them to re-evaluate their own desires and choices. Then, eventually, God wants people who love Him so much that, having turned their lives over to Him and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are changed from the inside out. These people obey God because it has become their nature to do so. They obey God without thinking about it. It’s who they are.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Why would God hate and despise the people’s feasts and take no delight in their solemn assemblies? God is talking about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day. Why would He hate and despise them? Because the people were keeping those days on the outside, but in their hearts, they were doing all kinds of evil things. They were oppressing the poor. They were involved in contentions with one another. They were not living their lives in obedience to God’s ways.
It’s a good reminder to us. We can’t just come to Sabbath and keep God’s holy days and expect Him to be pleased. We have to live our lives in obedience to Him in all of our thoughts and words and deeds. And we have to live in obedience because we want to please Him. Then, eventually, as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, we live as true children of the King - naturally and completely.
Think about it. Why do you keep the Feasts of the Eternal?