This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:
Bruce McGee,Pastor
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HERE
Bro. Bruce's commentary for the book of Genesis is
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.
LEVITICUS
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
Here God outlines eight special days (or sets of days). These special days will
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
The first is a weekly observance: the Sabbath. Man's days on earth are short,
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
The "Lord's Passover" began on the evening of the 14th day of the first month
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread began the day following Passover - the 15th day
9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The Feast of Firstfruits is the third yearly feast. When the harvest first began to
15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
17 Ye 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.
18 And 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 savour unto the LORD.
19 Then 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.
20 And 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.
21 And 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.
22 And 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.
The fourth feast was the Feast of Pentecost. This feast was observed exactly 50 days after
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak 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.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
The Feast of Trumpets is the fifth feast. I believe this is symbolic of the
26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
The sixth feast is the Day of Atonement.
33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
The seventh feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, also in the seventh month, beginning on the
44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Moses was faithful to proclaim all that God had told him.
Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.
CHAPTER 23
bring the nation of Israel together where they will praise God and find peace and
fellowship which are essential to spiritual growth and well-being.
Now let me point out that God knows what we NEED before we need it, and He is
diligently planning to provide all our needs.
Perhaps it is interesting also to note that each of these "days" are symbolic prophesies.
and the number of man is 6. We are spiritually weak and we need weekly rest. That
rest is found when we praise God, worship Him, and offer to Him.
Life is short, and one day we will come to the end of our weak week, and we'll REST
forever. The Sabbath day pictorially prophesies of that FINAL REST!
They are also referred to from time to time as "Sabbaths." These are not weekly, they are
designated by certain months, and spread over the entire year.
We need our "holy day," and we need holy "days."
(Nisan or Abib). Our priority should be to put God FIRST all year.
The Passover commemorated God's salvation of the nation from the slavery of Egypt. It also
prophesied of the time when God would save them from the slavery of sin (1Peter 1:18-21,
1Corinthians 5:7).
I believe the Passover also prophetically pictures judgment day for the saved. It is the time when
Jesus will "Pass Over" the penalty of eternal death for those who have surrendered to Him.
We all deserve eternal death for our sin. But Christ Himself paid for it at Calvary.
of the first month of the year. On this day (verse 7) there was to be a holy gathering of the
people.
This feast began with a holy gathering, and it ended with a holy
gathering of the people. Both the beginning day and the ending day of this feast were considered
Sabbaths of the Lord.
This feast prefigured the day when Jesus, without sin, would pay the penalty for our sins.
Notice that on these days, the people were to "do no...work" for themselves.
Should we not consider the "Sabbath" we celebrate today as holy to God? Should it not be a day when
we concentrate on WORSHIP of God and not on self?
be complete, then they were to bring a sheaf of the grain accompanied by a burnt offering and a drink
offering.
The "firstfruits" of grain symbolized anticipation of God blessing the whole harvest and bringing it to
completion.
An interesting note is the fact that "the morrow after the Sabbath" (verse 11) was the first day of
the week -- Sunday! THAT'S the day that Jesus rose from the dead!!
HE is our firstfruits!! HE is the anticipation we have of a COMPLETE harvest.
Because Christ arose, we can be ASSURED that when we commit ourselves to Him, HE will
bring the "harvest" to completion!!
Paul says it this way, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6)
That makes my heart feel JOY! Doesn't it yours?
It's interesting to note that the drink offering was poured over the sheaf of barley as a symbol of
JOY! CHRIST is our JOY!
the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread (51 days after Passover) (see verse 16).
If we look at Acts 2:1, we see these words, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,..."
Pentecost actually prefigured the forming of the church!!
WITH leaven. The church is made up of sinners who are saved by
the grace of God, and who are earnest of His Spirit (See Ephesians 1:14)
The offering of bread was followed by:
1) A burnt offering for the whole congregation (verse 18),
2) A sin offering for the whole congregation (verse 19),
3) And a peace offering for the whole congregation (verse 19).
In the church today, Jesus fulfills ALL offerings!
"trumpet" of the gospel of Jesus being preached by the church. Rosh Hosanna is this feast on
the first day of the month Tishri, which is the beginning of the civil year. The FIRST business
of the church is to preach the gospel.
By the way, this feast and the next two are in this first month of the civil year.
This should tell us that God should come first in all our business.
A FAST was called for on the day before (verse 32). This feast looks forward to the day
when God fully paid for our sins. You will note the law of atonement was given in chapter 16. And
that law sates (verse 29) it should be in the 7th month, on the 10th day.
Now some theologians may disagree with me here, but I'm no theologian. I'm just a preacher.
The day of Passover was looking forward to the day when God made payment for our sins, and they were
"passed over" allowing us holy communion with Him and membership in His church.
But the Day of Atonement looks forward to the day of JUDGMENT. On that day the devil
will bring his list of accusations against us and they will all be true.
But Jesus Himself will stand beside us and say that he has personally paid for those sins.
And that day His open confession of us as His children will fully atone for all our sins.
WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!!
15th day. In this time the people were to dwell in "lean tos" for seven days (verse 42).
For the people of Israel, this feast reminded them that God brought them out of the land of slavery
and they lived this way in the wilderness.
This was a feast of rejoicing: dancing, singing and praising God. Knowing that God has brought us out of
the slavery of sin is means for rejoicing. Prophetically, knowing that we have menial blessings
(in the church), and yet we have heaven promised is indeed cause for REJOICING!
Notice in verses 37-38 that these seven feasts are "aside from" the regular Sabbaths which are to be
observed each week.
We need holy days, and we need holy times. Both refresh us in the Lord.
So should WE be faithful to teach the WHOLE Word of God!