Scripture: And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.”
Leviticus 23:23-25 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, the Feast of Weeks, celebrated fifty days after Passover, is also known as Pentecost in the Christian Church. Like the Feast of Firstfruits, the supplicant would present a wave offering of grain to the Lord, but in this instance, it was in the form of two loaves of leavened bread from the grain of the wheat harvest. And while the Feast of Firstfruits required one male lamb, the Feast of Weeks mandated:
- Seven one-year-old lambs, two rams, and a bull as burnt offerings
- A male goat as a sin offering
- Two male lambs as peace offerings
Lastly, as with the Feast of Firstfruits, God orders his people to leave the residual gleanings and the margins for the poor and the sojourner.
Today’s reading covers the Feast of Trumpets—a holy convocation initiated with a trumpet blast signaling Israel to cease ordinary work and present its food offerings. Being one of the three fall festivals, Israel observed the Feast of Trumpets in the seventh month, coinciding with the end of the harvest season. Similar to the Feast of Weeks, the offerings for the Feast of Trumpets included (Numbers 29:1-6):
- a burnt offering of seven one-year-old male lambs, one ram, and a bull
- a sin offering of one goat, and
- 1.2 ephahs of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering.
And like the Feast of Weeks, it marked the reciprocating presentation of generous gifts to the Lord with much rejoicing.
Takeaway: Commencing with a trumpet blast signaled urgency across the land to gather to observe the occasion. And like the other feasts, it included a solemn rest. Notably, the ingathering of the last crops echoed the Lord’s Shabbat Shalom at the end of the six days of creation. Additionally, as with most feasts, this celebration marked an occasion for reflection and anticipation. Indeed, upon reflecting on their Lord’s loving care and abundant provisions, the sharp blast of the shofar would also point to Israel’s future: victory over enemies and co-regency with their Messiah.
Our takeaway? We, too, are co-regents with our Messiah. As John describes in Revelation 11, during the tribulation, a seventh trumpet blast (the number 7 representing completion) will announce that our Lord has reestablished his sovereign rule over all the earth once and for all. Then, as God executes judgment on those who hate and reject him, all the hosts of heaven will rejoice in the Lamb’s triumph over evil. Subsequently, we will celebrate intimate communion with our Lord and Savior in a new world overflowing with eternal joy and glory.
Our part? We humbly reflect on Christ’s cry from the Cross: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). These three words spoken in his last breadth sounded the loudest victory blast for all time and signaled for his disciples throughout the generations to shout for joy that “He is risen!” (Matthew 28:7). As we do, our Spirit-led thoughts will stir a yearning in us as we anticipate Jesus’ return at the end of the age that inspires us to celebrate our glorious and gracious Father and Brother.
Indeed, as Paul exhorts the Corinthian church, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Cornthians 5:7b-8 ESV). So when we reflect, anticipate, and celebrate with sincerity and truth, we live the eternal life here and now, leaving no room for sin to rob us of Christ’s joy or blind us from his glory.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son who has won us over the real enemy: sin and its sources: the world, the flesh, and the devil. So, please help us consistently reflect on your Son’s glorious Gospel, anticipate his return, and celebrate him in all sincerity and truth so that we might enjoy intimate fellowship with you and him unencumbered by sin. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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