Leviticus 23:23-44
Feasts for the LORD
23The LORD also said to Moses,
24“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.
25You must not do any regular work, but you are to present a food offering to the LORD.’”
26Again the LORD said to Moses,
27“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD.
28On this day you are not to do any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.
29If anyone does not humble himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people.
30I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on this day.
31You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.
32It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”
33And the LORD said to Moses,
34“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days.
35On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work.
36For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
37These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting food offerings to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day.
38These offerings are in addition to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.
39On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.
40On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
41You are to celebrate this as a feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.
42You are to dwell in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths,
43so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”
44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
On the first day of the seventh month, Israel is to observe a Sabbath rest, a memorial announced by trumpet blasts, and a sacred assembly. No regular work is done, and an offering is brought to the LORD.
The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. The people deny themselves, bring an offering, and do no work. Anyone who does not deny himself or who works on that day is cut off from the people. The day is a Sabbath of complete rest.
The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continues for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly, and the eighth day is another sacred assembly. Israel gathers branches from trees and rejoices before the LORD for seven days.
The people live in temporary shelters so that generations will remember how the LORD made Israel live in booths when He brought them out of Egypt. Moses announces the appointed feasts, and Israel celebrates them as a calendar of worship, memory, rest, and joy.
Questions
1 What marked the first day of the seventh month?
AnswerIt was a Sabbath rest, a memorial announced by trumpet blasts, and a sacred assembly.
2 What happened on the Day of Atonement?
AnswerThe people denied themselves, brought an offering, and did no work during the complete Sabbath rest.
3 How long did the Feast of Tabernacles last?
AnswerThe feast lasted seven days, followed by an eighth-day sacred assembly.
4 Why did Israel live in booths?
AnswerIsrael lived in booths so later generations would remember the LORD's care in the wilderness.
What This Means for Us
The calendar trains memory through the body. Israel rests, hears trumpets, denies itself, gathers branches, and lives in temporary shelters so rescue is not forgotten as an abstract idea.
The feast calendar ends with the joyful gathering of Booths and the remembrance of God’s provision in the wilderness. During this feast Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him for living water (John 7:37-39), so Christian celebration is gathered around His provision.
Prayer
God of rescue, keep us from forgetting your faithfulness when life becomes comfortable. Give our homes rhythms that make gratitude visible and teach every generation to remember your care. Amen.