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HOLIDAY BASICS, AN OVERVIEW
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.’” —Leviticus 23:1-2
The holidays separated Israel from the nations of the world. They became the framework upon which the people would build their lives.
The holidays divided Israel’s calendar into times and seasons, regulating planting and harvesting. They also orchestrated and defined the people’s worship on a cyclical basis. The holiday calendar was divided into weekly, monthly, and annual seasonal holidays.
THE SABBATH – WEEKLY FEAST
The rising and setting of the sun determines days, and days determine weeks.
Each week ends with the holy day of Sabbath [Shabbat]. It is to be a day of rest. The Sabbath begins at sundown of the sixth day (Friday) and ends at sundown on the seventh day (Saturday). Thus the Sabbath is the last day of the week and determines weeks.
NEW MOON – MONTHLY FEAST
Months are determined by the cycle of the moon. Each month begins with the appearance of the new moon; hence, the name of the monthly holiday is New Moon [Rosh Chodesh, which means head of the month].
The moon not only establishes our months but also our seasons. Isn’t it interesting that despite the changes to God’s calendar, the phases of the moon are still indicated on the Gregorian calendar?
ANNUAL FEASTS
There are nine annual holidays, seven of which are listed in Leviticus (the third book of the Torah). The Levitical holidays reflect the three seasons of harvest—spring, summer, and fall. The modern calendar year begins in January; however, according to Exodus 12:2, God’s year begins in the spring when life bursts through the cold winter ground.
Here is an overview of the annual holidays per season:
Spring
Passover [Pesach (pay’-sah)]
Feast of Unleavened Bread [Hag Matzot (hag mat-zoat’)]
Feast of Firstfruits [Hag Bikkorim (hag bik-or-im’)]
Summer
Fall
Memorial Blowing [Rosh Hashanah (rosh ha-sha-na’)]
Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur (yom ki-poor’)]
Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot (su-coat’)]
Winter
The holidays of winter are not listed in Leviticus. They are included in this study because of their significance to Israel and to the Kingdom community:
Purim (poo-rim’)
Hanukkah (hahn-nu-kah’)
Purim is found in the book of Esther. Hanukkah’s beginnings are found in the Apocrypha3 and are chronicled by Josephus.4
Jesus used the history and celebration of Hanukkah as the setting of His last public declaration of His deity as recorded in John 10:22ff. The holiday also has great eschatological implications as described in the final chapters of Daniel (9:26–12:13).
To summarize, we have a weekly holiday (Sabbath), a monthly holiday (New Moon), and nine annual seasonal holidays. These holidays were to be distinct, holy, and set apart for the purpose of rest, celebration, and worship. Consider that the Hebrew word for appointed can be translated “rehearsal.” Could it be that God intended these holidays as worship rehearsals for our eternity with Him?
A FIVE-FOLD APPROACH
God’s holidays can and should be considered from five different perspectives. I suggest that all of the following perspectives are vital. By focusing on one and eliminating others, we distort the fullness of God’s intentions. I believe this distortion has prevented the church from embracing the holidays and adopting (and adapting) them as its own.
Our study of each holiday will be based on these five perspectives:
Seasonal(time of the agricultural year)
National(historical event in Israel’s history)
Spiritual(revelation of the character of God)
Redemptive(relating to God’s plan of redemption)
Kingdom(application to our lives)
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