SOURCE FOR QUESTIONS
Levicitus 23:1-44

KEY VERSE FOR MEMORIZATION
“These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” (Leviticus 23:4)

BACKGROUND

Prior to this time, the Lord had given the Children of Israel guidelines and laws regarding different aspects of life — some as guidelines for daily living, and some as means of approaching His holiness and majesty. In this chapter, God established the religious calendar for the people by indicating that certain days were to be special national holidays and should be set apart.

Like the Sabbath Day, which the Lord had instituted previously as a day of rest in which people were to celebrate God’s omnipotence as sole creator of Heaven and earth, these special days were also days of rest. They were to be observed as holy assemblies in which the people collectively and individually celebrated specific acts of God’s goodness.

Israel’s feasts contrasted greatly with the festivities (religious and secular) of the pagan nations surrounding them. Instead of being times of moral depravity, these celebrations were times when the people came together for fellowship and worship. These celebrations or feasts were meant to remind the Children of Israel that God was the Creator of their lives, that it was He who gave them their abundance and granted them freedom, and that it was He who was their spiritual Benefactor.

The feasts established in this chapter were:

• The Feast of the Passover – This feast marked God’s deliverance of the people from Egyptian bondage.
• The Feast of Harvest (also known as Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks) – A harvest festival, observed after the people had offered (the firstfruits) of their crops.
• The Feast of Trumpets – This feast was a nine-day-long preparation for the Day of Atonement.
• The Feast of the Day of Atonement – The day in which sacrifices were made for the atonement of the people and priest.
• The Feast of Tabernacles – This feast required the people to re-enact their wilderness experience by dwelling in tents (booths).

QUESTIONS

1. Why were the people required to celebrate the Day of Atonement? (Leviticus 23:26-32)
2. Each feast included rest. Why do you think God required rest as a part of the feasts?
3. Why do you think sacrifice was featured in each feast? Why is personal sacrifice important today?
4. These feasts were times set aside for the Lord. What are ways we can set aside time for him in these busy days?
5. God wanted the Children of Israel to keep the Passover celebration as a remembrance. Why is it good for us to recall present and past blessings from the Lord? Name some ways we can do this.
6. Looking at verse 22, how does God regard the poor?
7. God asked the Children of Israel to bring an offering of the firstfruits of the crop. How can we do this today?
8. Why do you think God commanded the Children of Israel to dwell in booths to remind them of the time Israel spent in the wilderness? Why should we recall Israel’s wilderness experience?

CONCLUSION

God ordained special days for the Children of Israel as times for them to focus on Him and worship Him. Let us make sure we set aside time in our busy lives to do the same.