Leviticus 23 Bible Study - Festivals and Sacred Assemblies (Holiness Code)

In this Bible Study we walk through Leviticus 23 looking at the major Holy Days or Festivals. The Sacred Assemblies to the Lord include Sabbath (Shabbat), Passover (which includes he Festival of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits. WE also look at the Festival of Weeks (Shavout), the Festival of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The last celebration we look at is the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Lots to look at as we unpack each of these Sacred Assemblies.

Outline:

00:21 - Leviticus 23 introduction.

03:53 - Leviticus 23.3 - The Sabbath. Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) in Hebrew.
Bible verses mentioned: Gen 2.2-3 - Creation. Exo 16.21-26 - Manna. Exo 20.8-11 - the 4th commandment. To ensure that they did not break the 4th commandment, the Israelites created a long list of rules of what you can do and can’t on the sabbath. The Mishnah contains 139 mischnayot (rules) related to Shabbat. This went to such an extent that by the time we get to Jesus, the religious elite got mad at Jesus for healing (working) on the Sabbath.
Matt 12.1-14 - Jesus heals on teh Sabbath and declares that he is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is our rest - Matt 11.28-30. Mrk 2.27 Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
APPLICATION: Should you take a sabbath? YES. Why - because God designed it for us and for our benefit! What should that look like? - Keep it Holy - set apart for the Lord. Discuss with your family and decide what that looks like. But do decide how to make it a regular part of your family worship. Make sure Jesus is at the heart of it. It is a sign of trust and faith in the Lord - I don’t HAVE to work every day, God will provide. You will be blessed by it!

17:22 - Leviticus 23.4-8 - Passover & Festival of Unleavened Bread. Bible verses mentioned: Ex 12.1-30; Num 28.16-25; Deut 16.1-8 and Acts 12.3-4. You can find a full list of what Jews today do by visiting passover.org (part of chabad.org). How does Passover point to Jesus? John 1.29; 1 John 2.2; Rom3.25; 2 Cor 5.21; Mat 26.17-20, 27-29

28:23 - Leviticus 23.9-14 - The Feast of Firstfruits (offering of Firstfruits). More info found in Num 28.26 and Duet 26.1-11. Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection, read 1 Cor 15.20-23.

32:31 - Leviticus 23.15-21 - The Festival of Weeks - feast of Harvest (Pentecost - Greek “fiftieth”). More on that visit Shavuot.org - also by chabad.org

38:01 - Leviticus 23.22 - Provision for the poor
This little segment, though it might seem out of place, is very logical to have right after the details of the festival of weeks, also known as the Festival of Harvest. We today need to also include provision for the poor in our plans.

39:49 - Leviticus 23.23-25 - The Festival of Trumpets. Today, Rosh Hashanah is a celebration of the Jewish New Year. It is a time of reflection, renewal, and community. Rosh Hashannah is marked by the blowing of trumpets (shofars), symbolizing a call to repentance, awakening, and preparation for the Day of Atonement. For more visit RoshHashanah.org (also a chabad.org website).

The blowing of the shofar during the Feast of Trumpets is a central element, symbolizing a divine announcement or summons. In the New Testament, trumpets are associated with the return of Jesus Christ. For examples read 1 Thes 4.16–17 and 1 Cor 15.52.

44:02 - Leviticus 23.26-32 - The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
This is the most holy day of the year for the Israelites - it was when the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people.
Watch Lev 16 study
More on Yom Kippur: yomkippur.org (also a chabad.org website).

47:42 - Leviticus 23.33-44 - The Festival of Tabernacles (or feast of Booths) - Sukkot, Sukkah סֻכָּה
https://www.sukkot.com/ - is where you can go to buy your own custom sukkah - go check it out.
For more on Sukkot, visit Chabad.org search for Sukkot.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the festival of Tabernacles. See John 1.14, Rev 21.3 and 1 Cor 6.19-20.

53:54 - High Holy Days (Feasts or festivals) in 2026
April 1-8, 2026 is Passover. This also includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread as well as the Festival of Firstfruits. May 21-23 is the Festival of Weeks, also known as Shavout. Sept 11-13 is the Festival of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah. September 20-21 is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Final the Festival of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is September 25-October 2nd.

Col 2.16-17

Closing Questions:
Do we need reminders today of what God has done for us?
Are you honoring the Lord’s sabbath? What does that mean for your family?

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