What is the significance of the three annual festivals.

The Old Testament describes three major feasts that became part of the Jewish annual calendar, each having its own unique theological significance for the community (2 Chr. 8:13).

These three major feasts include the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Pesach/Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Shavout/Pentecost), and the Feast of Booths (Sukkoth).

1. The feast of the Passover was celebrated to keep in remembrance the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.

Paul draws a clear parallel between this festival and the work of Christ in his letter to the Corinthians. Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast — as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1Corinthians 5:7)

The spiritual meaning of the feast along with its prohibition on eating bread without yeast is clear. Christ is our salvation, and we should live as a people freed from sin.

2. The feast of Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after the Passoverto celebrate the giving of the Torah. It was called by the Greeks Pentecost. It was known to the Jews as Shavuot. At Shavuot, the Jews celebrate the giving of the Torah, the laws of God, at Pentecost Christians celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit who writes the law on our hearts (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

3. The feast of Tabernacles was celebrated to commemorate the Israelites' dwelling in tents for forty years, during their stay in the wilderness.It is also called asthe feast of the ingathering. It was celebrated about the 15th of the month Tisri. (Leviticus 23:34.) It is the time when the harvest is gathered in, but it also is the time the Jews remember the 40 years of wandering in the desert. It is a remembrance of how God was present with his people providing for all their needs. (Nehemiah 9:21). Again, this is a story spiritually fulfilled in Christ who came and lived among his people in order to provide them the real food, the manna from heaven, that they required as John 6:58 says, "This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever".

The three major Old Testament feasts were rich in their teaching about salvation. Jesus Christ is the Savior God always planned to send; so already in the Old Testament he gave his people experiences that would help them (and us) understand the meaning of their salvation. Jesus is the source of our sanctification, the first fruits of our resurrection, the Lord of the harvest, the water of life, and the sacrifice for our sin.

This is the gospel according to Moses, as recorded in Exodus 23. As Christians today, we need to memorialize and celebrate our own salvation through acts of remembrance, celebration, sacrifice, and offering. It also teaches us that true Biblical worship requires corporate worship.

Application Questions:

1. How does the Lord’s Supper serve as a sufficient celebration of our redemption and look forward to the Lord’s return?

2.Should we be formally presenting our gifts and offerings to the Lord as part of the worship service as opposed to the common practice of conducting our giving online today?

Quote:

The purpose of the Lord's Supper is to receive from Christ the nourishment and strength and hope and joy that come from feasting our souls on all that He purchased for us on the cross, especially His own fellowship. - John Piper

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for helping me to understand the significance of the feasts in the Old Testament. I thank You that they are a type and foreshadow of Your sacrifice on the cross and the benefits attained by it. Amen