Leviticus 23:23-25 meaning

God proclaims the fall feasts. The first of which is the Feast of Trumpets. Literally in Hebrew “The day of the shout.”

We now move from the feasts associated with the spring barley harvest and move to the festivals associated with the fall wheat harvest. God commands Moses to Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’ The Hebrew word for convocation is “miqra” which can mean “rehearsal.” God gave His appointed times as holy rehearsals for a messianic event in the future. It is the only appointed time occurring on a first of the month. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, rather than a solar calendar. Therefore, biblically, the first of the month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Thus no one knew precisely when this feast would start until the first sliver of the new moon was sighted in the western sky.

The diagram below shows the feasts located on a circular representation of lunar months in a calendar year. The Jewish calendar was calibrated to lunar months. The inner, blue wheel shows corresponding months in the solar calendar in common use in the West. (See Diagram.)

Once the moon was sighted, bonfires would be lit on the hilltops of Israel to declare a new month. Since no one could predict exactly when the Feast of Trumpets would begin it was termed by the Rabbis “The day no man knows the hour of.” In the current “diaspora” or scattering of Jews to the nations during the Roman exile, Jews observe the Feast of Trumpets for two consecutive days since the new moon could occur on either of the two. The modern name for the Feast of Trumpets is “Rosh Hashanah”, which is Hebrew for “head of the year” ever since the Babylonian exile.

Some have wondered if Jesus was alluding to this appointed time when He said His second coming would occur on a day that “no man knows the hour of” (Mark 13:32).

The phrase of trumpets is not in the Hebrew text. In Hebrew this appointment is called the day of “the shout.” Shout is “teruah” in Hebrew. In the Ancient Near East, ram’s horns or “shofars” were used to announce events to the public. The “teruah” blast from a shofar is one of several shofar signals that alert a city to an event. The teruah blast is a call to war. Many believe Paul was alluding to this appointed time when he said, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). We know from scripture that when Jesus comes back to earth, He is coming to make war against the nations who have gathered against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19:11).

Today the Hebrew calendar has two new-year holidays. A biblical one (1^st of Nisan, the first month) and a civil one (1^st of Tishrei, the seventh month)

Israel was commanded to have a rest on this holiday. The statement You shall not do any laborious work indicates that this is a day to which the sabbath laws apply, irrespective of whether it falls on a sabbath.

The final instruction for the Feast of Trumpets is you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. Though not detailed here, God in Numbers 29 gives all the details of the offerings for the feasts that fall in the seventh month. The offerings for the Feast of Trumpets and the new moon on which it falls are outlined in Numbers 29:1-6.

Biblical Text

23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.’”

Check out our other commentaries:

Romans 8:9-11 meaning
If you don’t have the Spirit, then you’re not a Christian, which means all Christians have the Holy Spirit, the Helper, living inside them. ......
Revelation 2:10 meaning
Jesus encourages the Smyrna believers to be courageous in the face of their coming trial. They will be imprisoned, and it will test their faith,......
Psalm 121:3-4 meaning
The psalmist describes how God does not rest or fail to sustain us as we walk through life. He will guide our steps.......
Romans 13:8-10 meaning
Love fulfills the Law. If we love one another, we can live righteously and harmoniously with each other. Jesus said the same thing, that in......
Hebrews 6:7-8 meaning
Christians are expected to obey God and produce faithful works, which leads to blessings from Him. Some Christians rebel and waste the grace given to......

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Leviticus is largely about directions for sacrificial ceremonies and worship, and might seem hard for the modern reader to relate to. However, the New Testament reveals the great extent to which the entire Tabernacle enterprise symbolizes eternal truths that are as relevant to the New Testament believer as to the Old.

In particular, the New Testament book of Hebrews says that all the Tabernacle items are copies of the real thing in heaven. It further discusses the meaning of the priesthood and sacrifices, all of which look forward to Jesus Christ’s ministry on behalf of a fallen race.

Chapter Context

Chapter 23 of Leviticus outlines God’s appointed times also known as the Feasts of Israel. Each of God’s appointed times has a literal or historical context as well as a prophetic or messianic fulfillment to which it is pointing—like a shadow reflects the real thing. The Apostle Paul speaks of this messianic fulfillment in the following manner:

“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

It is important not to confuse a shadow for the object casting it. Shadows are useful as a representation of something real. Leviticus 23 provides a convenient list of God’s appointed times in chronological order, however it does leave out certain details that are given elsewhere in the five books of Moses. For instance, Exodus 12 gives additional details for Passover and Numbers 29 gives additional details for the fall feasts.

Chapter 23 begins with the only weekly appointed time, the sabbath day, and then moves on to the yearly recurring appointments. The Lord’s yearly recurring appointments are typically divided into two parts:

The spring feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks
The fall feasts—Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles

It seems clear from the New Testament that Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts in His first coming. Fulfilled prophecy that occurred in the past is easier to look back upon and see God’s plan. The fall feasts, many believe, will be fulfilled in His second coming. Future prophecy, no matter how detailed in the scripture, is difficult to see clearly. While we are interpreting the fall feasts to point to specific messianic events yet to be fulfilled, and will speculate on their nature, it is wise to hold all interpretations of future prophecy with an open hand. The Pharisees knew and believed the Bible, but missed Jesus in part because He did not fit their mental model of His coming.

God places the fall feasts in the seventh month. Seven is a number signifying completeness in the Bible. This fits with the idea that the fall festivals represent events that will complete the predicted events that will wrap up the current age. Paul and the 1^st century Jewish believers continued to practice God’s appointed times taking place in the daily temple worship and being “zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20). The festivals were a constant reminder to keep the law. The main way we are to obey the law is by loving and serving our neighbor. New Testament believers can learn from the principles found in these festivals and apply them to “the substance” of the underlying principles “that belongs to Christ,” as Paul stated in Colossians.

These feasts are presented as appointments for times to fellowship with God as well as fellow neighbors. The three pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles) were like big barbecues for God’s people to rejoice in His presence. Later in Leviticus we will see the Jubilee appointed time which occurs every fifty years and the sabbatical seventh year in which the land had an appointment to rest. All of God’s “appointed times” are called “perpetual statutes” that are to be observed “in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.” Human memories are brief, and we need constant reminders of what is important.

Leviticus 23:23-25 meaning

Check out our other commentaries:

Romans 8:9-11 meaning

Revelation 2:10 meaning

Psalm 121:3-4 meaning

Romans 13:8-10 meaning

Hebrews 6:7-8 meaning

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Leviticus Summary

Download Commentary