Feasting on the Blessings of God

So how many feasts are there in the bible? Some people say 8, some 7 and because of this it gets a little confusing.  The big picture lesson may get a  little blurred. God is always teaching, either directly or through foreshadowing, proverbially or in figures. So when I ran across the following verses in Exodus, things seemed to simplify for me.

Exodus 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.

In the first feast listed, the Feast of the unleavened bread, Passover and the barley harvest can be included. It was a feast celebrating the Exodus from Egypt. This meant deliverance and an escape for God's people. Jesus Christ is our passover today.

The second feast is called: the Day of Harvest and the Day of Firstfruits. A good study of 'firstfruits' yields utter perfection and reason for this description. The Feast of Weeks is involved the wheat harvest. For the Hebrews it was a day commemorating the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai and God's presence in the holy of holies in the Exodus tent. In the New Testament, those that are Christ's are considered the 'firstfruits' of God's beautiful grace through a spiritual relationship. The veil to the holy of holies dividing God from His people was ripped in half.

The last feast was The Ingathering. It was the celebration of the final harvest. This included the trumpet announcement, day of atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles (booths). For the Hebrew this was a remembrance of God's oversight throughout the 40 years in the wilderness. The parallel under the New Covenant involves the gathering together of 1st Thessalonians, the judgements, and the ultimate reign of Christ.

I like the way God maps out his plan: deliverance, firstfruits and conclusion. God has provided an escape out of bondage and corruption. Those who believe in his provision are blessed and receive power. Finally, in the grand scheme of all things everything is set right and we all live happily ever after!

Maybe I'm being a little simplistic, but it is a simple framework and a story of eternity. Each feast has additional embellishments and plans, but basically the big picture and results are the same. It fits nicely into my brain!

Check out Leviticus 23!!