Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Leviticus
Book: Leviticus
Chapter: 23
Overview:
The feasts of the
Lord, The
Sabbath.
(1-3) The
Passover, The
Offering of
First-fruits.
(4-14) The
Feast of
Pentecost.
(15-22)
The
Feast of
Trumpets, The
Day of Atonement.
(23-32) The
Feast
of
Tabernacles.
(33-44)
1-3 In this
Chapter we have the institution of holy times; many
of which have been mentioned before. Though the yearly feasts
were made more remarkable
By general attendance at the
Sanctuary, yet these must not be observed more than the
Sabbath.
On that
Day they must withdraw from all business of the world.
It is a
Sabbath of
Rest, typifying spiritual
Rest from
Sin, and
Rest in
God.
God's sabbaths are to be religiously observed in
every private
House,
By every family apart, as
Well as
By
families together, in holy assemblies. The
Sabbath of the
Lord
in our
Dwellings will be their beauty, strength, and safety; it
will sanctify, build up, and
Glorify them.
4-14 The
Feast of the
Passover was to continue
Seven days; not
idle days, spent in sport, as many that are called Christians
spend their holy-days. Offerings were made to the
Lord at his
Altar; and the people were taught to employ their time in
Prayer, and praise, and godly meditation. The sheaf of
First-fruits was typical of the
Lord Jesus, who is risen from
the dead as the
First-fruits of them that slept. Our
Lord Jesus
Rose from the dead
On the very
Day that the
First-fruits were
offered. We are taught
By this
Law to honour the
Lord with our
substance, and with the
First-fruits of all our increase, Pr
3:9. They were not to eat of their new
Corn, till
God's part
was offered to him out of it; and we must always begin with
God:
begin every
Day with him, begin every meal with him, begin every
affair and business with him; seek first the
Kingdom of God.
15-22 The
Feast of
Weeks was held in remembrance of the giving
of the
Law, fifty days after the departure from
Egypt; and
looked forward to the outpouring of the
Holy Ghost, fifty days
after
Christ our
Passover was sacrificed for us.
On that
Day the
apostles presented the
First-fruits of the
Christian Church to
God. To the institution of the
Feast of
Pentecost, is added a
repetition of that
Law,
By which they were required to leave the
gleanings of their fields. Those who are truly sensible of the
Mercy they received from
God, will show
Mercy to the
Poor
without grudging.
23-32 the blowing of
Trumpets represented the preaching of the
Gospel,
By which men are called to repent of
Sin, and to accept
the
Salvation of
Christ, which was signified
By the
Day of
Atonement. Also it invited to rejoice in
God, and become
strangers and pilgrims
On Earth, which was denoted
By the
Feast
of
Tabernacles, observed in the same
Month. At the beginning of
the
Year, they were called
By this sound of trumpet to shake off
spiritual drowsiness, to search and try their ways, and to amend
them. The
Day of Atonement was the ninth
Day after this; thus
they were awakened to prepare for that
Day,
By sincere and
serious
Repentance, that it might indeed be to them a
Day of
Atonement. The humbling of our souls for
Sin, and the making our
peace with
God, is work that requires the whole
Man, and the
closest application of mind.
On that
Day God spake peace to his
people, and to his saints; therefore they must lay aside all
their worldly business, that they might the more clearly hear
that voice of joy and gladness.
33-44 In the
Feast of
Tabernacles there was a remembrance of
their dwelling in tents, or booths, in the
Wilderness, as
Well
as their fathers dwelling in tents in
Canaan; to remind them of
their origin and their deliverance.
Christ's tabernacling
On
Earth in human nature, might also be prefigured. And it
represents the believer's
Life On Earth: a
Stranger and pilgrim
here below, his home and
Heart are above with his
Saviour. They
would the more value the comforts and conveniences of their own
houses, when they had been
Seven days dwelling in the booths. It
is good for those who have ease and plenty, sometimes to learn
what it is to endure hardness. The joy of
Harvest ought to be
improved for the furtherance of our joy in
God. The
Earth is the
Lord's, and the fullness thereof; therefore whatever we have the
comfort of, he must have the
Glory of, especially when any
Mercy
is perfected.
God appointed these feasts, "Beside the sabbaths
and your free-will offerings." Calls to extraordinary services
will not excuse from constant and stated ones.