Leviticus 23:1-22 – The Lord’s Appointed Times (Part 1)

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church of Manhattan KS, 05 Feb 2017

Introduction

Although C.S. Lewis may be best known for his children’s fantasy, The Chronicles of Narnia, he also wrote a science fiction series for adults. In each of his space trilogy books, there are meetings between angelic beings and humans. The way he described these meetings has encouraged me to consider more deeply what it means for God to meet with us humans in time and space. Think about that as I read about Lewis’ fictional meeting of an angel with a human in the book Perelandra:

“Whenever [the man] looked straight at them they appeared to be rushing towards him with enormous speed: whenever his eyes took in their surroundings, he realised that they were stationary. This may have been due, in part, to the fact that their long and sparkling hair stood out straight behind them as if in a great wind. But if there were a wind, it was not made of air, for no petal of the flowers [in that valley] was shaken. They were not standing quite vertically in relation to the floor of the valley: but… the eldils were vertical. It was the valley--it was the whole world of Perelandra--which was aslant. He remembered the words of Oyarsa long ago… ‘I am not here in the same way that you are here.’ It was borne in upon him that the creatures were really moving, though not moving in relation to him. This planet, which inevitably seemed to him, while he was in it, an unmoving world--the world, in fact—was, to them, a thing moving through the heavens. In relation to their own celestial frame of reference, they were rushing forward to keep abreast of the mountain valley. Had they stood still, they would have flashed past him too quickly for him to see, doubly dropped behind by the planet's spin on its own axis and by its onward march around the Sun.” [end quote]

It is hard for us to conceptualize God being outside of time. We crawl along this two-dimensional timeline at an unchanging pace, unable to go backward, and unable to jump forward, and, when two humans meet, we have to plan our schedules to intersect on that timeline, but, in order to make time holy, it means coinciding with a God for whom interaction with time and space is very different from our experience. Perhaps it is even an accommodation for God to talk with us about time and space, because, since they do not limit Him, they’re probably not as important to Him personally as they are to us. And yet He relates to us in ways we can understand.

What does it take for God to meet with us? The cavernous gulf between humanity and divinity makes it no simple matter. We know it takes holiness. The second half of Leviticus has been about holiness, and we have explored a number of areas of holiness here so far: diet, dress, family, morality, leadership, culture, etc. Now in chapter 23 we come to the subject of making time holy. And, once again, holiness is about being in relationship with God.

Exegesis

v There are two key Hebrew words in the second verse, the word Mo’ad and the word Mikra.

Ø The first word has to do with persons meeting and agreeing, and, related to that, is the concept of the agreed-upon time and place for their meeting.

§ We have seen this word already many times in the phrase ohel mo’ad - “Tent of Meeting.” Whereas that phrase referred to the location where God met with His people, the word now refers to the time of the meeting. (The fact that these were “feast” days is an added component.)

§ This denotes a meeting with God.

Ø The second word is based on the Hebrew verb qara “to call,” so it is translated a “convocation,” a “conference,” or a called-together “assembly,” and this is also the verb which is used when it says the priests are to “call together” or “proclaim” this meeting[1].

§ This denotes a meeting with God in the context of a meeting with other people.

§ The priests were to call God’s people together at times that would coincide with God, so that God and man could meet together.

§ The only previous mention in the Bible of this Hebrew word was in Exodus 12, regarding the meetings on Sunday and Saturday of the first Passover holiday.

v Another key Hebrew phrase that shows up in verse 3 is Shabbat Shabbatone – “Sabbath of Sabbaths” or “Sabbath of [complete/solemn] rest.”

Ø Now, this phrase was introduced at the end of Leviticus 16 with the instructions about the Day of Atonement, and we will revisit that later in chapter 23. The weekly Sabbaths were introduced earlier in chapter 19.

Ø But what does the word “Sabbath” mean?

§ The first time any form of this word shows up on the Bible is Genesis 2:2 “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested (shabbat) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” (NKJV) God stopped doing the work of creation. The Genesis passage puts Shabbat in parallel with the synonym Kalah – “to call off, to quit, to make an end of” the work He had done.

§ We later see this same word used to indicate that the seasons of the year will not “cease” (Gen. 8:22),

§ then later at the institution of the Passover that people should “stop” using leavening in their bread for a week (Ex. 12:15)

§ And in Leviticus 2:13, we see the command not to “stop” putting salt on meat offerings because that salt symbolized the everlasting covenant between God and His people.

§ And, of course, it’s in the Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For [I am God and if I say you have to do it that way, then you’d better obey or else I’ll smite you! Is that what it says? NO! Notice that the motivation God gives in the Ten Commandments is not based on obeying Him because of His authority but rather it is about walking in relationship with Him, following His example, imitating His character by joining in doing things the way He does them, and therefore experiencing blessing:] “for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day & hallowed it.”

§ A couple of chapters later, God added a humanitarian reason: Exodus 23:12 “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.” (NKJV) Rest and refreshment if you observe this Sabbath cessation!

Ø The second word in this phrase (sabbaton) is basically a reduplication of the meaning of the first word, so it could literally be rendered, “a cessation characterized by cessation,” or perhaps better, “a special time of rest above all the other times of rest.[2]” It is used to describe

§ the weekly day of rest (Ex. 31:15),

§ the Passover holiday in the Spring of the year (Ex. 16:23),

§ and the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:31) and the Feast of Booths (Lev. 23:39) which both happened in the Fall.

§ It is also used to refer to the sabbatical years where the people were to call off all their farm work one year out of every seven (Lev. 25:4).

§ Thankfully, God give us times of rest throughout the week,

· like when you stop labor for a drink of cool water (or kombucha for you health nuts),

· or when you get that quiet moment in the bathroom before stepping out in the open for the employees (or, if you’re a mom, the kids) to climb all over you,

· or that blessed moment when you can lay your head down on a pillow and go to sleep.

§ In addition to these “little sabbaths” (which can, themselves, be moments of connecting with God in prayer), God has given us “big Sabbaths” (Shabbot shabbaton) to rest from work for an extended time – all day (maybe even all year) and to meet with Him and with other believers in a special way.

v So when were these Sabbaths?

Ø There are three described in the first half of chapter 23: 1) the weekly day of rest, 2) the annual Passover festival in the Spring, and 3) the annual Firstfruits and Pentecost festival in the Summer. (We’ll get to the Fall festivals in the second half of the chapter.)

Ø Comparatively little space is taken up in this chapter with the first two, presumably because they have already been explained in depth in Exodus, but the harvest-related festivals have not been explained heretofore in much detail, so Leviticus focuses on them.

Ø As for the weekly Sabbath, v.3 tells us that it was to be a day of “rest” and that they were to have a time when the priests “called together” the people for a “sacred meeting.”

Ø The Passover holiday is outlined in vs.6-7 – Seven days off work where they ate unleavened bread with their meals and offered a burnt offering every day[3], starting with a special meeting on the first day and ending with a special meeting on the seventh day.

Ø Then the description of First-fruits and Pentecost starts in v.10.

§ When the grain first begins to head up in the fields, they were to cut and bundle a sheaf of grainstalks – about a day’s worth of food – and deliver it to a priest along with two bags of bread, a quart of wine, and a lamb[4].

§ On a Sunday, the priest was to burn up the lamb and bread and wine on the altar as an offering to God and then take the sheaf and wave it in the direction of the Tent of Meeting.

§ Perhaps he would then get to take the sheaf home for food (although other wave offerings had to be burned up on the altar), but at any rate, God would accept this tribute and would consider the offer-er acceptable, and, from then on, the offer-er could eat whatever grew in his garden or field – whether raw or cooked or processed.

§ v.15 Then, fifty days later, when the crops were done growing and harvested, they were to offer a grain offering from the new crop. By then, they would know how much the full harvest was and could calculate ten percent of that to offer as a tithe, along with an end-of-harvest “first-fruit” offering of the end-product of that grain, namely, cooked bread (rather than an unprocessed sheaf of newly-cut grain which was given as first-fruits before harvest)[5].

§ Now, by the time of the New Testament, the Jews had been conquered by Greeks and Romans and had become familiar with the Greek language, and, in Greek, the word for “fifty” is pentekonta, so they called this holiday “Pentecost.” (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8)

§ And, by the way, what day of the week would that be? Fifty days after a Saturday would put Pentecost[6] on a Sunday, when there would be a holy convocation, again foreshadowing the Sunday that the Holy Spirit came as a “firstfruits of the inheritance” to be received by those who trust Jesus to make them right with God! (Rom. 8:23)

§ Pentecost was celebrated for a week, like Passover was, so, over the course of the week, the harvest-happy people would offer from their livestock as well, one perfect lamb each day, with an additional couple of rams and a bull one of those days as burnt offerings. And, in addition to the burnt offerings was a sin offering of a goat and a peace-offering of two sheep.[7]

v So what does it all mean?

Ø Cessation from work is central to the meaning of Sabbath.

§ Verse 7 speaks of not doing “any servile/laborious/regular/ordinary work,[8]” on the day of rest, which seems to indicate that God is not outlawing all work, in the Physics sense of force times vector distance, but rather certain applications of force over distance. The Hebrew adjective is ‘avdah which, in its noun form, means “servant” or “slave.”

§ Now, of course the priests were allowed to “serve” God on holy days by offering sacrifices. The Pentateuch is full of passages where the same word ‘avdah is used to describe the priests’ service to God, (which, incidentally, is one reason that we call our meeting on Sunday morning a worship “service”). God’s people could serve God on that day, but they were prohibited from serving anybody else or being served by anybody else.

§ This reminds me of the Persian King Darius’ decree back in the Prophet Daniel’s day: “You may not pray to any one except the king on this certain day.” It is a statement of divine sovereignty to designate a day and say, “You may not serve anyone but me on that day.”

§ Clearly no slave was to be pressed into serving his or her master on that day, due to the explicit prohibition in the 4^th Commandment.

§ The Biblical case law and interpretation by the Biblical prophets also left it out-of-the-question to harvest food (Ex. 16:23ff) or to engage in buying and selling (Neh. 13:15ff) on the Sabbath, which were also forms of service.

§ It was a way of saying, “God is our ultimate master, and, to recognize and remember that fact, we will refrain from serving anybody or having anybody serve us once a week. Yahweh is our Lord!”

Ø A second point that this chapter brings out is that ceasing from commercial service-work was clearly related to meeting with God. Notice how it immediately follows the calls for a holy conference throughout the chapter:

§ v.3 “a holy conference. You may not do any work”

§ v. 7 “a holy conference for y’all. Do not do any service-related work”

§ v.8 “there shall be a holy conference. Y’all may not do any service-related work”

§ and v.21 “Then y’all must call together a holy conference on that same day. Y’all may not do any service-related work.”

§ Do you see how the two concepts are related? God intended this rest, not to be an end in itself, but rather to be a means to the end of meeting with God.[9]

Ø Finally, the meaning of offering firstfruits and grain offerings was, as we studied in Leviticus 2, an acknowledgement of God as one’s Lord and Master, thus this form of tribute.[10]

§ In addition to reminding yourself what your relationship was to God, it was also a way of showing honor to God: Pro 3:9 “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase.” (NKJV)

§ Marking out certain times as holy to God was a way to proclaim that God is Lord over time as well as over matter.

v Now, the million-dollar question. Is this Sabbath principle still in operation today? Does it apply to us? Consider:

Ø It is a pattern which God instituted at the beginning of the world, so it was not a new thing instituted in the Mosaic law. We may dismiss parts of the Mosaic law as relating only to that time and place, but we can’t do that so quickly with the Sabbath.

Ø Resting one day in seven is framed in the Bible as following the example of God, mirroring a character trait of his, so the Sabbath is about following God, not just about following a rule. (Gen. 2:3, Ex. 20:11)

Ø The principle of believers meeting together once a week with God is carried on into the New Testament in Jesus’ meetings with His disciples. Before His death and resurrection, He did that on Saturdays – the seventh day of the week, but after his Resurrection, every meeting recorded in the Bible between Jesus and His followers was on the First Day of the week (our Sunday – John 20:1 & 19).

Ø The Apostle Paul also supported that shift when he instructed churches to meet (Acts 20:7) and do their activities (1 Cor. 16:2) on the first day of the week.

Ø In Leviticus 23 we see that God hallowed first the seventh day of the week, but then secondarily the first (or eighth) day of the week, foreshadowing the shift which Jesus instituted.

Ø And furthermore, we see Levitical language in the commands of Hebrews 10:23ff about believers “assembling together” regularly to confess faith and listen to exhortations.

Ø All of this points to continuing relevance of the Sabbath rest and convocation principles in Leviticus 23 to us today.

Conclusion: What does it mean for us today?

Let me suggest some food for thought as you consider how to apply the principles of the Sabbath to your life:

v The first half of Leviticus 23 describes Saturday Sabbaths, and Passover and Pentecost Feasts (which included keeping track of new moons so that you could know when the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the month was). While the principle of following God’s pattern of rest is universal, the details of these particular forms of rest are called “shadows” in the New Testament and were said to have been replaced with more substantial things by Christ: Colossians 2:13-17 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (NKJV)

Ø I believe this means that Jews could not condemn Christians for meeting with Christ on the Lord’s Day instead of on Saturday because the foreshadowings of God’s atonement for man in the animal sacrifices on the seventh day(after a week of work) were replaced by the presence of God the Son Himself on the on the first day of the week, to save them before they had done any work.

Ø Likewise the festivals, related to certain days after the new moon, all foreshadowed things that Jesus did: such as His substitutionary atonement on the cross prefigured by the Passover, and the offering of the firstfruits on the eighth day which Jesus fulfilled when His body was resurrected as the firstfruits of the resurrection on the eighth (or first) day.

Ø We are no longer bound to observe events that were designed to foreshadow what Christ did because He has now done them, and we can now observe events designed to memorialize what Christ did – such as observing the weekly Lord’s Day with its memorial Lord’s Supper, and even observing an annual Resurrection Day.[11]

Ø Sure, we can observe other occasions too, if we want – even the old Jewish holidays or the newer Christian holidays like Christmas, but nobody has the right to condemn anybody over observing or not observing those things which Christ has not commanded.

v Furthermore, when we come to the harvest language of firstfruits and such, we see the same words used in the New Testament, but, instead of referring to grain, it is applied to people:

Ø 1 Corinthians 15: 20 “But now, Christ has been raised out of the dead – the firstfruit of the ones who have been sleeping…. 22. For, just as in Adam, all are dying, thus also in the Christ, all will be made alive, 23. yet each in his own rank: Christ is the firstfruit, then those who are Christ’s – during His visitation, 24. then there is the end… (NAW)

Ø Romans 16:5b …brother “Epaenetus is the firstfruits to Christ out of Achaia”

Ø And 1 Corinthians 16:15 says that “the household of Stephanas was also a first-fruit from the province of Achaia…” (NAW)

Ø Now, the New Testament church still brought money and goods to church to give to the Lord, but they also brought the harvest and first-fruits of new Christians into the church. Could you ask God to help you bring one non-Christian to faith in Jesus this year and bring them into the church?

v Here’s another challenging question: if the word “Sabbath” means “cessation,” and that cessation of work was for the purpose of getting together with God and His people, what is it that you need to stop doing in order to set aside holy time[12]?

v Now there are some services which are necessary, like driving household members to church and using electricity to light the church building and to warm up dinner, but there are other services which reflect our obligations to an employer or to a client – or which we might expect of service personnel like restaurant waiters – that we should consider resting from on the Lord’s Day. Where can you draw lines between doing what is necessary on the Lord’s Day and resting and providing rest for others from service-related work?

v I think this is a good place to stop in this chapter, so I will plan to pick back up next week on our consideration of consecrating special time to meet with God and His people and finish the rest of Leviticus 23 then.

Comparative translations of Leviticus 23:1-22

When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original Hebrew, I use ~~strikeout~~. And when a version omits a word which is in the Hebrew text, I insert an X. (Sometimes I will place the X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. Hebrew text that is colored purple matches the Dead Sea Scrolls, and variants between the DSS and the MT are noted in endnotes with the following exceptions: When a holem or qibbutz pointing in the MT is represented in the DSS by a vav, when a hireq pointing in the MT is represented in the DSS by a yod (the corresponding consonantal representation of the same vowel), or when the tetragrammaton is spelled with paleo-Hebrew letters, I did not record it a variant. Dead Sea Scrolls which contain this first half of Leviticus 23 are 4Q24 Leviticus ^b (verses 1-25 & 40), 1Q3 PaleoLev-Num (verses 4-8), and 11Q1 paleoLeviticus^a (verses 22-29).

LXX	Brenton (from LXX)	KJV	NAW	MT
1 Καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,	1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	1 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,	א וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
2 Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς Αἱ ἑορταὶ κυρίου, ἃς καλέσετε αὐτὰς κλητὰς ἁγίας, αὗταί εἰσιν ἑορταί μου. --	2 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say unto them, The feasts of the Lord which ye shall call holy assemblies, these are my feasts.	2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the ~~feasts~~ of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be X holy convocations, even these are my ~~feasts~~.	2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘These are Yahweh’s meetings which y’all must call together. They are holy conferences; they are my meetings:	ב דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃
3 ἓξ ἡμέρας ποιήσεις ἔργα, καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ σάββατα ἀνάπαυσις κλητὴ ἁγία [τῷ κυρίῳ[A]]· πᾶν ἔργον οὐ ποιήσ~~εις~~· σάββατά ἐστιν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν πάσῃ κατοικίᾳ ὑμῶν.	3 Six days shalt thou do works, but on the seventh day is the sabbath; a rest, a holy convocation to the Lord: ~~thou~~ shalt not do any work, it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.	3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.	3 The six days is when work should be done, then, during the seventh day there should be a [special] time of rest among the times of rest – a holy conference. Y’all may not do any work; it is a Sabbath belonging to Yahweh in all y’alls places of residence.	ג שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה[B] מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כׇּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
4 Αὗται αἱ ἑορταὶ τῷ κυρίῳ, κληταὶ ἅγιαι, ἃς καλέσετε αὐτὰς ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς αὐτῶν.	4 These are the feasts to the Lord, holy convocations, which ye shall call in their seasons.	4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.	4 These are Yahweh’s meetings, holy conferences which y’all should call together at their appointed times:	ד אֵ֚לֶּה[C] מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה מִקְרָאֵ֖י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם בְּמוֹעֲדָֽם׃
5 ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ μηνὶ ἐν τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ [ἡμέρᾳ] τοῦ μηνὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ἑσπερινῶν πάσχα τῷ κυρίῳ.	5 In the first month, on the fourteenth [day] of the month, between the evening times is the Lord's passover.	5 In the fourteenth day of the X X X first month at even is the LORD'S passover.	5 During the first month, on the fourteenth of the month in the evening, the Lord’s Passover begins.	ה בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר[D] לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ בֵּ֣ין הָעַרְבָּ֑יִם פֶּ֖סַח לַיהֹוָֽה׃
LXX	Brenton (from LXX)	KJV	NAW	MT
6 καὶ ἐν τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνὸς τούτου ἑορτὴ τῶν ἀζύμων τῷ κυρίῳ· ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἄζυμα ἔδεσθε.	6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast of unleavened bread to the Lord; seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread.	6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.	6 Then on the fifteenth day of that month, Yahweh’s feast of Unleavened Bread begins, when y’all eat unleavened bread for seven days.	ו וּבַחֲמִשָּׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֔ה חַ֥ג הַמַּצּ֖וֹת לַיהֹוָ֑ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים מַצּ֥וֹת תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃
7 καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ πρώτη κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν, πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε·	7 And the first day shall be a holy convocation to you: ye shall do no servile work.	7 In the first day ye shall [have] an holy convocation: ye shall do no X servile work [therein].	7 During the first day there shall be a holy conference for y’all. Y’all may not do any service-related work.	ז בַּיּוֹם֙ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן מִקְרָא־ קֹ֖דֶשׁ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם כׇּל־ מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֥א תַעֲשֽׂוּ׃
8 καὶ προσάξετε ὁλοκαυτώματα τῷ κυρίῳ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας· [καὶ] ἡ ἑβδόμη ἡμέρα κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν, πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε.	8 And ye shall offer whole-burnt-offerings to the Lord seven days; [and] the seventh day shall be a holy convocation to you: ye shall do no servile work.	8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.	8 And [for] seven days y’all must offer a burnt-offering to Yahweh, and during the seventh day there shall be a holy conference. Y’all may not do any service-related work.’”	ח וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֛ה לַיהֹוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם[E] הַשְּׁבִיעִי֙ מִקְרָא־ קֹ֔דֶשׁ כׇּל־ מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֥א תַעֲשֽׂוּ׃
9 Καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,	9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying,	ט וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
10 Εἰπὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς Ὅταν εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἐγὼ δίδωμι ὑμῖν, καὶ θερίζητε τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ οἴσετε δράγμα ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα·	10 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, When ye shall enter into the land which I give you, and reap the harvest of it, then shall ye bring a sheaf, the first-fruits of your harvest, to the priest;	10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:	10 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When y’all go into the land which I am giving to y’all and y’all harvest its harvest, that’s when y’all must bring the sheaf of first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.	י דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־ תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם וּקְצַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־קְצִירָ֑הּ וַהֲבֵ[F]אתֶ֥ם אֶת־עֹ֛מֶר[G] רֵאשִׁ֥ית קְצִירְכֶ֖ם אֶל־הַכֹּהֵֽן׃
11 καὶ ἀνοίσει τὸ δράγμα ἔναντι κυρίου δεκτὸν ὑμῖν, τῇ ἐπαύριον τῆς πρώτης ἀνοίσει αὐτὸ ὁ ἱερεύς.	11 and he shall lift up the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you. On the morrow of the first day the priest shall lift it up.	11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.	11 He shall then wave the sheaf before the face of Yahweh for y’all’s acceptance. The priest must wave it on the day after the sabbath.	יא וְהֵנִ֧יף אֶת־הָעֹ֛מֶר לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה לִֽרְצֹנְכֶ֑ם מִֽמׇּחֳרַת֙ הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת יְנִיפֶ֖נּוּ הַכֹּהֵֽן׃
LXX	Brenton (from LXX)	KJV	NAW	MT
12 καὶ ποιήσετε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ἐν ᾗ ἂν φέρητε τὸ δράγμα, πρόβατον ἄμωμον ἐνιαύσιον εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα τῷ κυρίῳ	12 And ye shall ~~offer~~ on the day on which ye bring the sheaf, a lamb without blemish of a year old for a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord.	12 And ye shall ~~offer~~ that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb ~~without~~ ~~blemish~~ of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.	12 On the day that y’all wave the sheaf, y’all must also prepare a perfect, yearling lamb as a whole-burnt-offering for Yahweh,	יב וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֕ם בְּי֥וֹם הֲנִֽיפְכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָעֹ֑מֶר כֶּ֣בֶשׂ תָּמִ֧ים בֶּן־שְׁנָת֛וֹ לְעֹלָ֖ה לַיהֹוָֽה׃
13 καὶ τὴν θυσίαν αὐτοῦ δύο δέκατα σεμιδάλεως ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ--θυσία τῷ κυρίῳ, ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας [κυρίῳ]--καὶ σπονδὴν αὐτοῦ τὸ τέταρτον τοῦ ιν οἴνου.	13 And its meat-offering two tenth portions of fine flour mingled with oil: it is a sacrifice to the Lord, a smell of sweet savour to the Lord, and its drink-offering the fourth part of a hin of wine.	13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.	13 and its grain-offering of two bags of fine flour mixed with oil – a burnt-offering to Yahweh, a soothing aroma, as well as its poured-out-offering of a quarter of a gallon of wine.	יג וּמִנְחָתוֹ֩ שְׁנֵ֨י עֶשְׂרֹנִ֜ים סֹ֣לֶת בְּלוּלָ֥ה בַשֶּׁ֛מֶן אִשֶּׁ֥ה לַיהֹוָ֖ה רֵ֣יחַ נִיחֹ֑חַ וְנִסְכֹּ֥ה[H] יַ֖יִן רְבִיעִ֥ת[I] הַהִֽין׃
14 καὶ ἄρτον καὶ πεφρυγμένα χίδρα νέα οὐ φάγεσθε ἕως εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην, ἕως ἂν προσενέγκητε ὑμεῖς τὰ δῶρα τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν· νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν ἐν πάσῃ κατοικίᾳ ὑμῶν.	14 And ye shall not eat bread, or the new parched corn, until this same day, until ye offer the sacrifices to your God: it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.	14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.	14 Y’all may not eat either bread or granola or sprouts until that very day in which y’all bring the offering of your God. It is a lasting statute for your generations in all your places of residence.	יד וְלֶ֩חֶם֩ וְ[J]קָלִ֨י וְכַרְמֶ֜ל לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֗וּ עַד־עֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה עַ֚ד הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־קׇרְבַּ֖ן אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃
15 Καὶ ἀριθμήσετε ὑμεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπαύριον τῶν σαββάτων, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας, [ἧς ἂν] προσενέγκητε τὸ δράγμα τοῦ ἐπιθέματος, ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδας ὁλοκλήρους·X	15 And ye shall number to yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day [on which] ye shall offer the sheaf of the heave-offering, X seven full weeks:	15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:	15 Then y’all must count off for yourselves from the day after that Sabbath - from the day y’all brought the sheaf of the wave-offering – seven whole weeks should elapse.	טו וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמׇּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃
16 ἕως τῆς ἐπαύριον τῆς ἐσχάτης ἑβδομάδος ἀριθμήσετε πεντήκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ προσοίσετε θυσίαν νέαν τῷ κυρίῳ.	16 until the morrow after the last week ye shall number fifty days, and shall bring a new meat-offering to the Lord.	16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.	16 Y’all must count off fifty days - until the day after the seventh sabbath, and then y’all must offer a grain-offering of what is new to Yahweh.	טז עַ֣ד מִֽמׇּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַיהֹוָֽה׃
LXX	Brenton (from LXX)	KJV	NAW	MT
17 ἀπὸ τῆς κατοικίας ὑμῶν προσοίσετε ἄρτους ἐπίθεμα, δύο ἄρτους·[ἐκ] δύο δεκάτων σεμιδάλεως ἔσονται, ἐζυμωμένοι πεφθήσονται πρωτογενημάτων τῷ κυρίῳ.	17 Ye shall bring from your dwelling loaves, as a heave-offering, two loaves: they shall be [of] two tenth portions of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven of the first-fruits to the Lord.	17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loave[s of] two tenth [deals]: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken [with] leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.	17 From your residences y’all must bring firstfruits to Yahweh: two [loaves of] wave-offering bread. They shall consist of two bags of fine flour, leavened [and] baked.	יז מִמּוֹשְׁבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם תָּבִ֣יאּוּ לֶ֣חֶם תְּנוּפָ֗ה שְׁ֚תַּיִם[K] שְׁנֵ֣י עֶשְׂרֹנִ֔ים סֹ֣לֶת תִּהְיֶ֔ינָה חָמֵ֖ץ תֵּאָפֶ֑ינָה בִּכּוּרִ֖ים לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃
18 καὶ προσάξετε μετὰ τῶν ἄρτων ἑπτὰ ἀμνοὺς ἀμώμους ἐνιαυσίους καὶ μόσχον ἕνα ἐκ βουκολίου καὶ κριοὺς δύο [ἀμώμους]--ἔσονται ὁλοκαύτωμα τῷ κυρίῳ--καὶ αἱ θυσίαι αὐτῶν καὶ αἱ σπονδαὶ αὐτῶν, θυσίαν ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ κυρίῳ.	18 And ye shall bring with the loaves seven unblemished lambs of a year old, and one calf of the herd, and two rams [without blemish], and they shall be a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord: and their meat-offerings and their drink-offerings shall be a sacrifice, a smell of sweet savour to the Lord.	18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.	18 And, in addition to the bread, y’all must offer seven perfect yearling male lambs and one bullock from the herd and two rams. (They shall be a whole-burnt-offering to Yahweh.) and their grain offerings and their drink-offerings – a burnt-offering of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.	יח וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֣ם עַל־הַלֶּ֗חֶם שִׁבְעַ֨ת[L] כְּבָשִׂ֤ים תְּמִימִם֙ בְּנֵ֣י שָׁנָ֔ה וּפַ֧ר בֶּן־בָּקָ֛ר אֶחָ֖ד וְאֵילִ֣ם שְׁנָ֑יִם[M] יִהְי֤וּ עֹלָה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה וּמִנְחָתָם֙ וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֔ם אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהֹוָֽה׃
19 καὶ ποιήσ~~ουσιν~~ χίμαρον ἐξ αἰγῶν ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ δύο ἀμνοὺς ἐνιαυσίους εἰς θυσίαν σωτηρίου [μετὰ τῶν ἄρτων τοῦ πρωτογενήματος]·	19 And they shall ~~sacrifice~~ one kid of the goats for a sin-offering, and two lambs of a year old for a peace-offering, [with the loaves of the first-fruits].	19 Then ye shall ~~sacrifice~~ one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.	19 Then y’all must prepare one kid of the goats for a sin offering and two yearling sheep for a sacrifice of peace offerings,	יט וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם שְׂעִיר־ עִזִּ֥ים אֶחָ֖ד לְחַטָּ֑את וּשְׁנֵ֧י כְבָשִׂ֛ים בְּנֵ֥י שָׁנָ֖ה לְזֶ֥בַח שְׁלָמִֽים׃
20 καὶ ἐπιθήσει αὐτὰ ὁ ἱερεὺς μετὰ τῶν ἄρτων τοῦ πρωτογενήματος ἐπίθεμα ἔναντι κυρίου μετὰ τῶν δύο ἀμνῶν· ἅγια ἔσονται τῷ κυρίῳ, τῷ ἱερεῖ [τῷ προσφέροντι αὐτὰ αὐτῷ ἔσται].	20 And the priest shall ~~place~~ them with the loaves of the first-fruits an X offering before the Lord with the two lambs, they shall be holy to the Lord; [they shall] belong to the priest [that brings them].	20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.	20 and the priest must wave them on top of the bread of the firstfruits-offering on top of the two lambs as a wave-offering before the face of Yahweh. They will become property of the priest, holy to Yahweh.	כ וְהֵנִ֣יף הַכֹּהֵ֣ן אֹתָ֡ם עַל֩ לֶ֨חֶם הַבִּכֻּרִ֤ים תְּנוּפָה֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁנֵ֖י כְּבָשִׂ֑ים[N] קֹ֛דֶשׁ יִהְי֥וּ לַיהֹוָ֖ה לַכֹּהֵֽן׃
21 καὶ καλέσετε ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν X κλητήν· ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν, πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε [ἐν αὐτῇ]· νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κατοικίᾳ ὑμῶν. --	21 And ye shall call this X day a convocation: it shall be holy to you; ye shall do no servile work [on it]: it is a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations in all your habitations.	21 And ye shall proclaim on ~~the~~ selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.	21 Then y’all must call together a holy conference on that same day. Y’all may not do any service-related work . This is for y’all a lasting statute in all of your places of residence throughout your generations.	כא וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּעֶ֣צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה מִֽקְרָא־ קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם בְּכׇל־ מוֹשְׁבֹ֥תֵיכֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃
22 καὶ ὅταν θερίζητε τὸν θερισμὸν τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν, οὐ συντελέσετε τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ θερισμοῦ X [τοῦ] ἀγροῦ σου ἐν τῷ θερίζειν σε καὶ τὰ ἀποπίπτοντα τοῦ θερισμοῦ σου οὐ συλλέξεις, τῷ πτωχῷ καὶ τῷ προσηλύτῳ ὑπολείψῃ αὐτά· ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν.	22 And when ye shall reap the harvest of your land, ye shall not fully reap the remainder of the harvest of your field when thou reapest, and thou shalt not gather that which falls from thy reaping; thou shalt leave it for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.	22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.	22 Also, during y’all’s harvesting of the harvest of your land, don’t finish to the edge of your field in your harvesting. Don’t pick up leftovers from the leftovers of your harvest that could be picked up either. You must leave them for the poor and for the visitor. I am Yahweh y’all’s God.	כב וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶ֞ם אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֗ם לֹֽא־תְכַלֶּ֞ה פְּאַ֤ת שָֽׂדְךָ֙ בְּקֻצְרֶ֔ךָ[O] וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִירְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

[1] “[A] ‘holy convention’ was a national gathering for public worship. Primarily it was an occasion for the offering of sacrifice, but in later times it may also have included the reading and exposition of Scripture (cf. Deut. 31:10ff.; Neh. 8-9).” ~Gordon Wenham, NICOT

[2] “שַׁבָּתֹון שַׁבַּת “a high Sabbath” (the repetition of the same word, or of an abstract form of the concrete noun, denoting the superlative; see Gesenius §113, 2)” ~K&D

[3] Leviticus 23 refers to burnt/fire/food offerings that were to be offered at each holiday without enumerating what was to be offered in those offerings. Numbers 28-29 fills in that gap with a long, detailed list of every kind of animal sacrifice to be offered for every occasion. Because that is not a focus of Leviticus here, I won’t go into those details.

[4] Rashi disputed that it was not a “sheaf” but a dry measure of grain equal to a tenth of a epah. The word “omer” could mean either. At any rate, this was probably of barley, as barley matured an was harvested before wheat. ~Soncino Chumash. Cf. Calvin: “[S]ome think that the measure is signified which was the tenth part of an Ephah. The word Omer means both. But in this passage the expression “handful” is most appropriate…”

“[I]t was reaped after sunset on the previous evening by persons deputed to go with sickles and obtain samples from different fields. These, being laid together in a sheaf or loose bundle, were brought to the court of the temple, where the grain was winnowed, parched, and bruised in a mortar. Then, after some incense had been sprinkled on it, the priest waved the sheaf aloft before the Lord towards the four different points of the compass, took a part of it and threw it into the fire of the altar - all the rest being reserved to himself.” ~JFB

“The priest was to wave the sheaf before Jehovah, i.e., to present it symbolically to Jehovah by the ceremony of waving, without burning any of it upon the altar. The rabbinical rule, viz., to dry a portion of the ears by the fire, and then, after rubbing them out, to burn them on the altar, was an ordinance of the later scribes, who knew not the law, and was based upon Lev. 2:14. For the law in Lev. 2:14 refers to the offerings of first-fruits made by private persons, which are treated of in Num. 18:12-13, and Deu. 26:2.”~K&D

[5] Leavened bread was part of the thanks-offerings. “At the passover they ate unleavened bread, because it was in remembrance of the bread they ate when they came out of Egypt, which was unleavened; but now at Pentecost it was leavened, because it was an acknowledgment of God's goodness to them in their ordinary food, which was leavened… They are forbidden to eat of their new corn till this handful was offered to God; for it was fit, if God and Israel feast together, that he should be served first. And the offering of this sheaf of first-fruits in the name of the whole congregation did, as it were, sanctify to them their whole harvest, and give them a comfortable use of all the rest; for then we may eat our bread with joy when we have, in some measure, performed our duty to God, and God has accepted our works, for thus all our enjoyments become clean to us… We find that when they came into Canaan the manna ceased upon the very day that the sheaf of first-fruits was offered; they had eaten of the old corn the day before (Jos_5:11), and then on this day they offered the first-fruits, by which they became entitled to the new corn too (V.12), so that there was no more occasion for manna… They were not to eat of their new corn till God's part was offered to him out of it (V.14), for we must always begin with God, begin our lives with him, begin every day with him, begin every meal with him, begin every affair and business with him; seek first the kingdom of God.” ~Mathew Henry

[6] The giving of the law at Sinai was correlated to Pentecost by respectable scholars such as Maimonides, John Calvin, Matthew Henry and JFB, but this is denied by both Jewish (Abarbanel) and Christian scholars (K&D). By my reckoning, it is possible, considering that the Passover was on the 15^th of the first month (Ex. 12), then they made it to the Wilderness of Sin by the 15^th day of the second month, 30 days later (Ex. 16:1), and then they reached Sinai “in the third month after going out of Egypt, on that day,” according to Exodus 19:1, and three days later God uttered the 10 Commandments from the mountain, which, would place the event right at 50 days out from Passover if “on that day” means the first day of the third month (which K&D dispute as meaning some other day of that month, but even if it is the 15^th of the month, it is close – 60 days instead of 50 from the Exodus).

“But the period and perfection of this feast was the pouring out of the Spirit upon the apostles on the day of this feast (Acts 2:1), in which the law of faith was given, fifty days after Christ our passover was sacrificed for us. And on that day (as bishop Patrick well expresses it) the apostles, having themselves received the first-fruits of the Spirit, begat three thousand souls, through the word of truth, and presented them, as the first-fruits of the Christian church, to God and the Lamb.” ~Matthew Henry

[7] Not every family had to offer all of these animals that week; many of these sacrifices were singular sacrifices for all the people at once.

[8] “מְלֶאכֶת, occupation of a work, signifies labour at some definite occupation, e.g., the building of the tabernacle, Ex. 35:24; Ex. 36:1-3; hence occupation in connection with trade or one's social calling” ~K&D
“(heavy) work” ~Gordon Wenham, NICOT

[9] “God took the seventh day for His own and hallowed it… that He might keep His servants altogether free from every care, for the consideration of the beauty, excellence, and fitness of His works. There is indeed no moment which should be allowed to pass in which we are not attentive to the consideration of the wisdom, power, goodness, and justice of God in His admirable creation and government of the world; but, since our minds are fickle, and apt therefore to be forgetful or distracted, God, in His indulgence providing against our infirmities, separates one day from the rest, and commands that it should be free from all earthly business and cares, so that nothing may stand in the way of that holy occupation.” ~John Calvin, Harmony of the Pentateuch, 4^th Commandment. Calvin also brought out the point that this would serve as “a restraint on the people from falling away to strange Gods, and he also brought out the point in Ex. 31:13 that the Sabbath was a covenantal sign distinguishing Israel from the nations. The first-day Sabbath now distinguishes Christians.

[10] “The offering of the first-born and of the firstfruits ws closely connected with the tithe, and, with it, constituted a symbolic offering of the whole… The early church saw the offering of the first-born fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the offering given by God in fulfillment of the requirement for the household of faith… For many centuries, the tithe was paid in produce, i.e., a literal tenth of the field rather than its monetary equivalent… The tithe or tenth appears very early, long before Moses; when Abraham tithed (Gen. 14:20... cf. Joseph in Gen. 28:20-22)… Scripture refers to three kinds of tithing… a first tithe, the Lord’s tithe (Num. 18:21-24), which went to the Levites, who rendered a tenth of this to the priests (Num. 18:26-28); a second tithe, a festival tithe to rejoice before the Lord (Deut. 12:6-7, 17-18); a third tithe, a poor tithe, every third year to be shared locally with the local Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (Deut. 14:27-29).”

[11] We might also add days of Thanksgiving here. Cf. Calvin: “[T]hey had been reminded by this [firstfruits] ceremony that the Father of their subsistence was in heaven, whose minister the earth was for providing their food… The ceremony, now abolished, still remains in full force amongst us as regards its substance, for nothing but the acknowledgment of God’s bounty, which springs from faith and thanksgiving, sanctifies whatever we receive of His hand.”

[12] The temptation not to stop when busy is highlighted in Ex. 34, where God expressly commanded the Jews to rest even during plowing time and harvest, the busiest times of the year for a farmer, when he would be most tempted to find an excuse not to rest.