Thought for the Week:

The appointed times of the LORD are like annual rehearsals for the appointed times of redemption. They are like the blueprints for the work of Messiah. The spring festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread, the Omer, and Pentecost all received a messianic fulfillment in the Master's first advent. The fall festivals of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day all point toward His second coming. They are a "shadow of what is to come." (Colossians 2:17)

Commentary:

Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, "The LORD's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these." (Leviticus 23:2)

In Leviticus 23, God gives a calendar to His people. This biblical calendar is different from the one to which we are accustomed. The biblical calendar is lunar: It is based on the phases of the moon. The waxing and waning of the moon determines the day of the biblical month. The tiny sliver of the new moon always appears on the first day of the month; the full moon indicates the middle of the m…