God here gives careful instructions as to seven occasions when His people were to gather together around Him. They are called “Feasts,” not necessarily eating food. If the priests were going to be in God’s house, they would need to behave the way He directed. There were seven “feasts” each year. (1) the Sabbath; (2) the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread; (3) the first-fruits of harvest; (4) the Pentecost; (5) the feast of trumpets; (6) the day of atonement; (7) the feast of tabernacles. Together they tell a wonderful story. Briefly they are (1) Christ; (2) the death of Christ and our careful life every day; (3) the resurrection of Christ; (4) the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth; (5) Israel’s call just after the rapture; (6) when Israel will be restored to God; (7) the millennium. 7 is a picture of completeness. God delights in Christ, each feast reminds us in a different way of Him.
V.3 (1) Six days of creation, and then rest. Six days of work each week and then Saturday the Sabbath the last day, the day of rest. It is a picture of God finding His rest in Christ. Because the work of the first creation was ruined by sin, Christ had to come down and complete a new work. And that work can never be spoiled, Christ is God’s Sabbath.
V.4-8 (2) These two are the foundation on which the first rests. The Passover is redemption (Ex. 12). Leaven is a picture of sin. Christ was the Unleavened Bread (1 Pet. 2:22). Each believer has been given the power to live to God’s glory throughout his converted life, like the 7 days (2 Pet. 1:3).
V.10-14 (3) The first-fruits of the harvest. Christ in resurrection was the beginning of the true and great harvest — the church, us believers.
V.11 “The morrow.” Sunday, the Lord’s day, that is, the day after the Sabbath (Saturday). The Lord rose on the first day of the week, Sunday.
V.12 Christ is the Burnt offering. Leviticus chapter 1 and all of John’s Gospel.
V.13 Christ is the Meat (or meal) offering. Leviticus 2, and all of the gospels. His perfect life.
V.15-21 (4) Next the feast of weeks (Deut. 16:10). They were to count 7 weeks or 49 days from the Sabbath. Then add one day making 50 days. Therefore, Sunday. The church’s day is the first day of the week, Sunday the Lord’s Day. Fifty days after the cross of Calvary (the Lord Jesus was dead all day Saturday) the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:1).
V.17 A beautiful picture of the church here. Two leaves Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:12-18). “Two or three gathered to my name” (Matt. 18:20). Leavened bread we believers still have the old nature in us.