In considering this important subject in Lev. 23, there appear to be two prominent and blessed thoughts in the mind of the Lord. In the one, He strikingly sets forth His purpose to establish a rest for Himself; and in the other, to gather a people around Himself, that they may share that rest. Though the rest is before Him, it is not yet reached; neither are those called to share it yet gathered. Further, it has to be seen, how far the appointed Feasts have passed from Type to Antitype. Again, whether a rest for the earthly scene, in the form of Christ's Millennial reign of righteousness and peace, or the eternal rest, it is quite clear that neither the past nor the present has presented either; so that the rest must be looked for as yet to come.
That these Feasts were to have their actual fulfillment in their literal form is plain, irrespective of their antitypical meaning; they in their order, fixed by Jehovah, had to be maintained by Israel, whatever their spiritual significance. There being seven feasts is notable, especially considering that a period of time is connected therewith. They give a complete history of the ways of God.
With this we may compare what the Lord Himself taught on the seven parables of Matt. 13, and, later still, with the seven churches of the Revelation (in Rev. 2 & 3).
Whilst bearing in mind therefore the responsibility of Israel to heed each and all of the appointed Feasts, scripture beyond this warrants the conclusion, that like the seven parables, and the seven churches, they have their importance historically; and not least will they be seen to make known the person and work of God's beloved Son, and of His redeemed as associated with Him. It is also clear, that the teaching looks forward through the whole vista of time, even to the eternal future of bright glory, the never-ending Sabbath of the ever blessed God.
In looking at the Feast of the Sabbath, it is evident that the Lord intended it should stand out in its own dignified importance, being treated as unique in itself. The true thought of the Sabbath appears to be, His rest after labor; an order maintained throughout scripture by God Himself, and His beloved Son. Here it is thus enjoined upon His people (ver. 3). The closing account of creation is the first given proof, when after six days' work God rested on the seventh day, and blessed and sanctified it. But this rest was soon broken up by Satan's lie received and acted on; which resulted in the ground being cursed for man's sake, and himself turned out of Paradise. Throughout the book of Genesis no mention is made of the Sabbath, indeed not until God's earthly people were redeemed from Egypt, and brought to Him in the wilderness. There, in the ways of divine grace, Jehovah in Ex. 16 instituted the Sabbath in connection with the Manna that preceded it. Israel was enjoined to gather a portion each day, but double on the sixth, laying up for the seventh, which the Lord declared to be “the rest of the holy sabbath” unto Himself. It is no longer His creation an d rest, but the gathering of manna, and rest; which surely testifies to the blessed Christ becoming the True Bread come down from heaven, by Whom rest would be established for us also.
If pure absolute grace is shown in the timely boon to Israel of that which shadowed the gift of God's beloved Son as the alone provision for living bread, and rest, how marked the change, combined with the ground of Jehovah's dealing, manifest in the connection and mention of the Sabbath!
But Israel in Ex. 20 passed from grace to law, having through Moses pledged their obedience as the condition of blessing. Thereon the Sabbath was enjoined as a part of the law; for they were to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy:” an authority embracing, in solemn detail, the family, the employed, and the very cattle.
Moreover in chap. 31 it was to be a sign between Israel and Jehovah, who sanctified them. But if Jehovah kept in view a rest, man totally failed, both as to creation, and the law.
With regard to the latter, after long testing, Ezek. 20 charges the people with rebelling against Jehovah and polluting His Sabbaths. Before this Canaan had been set before them as a place of rest. Yet in this too they signally failed, for the mass who originally started fell in the wilderness; and even Joshua, their new and faithful leader, did not bring them into promised rest, seeing that David, at a later day, spoke of a future rest (Heb. 4:7-97Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:7‑9)).
Before explaining how these facts are used by the Holy Ghost, it may be well to follow up Israel's sin and failure in connection with the position and action of their Messiah respecting the Sabbath. The Gospel of Matthew, which has a special instruction for Jewish ears, will suffice; especially the account in chap. 12, bearing in mind the position of Jesus in the previous chapter. There He had been morally rejected, not only in His forerunner, but personally. Consequently He turns from the whole scene to His Father, owning Him as Lord of heaven and earth, and in the dignity of His own person as the eternal Son, invites the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest. Instead therefore of kingdom-rest by and by, He now offers soul-rest. In the following chapter the position and practice of the rejected but true David as to the seventh day Sabbath is seen by His vindication of His disciples, when they plucked and ate the ears of corn. He thus silenced the scrupulously religious Pharisees, and bade them learn that mercy and not sacrifice was what God desired.
Then He Himself goes farther and heals the withered hand on the Sabbath, thereby testifying to His own saying that “the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” Such a blow struck at their formalism brought out their rage and desire to kill Jesus. Alas! when it was eventually done, they kept sabbath while the Messiah was lying in the tomb. Happily, another path was before the Lord, which He in the absoluteness of divine grace states (John 5) when the Sabbath was again in question, “My Father worketh hitherto and I work” up to the deepest which His Father had given Him to do. If the cross of Christ brought out Jewish, as well as Gentile, hatred to God, and crushed out every hope for man in the flesh, it is there and there only that
God was glorified as to sin, and that a righteous basis was laid to make good all the divine counsels, and the eternal rest ever in the mind of God. In the anticipation of the infinite results of that work, how significant are the words of Jesus! “I have glorified Thee on the earth, I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.” How well calculated to open out the bright future, of God's eternal rest!
It is in view of this, that the Epistle written to the believing Hebrews sheds light, both on the present position of their Messiah, and the promised rest. The Son of God, Who had glorified God, in Himself purging our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Moreover as to the world to come (or age of long promised glory), the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, has all put in subjection under Him, already crowned in heaven with glory and honor. Thence the Christian knows that the sabbath of rest is above, whilst encouraged in the place of labor and sorrow. “There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God,” this future rest of God, earthly as well as heavenly. Rest of conscience is not the point here, for this would deny the truth insisted on in chap. 10:12-14, where Jesus, having completed His work, is “forever sat down”; and by His offering the believer is forever perfect as to conscience. Rest in this sense being the believer's abiding portion, the order now is—using diligence and then rest; so that Christ giving present rest in His right as the Son of God, and the rest which His finished work gives to the conscience, are blessedly consistent with the rest of God in future glory. Then toil shall be o'er and God's eternal day enjoyed. Like the joy of the father with the prodigal, it began and knows no end.
Vain is it therefore to seek rest here, or debate upon the Jewish Sabbath, which so many now unwarrantably confound with the Lord's day. Important as the Lord's day is for the Christian as the day of privilege in worship and service, it turns distinctively on Christ risen and the new creation. But God shall have His rest for and with His people in the millennial sabbath, and finally in the eternal day. That glorious time is briefly spoken of in Rev. 21:1-81And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:1‑8), where it is written, God will make all things new, and the tabernacle of God shall dwell with men; death, pain, and sorrow shall be no more, and God Himself shall wipe away all tears. Then will He rest in His love, and His people share the rest of God through an unclouded eternity. Bright indeed the present prospect to energize the Christian's daily labor, and to calm amid the conflict, as the Holy Ghost leads into the realities of the rest secured by Jesus for the people of God.
( To be continued).