231 The Lord spoke again to Moses , saying , 2 "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 : 3 ' For six days work may be done , but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest , a holy convocation . You shall not do any work ; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings .
4 'These are the appointed times of the Lord , holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them 5 ' In the first month , on the fourteenth e day of the month at twilight is the Lord'S Passover . 6 'Then on the fifteenth e day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord ; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread . 7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation ; you shall not do any laborious work . 8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord . On the seventh day is a holy convocation ; you shall not do any laborious work .' " 9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest , then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest . 11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted ; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 'Now on the day when you wave the sheaf , you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord . 13 'Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths e of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil , an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma , with its drink offering , a fourth of a hin of wine . 14 'Until this same day , until you have brought in the offering of your God , you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth . It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places
15 ' You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath , from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering ; there shall be seven complete sabbaths . 16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath ; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord . 17 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering , made of two-tenths e of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour , baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord . 18 'Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect , and a bull e e of the herd and two rams ; they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord , with their grain offering and their drink offerings , an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord . 19 'You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings 20 'The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the Lord ; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest . 21 'On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation . You shall do no e laborious work . It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations 22 ' When you reap the harvest of your land , moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest ; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien . I am the Lord your God .' "
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 23:1-22
Commentary on Leviticus 23:1-3
(Read Leviticus 23:1-3)
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.
Commentary on Leviticus 23:4-14
(Read Leviticus 23:4-14)
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, Proverbs 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.
Commentary on Leviticus 23:15-22
(Read Leviticus 23:15-22)
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.