231 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2 'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim, holy convocations, 'are' these: they 'are' My appointed seasons: 3 six days is work done, and in the seventh day 'is' a sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye do no work; it 'is' a sabbath to Jehovah in all your dwellings.
4 'These 'are' appointed seasons of Jehovah, holy convocations, which ye proclaim in their appointed seasons: 5 in the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the evenings, 'is' the passover to Jehovah; 6 and on the fifteenth day of this month 'is' the feast of unleavened things to Jehovah; seven days unleavened things ye do eat; 7 on the first day ye have a holy convocation, ye do no servile work; 8 and ye have brought near a fire-offering to Jehovah seven days; in the seventh day 'is' a holy convocation; ye do no servile work.' 9 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 10 'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye come in unto the land which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest, and have brought in the sheaf, the beginning of your harvest unto the priest, 11 then he hath waved the sheaf before Jehovah for your acceptance; on the morrow of the sabbath doth the priest wave it. 12 'And ye have prepared in the day of your waving the sheaf a lamb, a perfect one, a son of a year, for a burnt-offering to Jehovah, 13 and its present two tenth deals of flour mixed with oil, a fire-offering to Jehovah, a sweet fragrance, and its drink-offering, wine, a fourth of the hin. 14 'And bread and roasted corn and full ears ye do not eat until this self-same day, until your bringing in the offering of your God—a statute age-during to your generations, in all your dwellings.
15 'And ye have numbered to you from the morrow of the sabbath, from the day of your bringing in the sheaf of the wave-offering: they are seven perfect sabbaths; 16 unto the morrow of the seventh sabbath ye do number fifty days, and ye have brought near a new present to Jehovah; 17 out of your dwellings ye bring in bread of a wave-offering, two 'loaves', of two tenth deals of flour they are, 'with' yeast they are baken, first-'fruits' to Jehovah. 18 'And ye have brought near, besides the bread, seven lambs, perfect ones, sons of a year, and one bullock, a son of the herd, and two rams; they are a burnt-offering to Jehovah, with their present and their libations, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah. 19 'And ye have prepared one kid of the goats for a sin-offering, and two lambs, sons of a year, for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, 20 and the priest hath waved them, besides the bread of the first-'fruits'—a wave-offering before Jehovah, besides the two lambs; they are holy to Jehovah for the priest; 21 and ye have proclaimed on this self-same day: a holy convocation is to you, ye do no servile work—a statute age-during in all your dwellings, to your generations. 22 'And in your reaping the harvest of your land thou dost not complete the corner of thy field in thy reaping, and the gleaning of thy harvest thou dost not gather, to the poor and to the sojourner thou dost leave them; I Jehovah 'am' 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.