Within the New Testament, we see the Apostles observing the festivals. For instance, the events of Acts 2 and the giving of the Holy Spirit take place on the festival of Shavuot, Paul spends Passover in Philippi and then hurries back to Jerusalem so he can celebrate the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) at the temple (Acts 20:6, 16). We see Yeshua celebrate the Sukkot (the festival of booths) in John 7, there is reference to Yom Kippur in Acts 27:9, and Paul even commands the Corinthians to celebrate Passover (1Cor. 5:8.
Despite this, early in the Church’s history, Christians moved away from celebrating the biblical festivals. In modern times, believers within the Messianic, Hebrew Roots, and Torah Movement have begun to celebrate the biblical festivals again realizing these festivals point to the work of Christ on the cross. For those within the mainstream Christian Church, these groups have taken on too much Jewish tradition in an attempt to “look” Jewish. But are Christians missing something? If we strip away the rabbinic traditions associated with these festivals we can see the wonderful prophetic point God has made in the festival cycle prescribed by the texts of the Tanach.
There are five main holidays in the festival cycle that God commands the children of Israel to celebrate. Each year the festival cycle recounts the redemption of Israel from Egypt and the journey to make this nation clean and acceptable to the coming King that would unite in covenantal relationship with her and rule over her for eternity. This festival cycle also shows the personal salvation of every single person, the coming of our returning King, the outcome of the coming day of judgment, and the eternal joy and peace we as believers will have when our King finally reigns supreme from His throne in Jerusalem.
The first festival in this cycle is Passover which celebrates the children of Israel being miraculously freed from slavery to Egypt. The image of a lamb that is slaughtered and the blood that is put on the doorpost in order for the destroyer to pass by shows the work Yeshua would do on the cross on behalf of His elect. The events that took place on the first Passover were not just done so that Israel could be freed from the oppressive Pharaoh, but also served as a prophecy of our redemption from sin through the shed blood of God’s only begotten Son. The payment for sin through blood and the death of a first-born son was prophesying the Messianic figure who would bring about redemption and make us no longer slaves to darkness (Egypt) but slaves to light (service to Christ).
Israel walks through the water of the Red Sea, a foreshadow of our baptism by water into the service of the Messiah’s washing away of sin and cleansing unto the Almighty God.
Directly connected to this is Shavuot (Pentecost). This festival is connected to Passover through the counting of the omer. The omer was an offering of grain each day in the temple for 50 consecutive days. These days are counted until we arrive at the giving of the covenant which was originally given at Mt. Sinai. God’s people have been taken out of service to Pharaoh and are now going to serve the Almighty God. The covenant is the contract between God and His people that they will serve Him and they will be His people. Covenant stipulations are given showing God’s people are set apart unto Him and instruct His bride how they are to be sanctified unto the Lord. This festival ultimately highlights the continued work of sanctification that we as believers continue to pursue. The giving of the Holy Spirit on this festival in the book of Acts shows that the Covenant inclusion and the payment for sin by the Son of God are not only for the people of Israel but extends to all nations. Through the giving of the Holy Spirit on this festival, we are to understand that the Abrahamic Covenant is being fulfilled through the Gospel message.
After a stretch of time, we now come to the fall festivals. Little is said in the Scriptures about the festival of Yom Teruah, or what is commonly referred to as Rosh HaShanah. The shofar is to be heard (Lev. 23:24) and it is a joyous occasion. Like all of the Biblical festivals, Yom Teruah holds a dual meaning. The blast of the shofar wakes us to the fact that God is coming to earth to redeem His people. God comes in human form to pay the price for Sin. This event took place when Christ first came through the virgin birth (Luke 1-2). Yom Teruah also prophecies the second coming of our King:
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4.16 ESV)
Yom Teruah also marked the beginning of the civil year, as the year of jubilee started in this month and all debts were cleared and slaves released ten days later on the day of atonement.
Ultimately, Yom Teruah marks the coming of the Great King!
After Yom Teruah we count ten days and arrive at Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Before the coming of our Messiah, this day was a prophecy of the work Christ would do on the cross to pay for the sins of His people and redeem the people of Israel from their sins. Now, this day is a time to reflect on the price that was paid by our King in order to wash us clean from our transgressions. Yom Kippur also looks forward to the day of judgment when we will stand before our Lord and give an account:
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12.36–37 ESV)
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. (1 Corinthians 4.3–5 ESV)
As believers, we have an assurance that the price for sin has been paid by the Messiah and that we have been declared “not guilty” (John 3:16-21, Rom. 6:23). This day is a day of reflection on the price that has been paid by Christ on our behalf. It is a time to consider the shed blood that was given to pay the price for our sins. Within the Torah, God says Yom Kippur should be a day to “afflict your soul” (Lev. 16:29-31). This has been understood to mean Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. For believers, this is a time that is bittersweet as we realize that although we have been declared “not guilty” because of the price paid by Christ, we also realize that we are sinners that do sin, which grieves the Holy Spirit.
The final festival in the cycle is the festival of Sukkot (booths). At first glance, this festival seems a bit odd, as God commands His people to dwell in booths, or temporary structures for seven days (Lev. 23:42-43). God tells the people of Israel that they are to dwell in booths because this is what Israel did when God brought them out of the land of Egypt. The people of God had been promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but due to their rebellion, God made them wander in the desert for forty years.
But why should we remember this? It is because the seven days of dwelling in temporary structures are to represent that this life is temporary. Just as God finally brought His people into the promised land, we too will soon dwell with the King as He rules His kingdom.
Another aspect of this is that Christ came and dwelled among His people. The Almighty God came in human form and was born in a stable so that we could live with Him for eternity.
Lev. 23 tells us to dwell in booths for seven days, but then on the eighth day, there is a Sabbath day to the Lord. The eighth day is significant because our weeks only last seven days and then start again, but on the festival of Sukkot, we have an eighth day. This represents eternity with Christ. Lev. 23 states:
Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD… For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day, you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. (Leviticus 23.34, 36 ESV)
This eighth day is the culmination of the entire festival cycle. We were saved by the blood of the lamb during Passover, we were sanctified unto God at Pentecost, we saw the Almighty God coming to earth to save His people, and His return on Yom Teruah. We were declared “not guilty” because of Christ’s sacrifice, and His blood paid the price for our sin so we will owe nothing on the day of judgment which we see at Yom Kippur, and because of this, we will live in eternity with Christ which we celebrate during the festival of booths.
One of the things that has struck me as I have studied the biblical festivals is that these joyous times are meant to point us to Christ. Every time my family celebrates them we learn something new, realize something we hadn’t before and come closer to our savior because of them. They are designed to shine the Messiah through the year and to turn our hearts to Christ. I believe that every believer should celebrate these festivals because at the center of each one is Yeshua.
Focus Text – Genesis 21-22; Numbers 29:1-6
In ancient calendars the year was reckoned by the harvest which takes place in the fall. The Lord specifically changes this for Israel making Nisan the first month.
This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12.2 NAS95)
Why does God even make this statement? If the year already began in Nisan this would not need to be declared. Exodus 12:2 signals a change for Israel in their calendar. This change may seem very small but does one very specific thing. It places Passover as the first festival in the year. This can be seen even by its placement within the Tanach, as the command comes at the beginning of the charge to celebrate Passover and the beginning of the chapter that describes how this festival should be observed and the events of the Passover itself.
Within traditional Judaism, there are four new years.
Yom Teruah is specifically marked out as the time to count the Shemitah (sabbatical) year. Every seventh year the land was to go unharvested. Much has been said and written about the agricultural effects this had (and has) on land and the harvest. Although some might think this to be a strain on farmers within Israel, it has been suggested that the yield within the other six years is much greater if a sabbatical year is observed. Yom Teruah was also the time to start counting the Yovel (Jubilee) year. This occurred every 50th year (there is a debate as to weather it occurred on the 50th year, or if 50 years were counted and then the Yovel took place making it actually the 51st year) and was the time that slaves were released, land went back to its original owner, and debts were forgiven. This did multiple things for those living within Israel’s borders. With respect to the land, the Yovel guaranteed the ownership was retained by the tribe God had originally given it to. The forgiving of debt was a way to reset the economy within the land, and it went hand in hand with freeing slaves. Although our western minds rightfully have a bad taste in our mouth for slavery, biblical slavery was quite different than what we may have in our minds. Slaves had rights within the biblical model and were to be treated with respect. However, slavery within this model most likely came from the inability to pay a debt. The slave was retained until the amount of the debt was paid off. A function of the Yovel was to relieve debt, which in turn would release a person from slavery. For someone who owed more than they would ever be able to work off in a lifetime, this guaranteed they would see freedom as long as they did not become a slave later in life.
As previously stated, the Torah commanded the first month of the year to be Nisan. Yet, it is obvious that counting special “years” was reckoned by Yom Teruah. Certainly, if a person was a slave scheduled to be released on the Yovel in two years, they would be counting the years by Yom Teruah. Thus, while the rabbis have created four new-years within the calendar, the Bible does seem to give us two different ways of counting years.
Within the cycle of the festivals, Yom Teruah comes at a significant time. When the entire year is seen as the history of Israel and/or the history of God’s elect the picture comes increasingly into focus. Israel has been redeemed at Passover, traveled to Sinai and received the covenant that separates them as a distinct people unto God. These are the requirements that sanctify them as a unique people. We are then given a long period of time before the next festival. Within the historic picture, Israel was given the covenant and then fell away. In the wilderness a series of events make them wander and the rebellious generation that worshipped the golden calf dies not able to see the land because of their lack of trust in the Almighty God. Once in the land, Israel turns from God and moves to idolatry. Yom Teruah is a call to repentance. Like a lighthouse on the jagged rocks of the shore, Yom Teruah signals the day of atonement is near. The sound of the shofar is a signal that the true King is coming. It is a call to return to the true king, and come out of idolatry. It is a blast that should wake us out of sin and turn our eyes and our ears back to the living God.
This festival starts in motion the beginning of the fall festivals. Yom Teruah grabs the attention of the elect and calls us to set our hearts right before the day of atonement that occurs ten days later. During these ten days, we should be focusing on our lives and how we are living out our faith. We should be checking our hearts, our motives, and our personal relationship with the Messiah Yeshua. The entire festival cycle is designed to make us focus on our personal relationship with God. This is one of the distinct differences from non-biblical holidays. Not only are all five biblical festivals directly connected to each other, but they are specifically given to build our relationship with the Lord, to look inwardly at our own lives and consider what needs to be changed. Each festival is given to look at a different aspect of faith and our walk with God.
Passover: Focuses on our redemption from slavery and the overpowering love that God has to bring us out of oppression. It is a time to look at God’s declaration that we have been proclaimed “not guilty” and have been justified. The Passover celebration is a prophecy of each one of our coming to faith and being brought out from under the slavery of sin into the service of God. Our salvation is secured by the fact that God is on our side and the lamb of God has been crucified on our behalf. Israel’s journey through the waters of the Red Sea is paralleled by our own baptism which is a declaration that we have fully given our lives to the Messiah. We are now slaves to righteousness.
Shavuot: Looking at the covenant relationship that has been established between each of us personally and the obligations that go along with this loving relationship. It is a time to focus on being “set apart,” that is, a time to focus on our sanctification. Now that we are slaves to Yeshua the covenant requirements are set before us. We are to live lives that are dedicated to our Lord and savior. This is not to be done because we are forced by the one we serve, but out of a true willingness and love for the one that has set us free from sin. Sanctification is the fruit of true faith and the joy of any believer.
Yom Teruah: A call to repentance and to re-examine our own hearts and minds to make sure they are centered on the one we serve. It is a time to look inward and assess our relationship with the Lord and get our hearts right for the coming of the one we love. It is a call of preparation for our king. As believers, we await the second coming of Yeshua when He will sit enthroned in glory on this earth.
Yom Kippur: The day that focuses on our atonement through the shed blood of the Messiah Yeshua. It is the day that we focus on the debt that has been paid, and the love that the Lord has for each one of us. Not only is it a time to look at the cost of what was done for us, but to re-evaluate how we are responding to the gift that has been given. As the lamb that was sacrificed and its’ blood taken into the holy of holies to be sprinkled on the ark, so the living God lowered Himself to become like one of the creatures He created and came in the form of a servant. Not in the form of a King or born into a life of comfort by human standards, which would still be an unbelievable injustice for the Holy God of the World, but was born in a stable to a family of humble and meager living. And for what? To experience death at the hands of those who falsely accused Him of something that went against His entire nature, so that He may redeem the elect. The picture of the lamb’s blood being brought into the holy of holies is a representation of Yeshua’s ascension to the Father where He entered the throne room of the Almighty and presented His blood as payment for us. Now that this work has been finished, Yeshua has sat down at the right hand of the Father in order to pray for His elect.
Sukkot: Now that we have been through the other four festivals, we can see the full picture of the Lord’s love for us, and the relationship He has with us. We have been given full atonement, and our lives have been made new through Him. Sin has been paid for and now we are once again able to dwell fully in the presence of the Lord. We are reminded that our lives on this earth are temporary and that our true reward comes in the eternal dwelling of the Lord on the earth. Our reward is in heaven. This festival is eight days long, representing eternity, and the earth made right by the cleansing of sin. It is a celebration of the communion we will have with the Lord.
Taken as a whole these five biblical festivals help us assess our own lives. They force us to look at our relationship with the Lord and the way we are walking out our faith. Each festival is an integral part of the salvation narrative.
Numbers 29:1 tells us that this day is a day of “blowing trumpets to YHVH.” The shofar (or the trumpet) in ancient times was intended to signal something. In battle, different blasts would direct various groups within the army to do certain things like attack, retreat, move to a flank, and so on. The trumpet could also signal things, like the sighting of the new moon, the arrival of royalty, and much more. The blast of a trumpet could be interpreted as a good thing or a warning. So what are the implications for the trumpets being blown on Yom Teruah?
Finally, the portions that are assigned to this festival is the binding of Isaac. Why were these chapters chosen for this festival? We can notice several main features. First, the passage we read shows the personal relationship God has with His elect. We see the redemption of the firstborn. For believers in the Messiah Yeshua, this passage is very appropriate, since Isaac is a type of our Lord. Since this story is one substitutionary atonement, it is perfect for the festival that calls us to look at our lives and prepare for the true atonement we have in Yeshua.
Second, the sacrifice that takes Isaac’s place is that of a ram and since the ram’s horn is to be blown on this festival (or heard on this festival), the rabbis saw a perfect correlation.
Third, the Abrahamic covenant is once again upheld by God in this passage. The very covenant that promises the Messiah Yeshua will come and deal with sin and bless all the families of the earth is a central highlight of this festival and within this passage.
As we prepare for the fall festivals we should remember that although these festivals all have their own individual aspects, they should be viewed as connected. We should reflect on the spring festivals and how they are connected to the celebrations we are about to take part in. As Yom Teruah approaches, we should look inward at our relationship with the Messiah and make it a point to get our lives right with Him. And we should also remember that through our Messiah’s shed blood, this season is a joyous time because we have been set free from slavery to sin, and have been made new creatures that are loved by the Father.
The festival of Yom Kippur is filled with prophetic imagery of our Messiah’s work on the cross. Every aspect of Aaron’s work can be linked to the sacrificial offering Christ made for His people. The day of atonement comes ten days after Yom Teruah. If Yom Teruah signifies the coming of the King, then Yom Kippur is the time when we stand before that King and give account. For believers, this day is bittersweet as we have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb and have an advocate, namely Yeshua. At the same time, as sinners, we continue to fall and realize the need for our savior. The day of atonement is a day to take stock of our lives and turn our hearts to the Lord in true repentance.
The Torah gives two main texts that discuss the day of atonement. Lev. 16 covers how Israel is to celebrate this day and the duties and obligations of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies. Leviticus 23:26-32 speaks specifically to the people and how they are to turn their hearts to the Almighty on this day.
This chapter begins by setting the context. Verse 1 states:
The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, (Leviticus 16.1 ESV)
In Lev. 10 Nadab and Avihu attempt to offer fire to the Lord, but they do not approach God correctly and are struck dead:
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Leviticus 10.1–2 ESV)
The temple itself is the place where God and man meet in-person to commune with one another. This sacred space points back to the Garden of Eden before the fall where God and man are able to dwell in harmony. The fact that sin has entered the world and man is now marked by it is something the temple brings front and center. The priest is not able to enter the Holy of Holies unless a death takes place first. Payment must be made for uncleanness before one can enter the presence of the Almighty God.
God will give specific instructions on how man can approach Him in this holy space. This passage looks at how the nation of Israel as a whole will be made righteous before God, but it also is a foreshadow of the coming Messiah and how each individual is cleansed from their own sin. My father and teacher writes:
In the narrative structure of Leviticus, the various types of sacrifices have been delineated, showing the prescribed manner in which God could be approached through the mediation of the appointed priests. The story of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, and the errant manner in which they performed their duties, is given prior to our parashah in order to emphasize how serious the whole priestly function was, and to show that there was only one way in which God could be approached. Any deviation from the pattern given by God was completely unacceptable. Mankind could not devise his own methods of atonement. Only God’s way would be acceptable. Thus Moses reminds us of the death of Aaron’s sons to emphasize that His way of atonement was the only way sins could be removed.1
God restates the reason for the specific laws given in this passage, so that Aaron “may not die” (v. 2) when he enters the Holy of Holies. Verse three states that “with this” (בְּזֹאת) Aaron should enter the most holy place. “With this” is a reference to the multiple commands that follow, i.e. a bull as a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering, wearing linen garments, with his body washed. All of these elements represent the work that Yeshua would do. The sin offering was a representation of Christ’s death in place of Aaron who represents each individual. The lamb represented the acceptable sacrifice of Yeshua in His perfect life that would be accepted by God. The linen garments represent the pure state of a believer once the sacrifice of Christ has been made so that they can approach and dwell with the living God, and Aaron’s washed body represents the washing away of sin, cleansing, and purity.
Aaron also represents our Messiah as He is the one who ascended to heaven to present His own blood to the Father in the Holy of Holies not made with hands:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9.11–12 ESV)
Aaron sacrifices the bull outside the inner sanctuary as a sin offering, representing Christ’s death as the atonement for our sins. Ritualistically, Aaron’s debt has been paid with this sacrifice and he can now enter the presence of the Almighty.
The fact that Aaron had to offer a sacrifice for himself along with his family highlights the point that Aaron is not the ultimate high priest but is an earthly representation of the ultimate high-priest, Yeshua. Although Aaron represents Christ in many ways, he also shows the fallen nature of humanity and the fact that we as fallen man are unable to atone for sins. It is only God that can bring about atonement.
Aaron will now bring the two goats to the entrance of the tent and cast lots over them. The two goats are taken from “the congregation of the people of Israel” (v. 5) signifying the Messiah, who would be the ultimate atoning sacrifice, would come from the people of Israel.
The goat that is designated by lot to the Lord is killed and its blood, along with the blood of the bull, will be brought into the holy of holies and sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The priest also takes some of this blood and sprinkles it on the altar outside the tent of meeting.
Once this has been accomplished the priest now turns his attention to the second goat. This goat is sometimes translated “scapegoat” which is taken from the Greek Septuagint ἀποπομπαίῳ (apopompaio) meaning to “carry away”. The Hebrew literally says this goat is for “Azazel” (עֲזָאזֵל), a term that has been largely debated among scholars.
Some believe the term “Azazel” is a reference to a place and suggest this word comes from the Arabic word עזל (atzal) meaning “rough ground or terrain.” Perhaps the most predominant view is that Azazel is a reference to a demon or desert god. This view is taken by Keil and Delitzsch who state:
We have not to think, however, of any demon whatever, who seduces men to wickedness in the form of an evil spirit, as the fallen angel Azazel is represented as doing in the Jewish writings (Book of Enoch 8:1; 10:10; 13:1ff.), like the terrible field Shibe, whom the Arabs of the peninsula of Sinai so much dread (Seetzen, i. pp. 273-4), but of the devil himself, the head of the fallen angels, who was afterwards called Satan; for no subordinate evil spirit could have been placed in antithesis to Jehovah as Azazel is here, but only the ruler or head of the kingdom of demons. The desert and desolate places are mentioned elsewhere as the abode of evil spirits (Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Matt. 12:43; Luke 11:24; Rev. 18:2). The desert, regarded as an image of death and desolation, corresponds to the nature of evil spirits, who fell away from the primary source of life, and in their hostility to God devastated the world, which was created good, and brought death and destruction in their train.”2
This view is not without its problems. Hegg notes:
Some rabbinic sources, as well as many modern commentators, take Azazel to be the name of a pagan, desert goat demon, and suggest that the iniquities of the Israel are carried back to their pagan source via the live goat. Though this has become the dominant interpretation among modern commentators, it seems far more based upon modern theories of the history of religions than upon historical and textual data. The support for the word meaning “the goat that departs,” and by extension, “the goat that carries away evil” seems quite adequate.3
No matter the meaning of the term “Azazel,” the live goat (like the goat that is sacrificed) represents Christ. Verse 21 states:
And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. (Leviticus 16.21 ESV)
The innocent goat takes the sins of the people of Israel and bears them. It is led outside the camp and the sins of the people are taken away. This is a direct revelation of Christ, the spotless and innocent one, taking on the sins of His people outside the city as He submitted to God and accepted death.
I was once asked which goat in this text represented Yeshua? The answer is both. The goat that lives represents Yeshua who takes on our sins and endures the punishment meant for us. The goat that is sacrificed and whose blood is taken into the holy of holies represents our Messiah’s death and His blood being presented before the Father in the heavenly temple. The priest that presents the blood in the most holy place represents Jesus as well, who is our high priest and has taken His own blood inside the heavenly temple to make atonement for His people.
This solemn day is one that points in every way to the sacrifice of our King on the cross for our sins. It is interesting that a celebration of the work to bring God’s people to Himself has been set aside by the mainstream Church. Although this festival at one time pointed to the work the Messiah would do on the cross and in the heavenly temple, it now points back to the salvation we have because of that work. Every believer can learn and celebrate the pictures that are given to us in this passage. We should all mourn our own transgression against God, but we turn our hearts to the Lord and ask forgiveness for our sins. But we should also rejoice and celebrate the fact that God has loved us so much that He came to pay the price for us. His death has taken the place of our eternal punishment and we are now free to enter His presence with thanksgiving. We can now commune with the Almighty because of the work of Christ.
Focus Text – Numbers 29:12-16
Our Torah portion from the book of Numbers may seem like another boring passage that lays out a temple service that is for a time that has long since been forgotten. Our western minds have a difficult time imagining what the temple service might have looked liked, smelled like, and felt like. Yet, this passage is packed full with more than meets the eye.
We should first note that just as in Lev. 23:34-36, our text tells us the festival of Sukkot is seven days long:
Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. ‘On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. ‘For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. (Leviticus 23.34–36 NAS95)
Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. (Numbers 29.12 NAS95)
Both texts specifically tell us that the festival of Sukkot is for seven days, but then go on the proclaim “on the eighth day…” What is more, the text of numbers shows the eighth day to be specific in the numbering of sacrifices that are presented.
An interesting feature of the Sukkot offerings is that of the bulls offered. The first day begins with 13 bulls and each day the amount of bulls offered is one less than the day before. In total, 70 bulls are offered4 in the seven days of Sukkot. This of course gives rise to speculation on the reason for the specific number given on each day.
The later rabbis attribute the 70 bulls sacrificed during the seven day period to a sacrifice for the nations:
“You find that on Sukkot, Israel offers to Him seventy bulls as an atonement for the seventy nations. Israel says: “Sovereign of the worlds! Behold, we offer for them seventy bulls and they ought to love us, yet they hate us! As it says, ‘In return for my love they are my adversaries’” (Ps. 109:4). The Holy One Blessed Be He, in consequence, said to them: “Now, therefore, offer a sacrifice on your own behalf: ‘On the eighth day . . . one bull’” (29:35–36). This may be compared to the case of a king who made a banquet for seven days and invited all the people in the province during the seven days of the feast. When the seven days of the feast were over he said to his friend: “We have already done our duty to all the people of the province, let us now make shift, you and I, with whatever you can find—a pound of meat, or of fish, or vegetables.” In like manner the Holy One Blessed Be He said to Israel: “‘On the eighth day, you shall hold a solemn gathering’; make shift with whatever you can find; with ‘one bull . . .”5
The notion of seventy people groups (or nations) is a later rabbinic invention, and in my opinion this interpretation falls short. The significance of the eighth day is most certainly one of completion, and eternity. Whereas the normal cycle of days continues to repeat after the 7th day Sabbath, the 8th day festival6 of (or after) Sukkot is the only festival that actually prescribes an eighth day. This fits perfectly into the festival cycle, as it is the last non-weekly Sabbath prescribed before we start over. The year long festival model is a picture of our own salvation, but it may also be a snapshot of God’s entire plan of redemption for Israel,7 culminating in the eternal communion of God and His people, signified by the eighth day after Sukkot.
With this in mind, my first thought was that of Daniel 9. In verse 24, Daniel gives a prophecy of the whole story of redemption, then in verse 25 he pulls back and begins to give prophecy of specific points in time (i.e. the coming of the Messiah and the destruction of the temple). Daniel’s prophecy of the entire picture of redemption tells us:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (Daniel 9.24 NAS95)
We are given good understanding that this prophecy encompasses the whole of God’s redemptive plan since there is an end to sin and everlasting righteousness is hailed in.
Much has been written and suggested about what this text means. It should first be noted that the Hebrew phrase שָׁבֻעִים שִׁבְעִים (seventy weeks) is never used in any other place in the masculine form as it is here. This has led most commentators to agree that this is done specifically and should not be read “weeks” but rather “units”.8 Thus, the beginning of this verse might better be translated as “seventy sevens have been decreed for you…” Hegg along with others have argued that seven Shemitah (sabbatical) years equal a Yovel (jubilee). With this understanding, some have argued that from the time Israel crossed the Jordan and took control of the land of Israel,9 until the coming of the Messiah for His final reign will be 70 Jubilee years.10
Just as Daniel incorporates numbering into God’s final picture of redemption, I believe the seven days of Sukkot do the same thing. Seven is a significant number within the Bible. Seven days in a week, seven years in a Shemitah, seven Shemitah’s and then the Yovel. Now we see seventy being used to signify the complete story. Seventy sevens in Daniel’s prophecy of the entire picture of redemption, and seventy bulls in the week of Sukkot.
It should quickly be mentioned that it is no accident that the 7th day of Sukkot has 7 bulls sacrificed on it, a wonderful culmination of the number of rest on the final day of the seven day festival.
What continues to stick out is the addition of the eighth day. In both texts from the Torah describing Sukkot we are informed “and on the eighth day…” The sacrifices drastically change, and we are now left with one sacrifice in each category except the lambs. My thought is that the number of one sacrifice for all the categories except the lambs is to signify that there is only one true sacrifice that brings us into our final rest. Yeshua fulfilled the sacrifices that represented death, and has made us able to dwell with Him. Seven lambs because the lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world has become the sacrifice for His people throughout the whole of history. Now we have true rest (‘Shabbat’, represented by seven) in the sacrificial lamb that brought us out of Egypt into salvation. Now we commune with Him.
Sukkot is one of the most attested to festivals in the Tanach. Besides the commands to keep this festival, we see it being celebrated in 1Kings 8:66, 2Chron. 7:8-10, Nehemiah 8, and it is the only festival mentioned in Zecheriah 14. Of all these lets look quickly at Nehemiah 8.
It should be noted that we are given a time marker in verse 2, explaining that the event took place on the first day of the seventh month, which makes this story pickup on Yom Teruah. Another time marker is given in verse 13, but this raises questions. Where is the mention of Yom Kippur? From the text it sounds like the people are reading on the second day of the seventh month, which means Yom Kippur should be nine days from this time marker. Yet nothing is said about this, and Sukkot quickly becomes the focus of the people.
Some have suggested that since the Glory of God did not enter the second temple, and since it is presumed by many that the ark was never in the Holy of Holies, the priests decided not to celebrate this festival since it could not be celebrated correctly. But this also has its issues, since the people don’t seem to know about the festival of Sukkot until they read it in the Law itself. The only suggestion that seems satisfactory in my mind is that Israel had been so corrupted by idolatry that the Temple service looked nothing like what God had prescribed.
The seven days of Sukkot represent our time on this earth. This festival is supposed to be one of joy and of happiness, as we rejoice in the full redemption we have in Yeshua. Unlike any other festival we see the entire story of redemption from the beginning of time to the final coming of the Messiah wrapped in this festival. As a whole, all five biblical festivals show the entire story of redemption, but the eighth day of Sukkot is something that should stand out to us. We dwell in temporary dwellings to remind us that this life is temporary, and that our true home is with our King in the world to come. Perhaps we should also remember that everything we have, all the comforts of our normal life are a gift from God that can be taken away at any moment. But the ultimate message of this festival is that our King holds redemption in His hand, through His very own blood. We are able to dwell with Him, to commune in harmony with Him, only because of the work He has done for us. May these fall festivals remind us of the love the Messiah has for each one of us.
C.M. Hegg
Staff Writer
Caleb holds a two year certificate from TR-Institute and has taken classes at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has published commentaries on the book of Acts and Colossians and has been the co-host of Messiah Matters since its inception in 2012.
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