A Divine Calendar

Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Leviticus 23:1-44.

As the LORD orders holy places for His people, so He orders holy times for His people. The Sabbath was the LORD’s gift of weekly rest for His people, so that they would trust that He is their Creator and Redeemer. The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks were clustered toward the beginning of their year, and the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths were clustered around the middle of the year. In this way, the LORD ordered His people’s lives around His gifts, so that they would receive all things from Him with thanksgiving.

“The Holiness of God” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Leviticus. Because God desired to dwell among His sinful people for their blessing rather than their destruction, He gave them the sacrifices and regulations of Leviticus to bestow His holiness upon them. In this way, the book of Leviticus points us to Christ who is our great High Priest who offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to make us holy before God.