How Many Feasts are there in the Bible?

I have found that over the years that I can get on a whim about something, write it down, then forget about simply because I get distracted, or move onto something else. The problem with that is I found that I have material here and material there, but pulling it together is another story. Surely, I am not the only one that has run into this before.

Recently, I was asked a question about the different feasts, and as I was explaining it I told him that I would email him something about it. Well, being able to pull all the material together is another thing. It may be in one place in my mind, but in 10 or 15 places on my hard drive. Anyway...

The Bible explains the different feasts to us, and depending upon which book, or verse, of the Old Testament you read depends upon your conclusion as to how many feasts there are. So the question becomes How many feasts are there? Based on Leviticus 23 there are 7, yet according to Exodus 23 there are 3. So which is it? Let's see what is the difference between the book of Exodus and the book of Leviticus, and you will see that the answer is more obvious than it appears.

In Exodus 23:14-17 the Lord is telling the Moses "Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me."The 3 feasts mentioned are:

  • Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread)
  • Shavuot (Feast of Harvest); also known as Pentecost
  • Sukkot (Feast of Ingathering); also known as Feast of Tabernacles

So the big question is, why does Leviticus have 7 feasts?
If we look at Leviticus 23:3-36 we see them as:

  • Passover
  • Unleavened Bread
  • Firstfruits
  • Shavuot or Pentecost
  • Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
  • Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
  • Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

Looking at the above list we do see the 3 feasts previously mentioned, but did God add 4 more to the list? The answer is yes and no. Let me say this first, in Leviticus even though it mentions 8 feasts or appointed times* (see Keeping the Feasts), the first being the Sabbath I do not include it. Why? Because this is the only one that is repeated weekly, and is a time of rest not celebration or fasting. In verse 4 God tells us "These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.". They are to be done yearly and at a certain time each year.

Starting with Passover we see that it is only to be celebrated 1 day, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be celebrated for 7 days. Jewish people today say that Passover is 8 days, but that is because they are blurring the two together as one. Dovetailing that is the Feast of Firstfruits, or Harvest. Now 50 days later we have the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, also known in Hebrew as Shavuot. This ends all of the Spring feasts, with 2 feasts.

In the Fall we start off with Rosh Hashonah, or the Jewish New Year; nine days later there is Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. Finally following up with Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles.

Overall, it should be now much clearer. We start off with Passover closing out the Spring with Shavuot, then in the Fall we start off with Rosh Hashonah and close it out with Sukkot.

We can also see the how this ties in with Yeshua (Jesus). In the Fall, starting off Rosh Hashana we have the blowing of trumpets announcing the coming of a great and mighty King and Messiah. On Yom Kippur, we have the ultimate sacrifice for all us that has been given. Then on Sukkotthe we have the birth of the One all were waiting for. Approximately 30 years later we have Yeshua at the Passover (Last Supper) where Yeshua dies on that same day. On the first day of Unleavened Bread He rested, and then is raised up on First Fruits as our offering. It was 50 days later that the Holy Spirit fell on Shavuot where now we have the gift of tongues.

I realize that the above statement summarizing the 7 appointed times leaves a lot of room for more explanation, but that is not the scope of this blog at this time. Maybe in a latter one I could discuss that.

Until next time... Shalom!

* = I use the word feasts and appointed times interchangeably because of the actual translation as shown in the NASB.

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