Leviticus 23:1-2; Colossians 2:16-17
"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.'"
(LEVITICUS 23:2)
Even before I received Jesus as my Jewish Messiah over 30 years ago, I had a good understanding that God often used stories with visual aids in my Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) to teach great spiritual truths. These "pictures," experienced with the physical senses, demonstrated to Israel what God required of them, how they could come to know Him better, and how they should walk with Him daily.
What I didn't realize as I sat in cheder (Hebrew school), learning about my Judaism and bar mitzvah (a "son of the commandment"), was that every one of those "pictures" pointed to Jesus Christ. Referring to God's appointed times in Leviticus 23, the Jewish Rabbi Shaul (that's the Apostle Paul) writes in the New Testament, "These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ" (Colossians 2:17).
Shabbat (the Sabbath), Pesach (Passover), Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Succoth (Tabernacles), and the holiest day of the Jewish Year, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)-all shadows of Jesus!
INSIGHT
THE RABBIS SAY THAT "COINCIDENCE" IS NOT A KOSHER WORD!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Isaiah 47-48
Psalm 94
Acts 17
Leviticus 23:1-2
New International Version (NIV)
The Appointed Festivals
23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
Colossians 2:16-17
New International Version (NIV)
Freedom From Human Rules
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
HE IS HERE
with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Fictional characters like Santa Claus and Scrooge often overshadow the nativity. How can we keep the spotlight on Jesus in our own homes?
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