In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:
It commands the fifteenth of Nisan, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread after the Passover lamb was slain and eaten on the fourteenth, to be kept as a holy gathering on which no ordinary work is done, with special offerings appointed through the feast. It stands first among the seven annual sabbaths, paired with the seventh day of the feast on the twenty-first, falling on different weekdays from year to year by the lunar calendar and distinct from the weekly Sabbath, whose day and succession it does not change. It belongs to the continual Levitical ministration in the holy place, kept in remembrance of sin in faith of the Redeemer to come as the shadow of Christ's ministry in the heavenly tabernacle, distinct from the yearly work of the high priest alone in the most holy. So fulfilled, Christ was sacrificed on the fourteenth, raised on firstfruits and followed by Pentecost, and by the same rule that each day's grand event meets its antitype on its very day, the work in the holiest on the tenth day of the seventh month must commence its antitype on that day. The holy convocations were occasions for public worship and instruction and cheerful cessation from labor in putting away leaven, and though the national law expired with Israel, its underlying principle of assembling for worship remains binding.
Feast Day Described
The verse belongs to the instructions for the special offerings presented on the fifteenth of Nisan, after the Passover meal on the previous night. That day is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread within the Passover festival, coming after the Passover lamb was slain and the Passover meal was eaten on the fourteenth. It is reckoned as the fifteenth of the first month and as the opening solemn day of the seven-day feast in which leaven is put away.
The day was commanded to be a holy convocation or gathering on which no servile or ordinary work or labor is done. Special offerings were prescribed through the feast in addition to the Passover itself. This form of the Passover observance was one of the later requirements added to the original instructions and belonged to the observance after the temple was built.
It stands first in order of the seven annual sabbaths appointed to Israel to be observed in a religious manner with holy convocations and sacrifices. It is the first Passover festival sabbath, paired with the seventh day of that feast on the twenty-first day of the month. These annual sabbaths occurred on specified days in the different months by the lunar calendar and so fell on different days of the week from year to year.
This yearly festival sabbath is distinct from the weekly Sabbath. Necessary food could be prepared on it, unlike the stricter rest of the weekly day. When it coincided with the weekly Sabbath the two observances made the day especially solemn, but the annual sabbath did not alter the weekly Sabbath's day or succession.
Sanctuary Service Typified
The verse belongs to the regular ministration of the earthly sanctuary, among the additional services appointed for the annual sabbaths and feasts. Those added feast-day offerings stood alongside the daily burnt offering of two lambs of the first year, one in the morning and one in the evening with meal and oil and sweet incense on the golden altar, alongside the offerings appointed for the Sabbath and the new moon, and alongside the offerings for individual sins. They were ministered by a priesthood restricted to the family of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, set apart for the sanctuary to mediate between God and man in things pertaining to God. The first day of the feast was thus marked as a holy convocation on which servile work was forbidden, with its own special service within that continual round.
That continual service was performed in the holy place, or first apartment, and was the example and shadow of Christ's more excellent ministry in the true tabernacle in heaven. It combined the various offerings brought from day to day into one offering for the nation, continuing through the year day by day with one lamb with meal and oil in the morning and the same at evening, doubled on the Sabbath day. In this way remembrance of sin was constantly made in the sanctuary, and the beasts constantly offered showed the faith of those who brought them in the Redeemer to come. These services were made for the whole congregation and were not omitted because of other offerings. This daily and festal work in the holy place stands distinct from the yearly work of the high priest alone in the most holy place for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the sanctuary.
The burnt offerings and other offerings appointed for the Passover season, the day of firstfruits, and the feast of weeks or Pentecost were the same kind of work of burnt offerings found on the Day of Atonement. They were preliminary and circumstantial, and their presence did not prevent the grand event of each day from meeting its antitype on the very day of the type. The instructions for the offerings on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, a holy convocation on which ordinary labor was forbidden, therefore did not hinder the feast's central event from being fulfilled on its appointed day.
So fulfilled, Christ was sacrificed on the fourteenth of the first month, raised on the day of firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. By the same principle, the grand work in the holiest on the tenth day of the seventh month must begin its antitype on that day, with the antitype commencing on the day of the type but extending forward a great distance. The yearly sabbath of this verse, the holy convocation with its ban on ordinary work on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth day of the first month, is the day on which Jesus was crucified.
Worship Meaning Applied
The holy convocations appointed with abstaining from servile work were occasions for public religious worship, not merely periods of rest. Their required assembling shows that observance involved spiritual instruction and worship as well as cessation from labor. The command regulated assembling and worship by enjoining a holy convocation with no servile work on the first day.
That first day was the 15th of Nisan, the first day of the week of unleavened bread after the Passover lamb was slain on the 14th. It was thus one of the yearly ceremonial sabbaths, kept in cessation from labor as the opening solemn day of the seven-day feast in which leaven is put away. Its keeping was marked by cheerfulness prevailing.
As a church law given to Israel, the command grew out of God's eternal moral law, but as law it belonged only to Israel as a nation and church. It expired with the rejection of the Jewish nation and is not legally binding today. Its great underlying principle of assembling and worship remains binding.
It commands the fifteenth of Nisan, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread after the Passover lamb was slain and eaten on the fourteenth, to be kept as a holy gathering on which no ordinary work is done, with special offerings appointed through the feast. It stands first among the seven annual sabbaths, paired with the seventh day of the feast on the twenty-first, falling on different weekdays from year to year by the lunar calendar and distinct from the weekly Sabbath, whose day and succession it does not change. It belongs to the continual Levitical ministration in the holy place, kept in remembrance of sin in faith of the Redeemer to come as the shadow of Christ's ministry in the heavenly tabernacle, distinct from the yearly work of the high priest alone in the most holy. So fulfilled, Christ was sacrificed on the fourteenth, raised on firstfruits and followed by Pentecost, and by the same rule that each day's grand event meets its antitype on its very day, the work in the holiest on the tenth day of the seventh month must commence its antitype on that day. The holy convocations were occasions for public worship and instruction and cheerful cessation from labor in putting away leaven, and though the national law expired with Israel, its underlying principle of assembling for worship remains binding.
Feast Day Described
The verse belongs to the instructions for the special offerings presented on the fifteenth of Nisan, after the Passover meal on the previous night. That day is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread within the Passover festival, coming after the Passover lamb was slain and the Passover meal was eaten on the fourteenth. It is reckoned as the fifteenth of the first month and as the opening solemn day of the seven-day feast in which leaven is put away.
The day was commanded to be a holy convocation or gathering on which no servile or ordinary work or labor is done. Special offerings were prescribed through the feast in addition to the Passover itself. This form of the Passover observance was one of the later requirements added to the original instructions and belonged to the observance after the temple was built.
It stands first in order of the seven annual sabbaths appointed to Israel to be observed in a religious manner with holy convocations and sacrifices. It is the first Passover festival sabbath, paired with the seventh day of that feast on the twenty-first day of the month. These annual sabbaths occurred on specified days in the different months by the lunar calendar and so fell on different days of the week from year to year.
This yearly festival sabbath is distinct from the weekly Sabbath. Necessary food could be prepared on it, unlike the stricter rest of the weekly day. When it coincided with the weekly Sabbath the two observances made the day especially solemn, but the annual sabbath did not alter the weekly Sabbath's day or succession.
Sanctuary Service Typified
The verse belongs to the regular ministration of the earthly sanctuary, among the additional services appointed for the annual sabbaths and feasts. Those added feast-day offerings stood alongside the daily burnt offering of two lambs of the first year, one in the morning and one in the evening with meal and oil and sweet incense on the golden altar, alongside the offerings appointed for the Sabbath and the new moon, and alongside the offerings for individual sins. They were ministered by a priesthood restricted to the family of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, set apart for the sanctuary to mediate between God and man in things pertaining to God. The first day of the feast was thus marked as a holy convocation on which servile work was forbidden, with its own special service within that continual round.
That continual service was performed in the holy place, or first apartment, and was the example and shadow of Christ's more excellent ministry in the true tabernacle in heaven. It combined the various offerings brought from day to day into one offering for the nation, continuing through the year day by day with one lamb with meal and oil in the morning and the same at evening, doubled on the Sabbath day. In this way remembrance of sin was constantly made in the sanctuary, and the beasts constantly offered showed the faith of those who brought them in the Redeemer to come. These services were made for the whole congregation and were not omitted because of other offerings. This daily and festal work in the holy place stands distinct from the yearly work of the high priest alone in the most holy place for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the sanctuary.
The burnt offerings and other offerings appointed for the Passover season, the day of firstfruits, and the feast of weeks or Pentecost were the same kind of work of burnt offerings found on the Day of Atonement. They were preliminary and circumstantial, and their presence did not prevent the grand event of each day from meeting its antitype on the very day of the type. The instructions for the offerings on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, a holy convocation on which ordinary labor was forbidden, therefore did not hinder the feast's central event from being fulfilled on its appointed day.
So fulfilled, Christ was sacrificed on the fourteenth of the first month, raised on the day of firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. By the same principle, the grand work in the holiest on the tenth day of the seventh month must begin its antitype on that day, with the antitype commencing on the day of the type but extending forward a great distance. The yearly sabbath of this verse, the holy convocation with its ban on ordinary work on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth day of the first month, is the day on which Jesus was crucified.
Worship Meaning Applied
The holy convocations appointed with abstaining from servile work were occasions for public religious worship, not merely periods of rest. Their required assembling shows that observance involved spiritual instruction and worship as well as cessation from labor. The command regulated assembling and worship by enjoining a holy convocation with no servile work on the first day.
That first day was the 15th of Nisan, the first day of the week of unleavened bread after the Passover lamb was slain on the 14th. It was thus one of the yearly ceremonial sabbaths, kept in cessation from labor as the opening solemn day of the seven-day feast in which leaven is put away. Its keeping was marked by cheerfulness prevailing.
As a church law given to Israel, the command grew out of God's eternal moral law, but as law it belonged only to Israel as a nation and church. It expired with the rejection of the Jewish nation and is not legally binding today. Its great underlying principle of assembling and worship remains binding.