And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
Numbers 28:25 appoints the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread, the twenty-first day of the first month Abib or Nisan, as a holy gathering for worship on which no laborious or ordinary work was to be done, though food needed to be eaten could be prepared. It is the second in order of the seven yearly ceremonial sabbaths of Israel, showing that Sabbath keeping calls for public assembly, instruction, and worship and not merely for stopping work. The day belongs to the law of added sanctuary services for Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts, offered alongside and without omitting the regular morning and evening offerings of the daily ministration. That daily work in the holy place by the Levitical priesthood shadows forth the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, with its constant sacrifices keeping sin in remembrance and looking forward by faith to the coming Redeemer and the yearly cleansing. Its offerings are like those for firstfruits, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement, and as Christ died on Passover day, rose on firstfruits day, and the Spirit came on Pentecost day, so the grand antitypical work begins on its appointed day and then extends forward.
Feast Day and Context
The day commanded here is the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread, also called the Passover. It falls on the twenty-first day of the first month, called Abib or Nisan. On that day the people were to gather for a holy convocation and do no servile work. It stands among the annual sabbaths of the feast, marked by a holy gathering with ordinary work forbidden.
Its ordinances belong to the later observance of the Passover, not to the form first instituted in Egypt. They add requirements beyond what was given at the first institution and include practices suited to settled later observance. Part of that added order is the bringing of special offerings to the Lord throughout the seven-day feast.
That last day was a day of peculiar solemnity, like the fifteenth of Nisan which opened the feast. The five days between those two sabbaths were feast days with additional burnt offerings and sin offerings, but without required rest from labor. The whole feast was to be kept with care laid aside and with cheerfulness prevailing.
Sanctuary Services and Foreshadowing
Numbers 28:25 belongs to the law appointing added sanctuary services for the Lord's Sabbaths and the annual holy days, new moons and feasts, alongside the regular morning and evening offerings and the other parts of the daily ministration. It places the seventh-day holy convocation among the special services carried out in the earthly sanctuary, with a holy gathering and no servile work as part of a special Sabbath observance. These appointed observances added prescribed work to the sanctuary's daily ministration, including special Sabbath services forming part of the priests' regular ministration.
That added work belonged to the daily ministration in the holy place carried on by the Levitical priesthood, alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering and the burning of sweet incense morning and evening. The sanctuary service was given to the tribe of Levi set apart for that work, with the priesthood restricted to the family of Aaron, clothed in special dress for holy office, standing as mediator between God and man as the representative of the people in things pertaining to God. Like that earthly ministration it shadows forth the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, serving as a figure of the heavenly sanctuary.
The daily ministration for the nation combined and correlated the individual offerings brought by faith in the coming Redeemer into one offering for the nation. One lamb together with meal and oil was offered in the morning and the same at evening, and on the Sabbath day these offerings were doubled, and so the services went through the year day by day. That daily burnt offering was of two lambs of the first year offered morning and evening with sweet incense on the golden altar, separate from offerings for individual sins and separate from the special Sabbath, new moon and feast offerings to which Numbers 28:25 belongs. The continual sacrifices offered for the whole congregation were not omitted when other offerings were made.
These constant sacrifices made continual remembrance of sin in the sanctuary and showed the faith of those who brought them, looking forward with the yearly cleansing to the future antitype.
The offerings appointed for the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with its holy convocation and prohibition of servile work, were like those prescribed for the day of firstfruits, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement. The burnt offerings and other offerings appointed for Passover week, the day of firstfruits, and the feast of weeks show the same kind of preliminary and circumstantial offering work on those spring days as on the tenth day of the seventh month. Their presence did not prevent the feast's central event from being fulfilled on its appointed day, for those offerings did not keep the great event of each day from meeting its antitype on the very day of the type, as seen when Christ died on Passover day, rose on firstfruits day, and the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost day. Applied to the Day of Atonement, the offerings of the atonement day do not require a long preliminary period before the cleansing of the sanctuary, but the grand work in the most holy place begins its antitype on the tenth day of the seventh month and then extends forward.
Annual Sabbath and Worship
The day is the second in order of the seven annual sabbaths of the Hebrews, one of the yearly ceremonial sabbaths of the Jews. It is the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread or Passover, the twenty-first day of the first month, Abib or Nisan. That day was a day of peculiar solemnity like the fifteenth of Nisan, with a holy convocation and cessation from labor. The five days between those two sabbaths were feast days with additional burnt offerings and sin offerings but without required rest, and the whole feast was to be kept with care laid aside and cheerfulness prevailing.
Its holy convocation was ordained by God to be a holy gathering for worship. Sabbath observance therefore requires more than stopping ordinary work, for it also provides for public religious assembly, instruction, and worship. Such gatherings were held throughout the tribes for religious purposes that did not depend on sacrifice, which could be offered only at the authorized place.
Its prohibition of servile work means that no laborious or ordinary work was to be done and labor was to cease. Special offerings were brought to the Lord on that annual sabbath of the twenty-first day of Abib, while preparation of food that the people needed to eat was permitted. As part of Israel's church laws regulating assembly and worship, including special Sabbath observances, the requirement is not binding today as a law limited to Israel, though its underlying principles remain.
Numbers 28:25 appoints the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread, the twenty-first day of the first month Abib or Nisan, as a holy gathering for worship on which no laborious or ordinary work was to be done, though food needed to be eaten could be prepared. It is the second in order of the seven yearly ceremonial sabbaths of Israel, showing that Sabbath keeping calls for public assembly, instruction, and worship and not merely for stopping work. The day belongs to the law of added sanctuary services for Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts, offered alongside and without omitting the regular morning and evening offerings of the daily ministration. That daily work in the holy place by the Levitical priesthood shadows forth the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, with its constant sacrifices keeping sin in remembrance and looking forward by faith to the coming Redeemer and the yearly cleansing. Its offerings are like those for firstfruits, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement, and as Christ died on Passover day, rose on firstfruits day, and the Spirit came on Pentecost day, so the grand antitypical work begins on its appointed day and then extends forward.
Feast Day and Context
The day commanded here is the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread, also called the Passover. It falls on the twenty-first day of the first month, called Abib or Nisan. On that day the people were to gather for a holy convocation and do no servile work. It stands among the annual sabbaths of the feast, marked by a holy gathering with ordinary work forbidden.
Its ordinances belong to the later observance of the Passover, not to the form first instituted in Egypt. They add requirements beyond what was given at the first institution and include practices suited to settled later observance. Part of that added order is the bringing of special offerings to the Lord throughout the seven-day feast.
That last day was a day of peculiar solemnity, like the fifteenth of Nisan which opened the feast. The five days between those two sabbaths were feast days with additional burnt offerings and sin offerings, but without required rest from labor. The whole feast was to be kept with care laid aside and with cheerfulness prevailing.
Sanctuary Services and Foreshadowing
Numbers 28:25 belongs to the law appointing added sanctuary services for the Lord's Sabbaths and the annual holy days, new moons and feasts, alongside the regular morning and evening offerings and the other parts of the daily ministration. It places the seventh-day holy convocation among the special services carried out in the earthly sanctuary, with a holy gathering and no servile work as part of a special Sabbath observance. These appointed observances added prescribed work to the sanctuary's daily ministration, including special Sabbath services forming part of the priests' regular ministration.
That added work belonged to the daily ministration in the holy place carried on by the Levitical priesthood, alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering and the burning of sweet incense morning and evening. The sanctuary service was given to the tribe of Levi set apart for that work, with the priesthood restricted to the family of Aaron, clothed in special dress for holy office, standing as mediator between God and man as the representative of the people in things pertaining to God. Like that earthly ministration it shadows forth the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, serving as a figure of the heavenly sanctuary.
The daily ministration for the nation combined and correlated the individual offerings brought by faith in the coming Redeemer into one offering for the nation. One lamb together with meal and oil was offered in the morning and the same at evening, and on the Sabbath day these offerings were doubled, and so the services went through the year day by day. That daily burnt offering was of two lambs of the first year offered morning and evening with sweet incense on the golden altar, separate from offerings for individual sins and separate from the special Sabbath, new moon and feast offerings to which Numbers 28:25 belongs. The continual sacrifices offered for the whole congregation were not omitted when other offerings were made.
These constant sacrifices made continual remembrance of sin in the sanctuary and showed the faith of those who brought them, looking forward with the yearly cleansing to the future antitype.
The offerings appointed for the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with its holy convocation and prohibition of servile work, were like those prescribed for the day of firstfruits, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement. The burnt offerings and other offerings appointed for Passover week, the day of firstfruits, and the feast of weeks show the same kind of preliminary and circumstantial offering work on those spring days as on the tenth day of the seventh month. Their presence did not prevent the feast's central event from being fulfilled on its appointed day, for those offerings did not keep the great event of each day from meeting its antitype on the very day of the type, as seen when Christ died on Passover day, rose on firstfruits day, and the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost day. Applied to the Day of Atonement, the offerings of the atonement day do not require a long preliminary period before the cleansing of the sanctuary, but the grand work in the most holy place begins its antitype on the tenth day of the seventh month and then extends forward.
Annual Sabbath and Worship
The day is the second in order of the seven annual sabbaths of the Hebrews, one of the yearly ceremonial sabbaths of the Jews. It is the seventh and last day of the feast of unleavened bread or Passover, the twenty-first day of the first month, Abib or Nisan. That day was a day of peculiar solemnity like the fifteenth of Nisan, with a holy convocation and cessation from labor. The five days between those two sabbaths were feast days with additional burnt offerings and sin offerings but without required rest, and the whole feast was to be kept with care laid aside and cheerfulness prevailing.
Its holy convocation was ordained by God to be a holy gathering for worship. Sabbath observance therefore requires more than stopping ordinary work, for it also provides for public religious assembly, instruction, and worship. Such gatherings were held throughout the tribes for religious purposes that did not depend on sacrifice, which could be offered only at the authorized place.
Its prohibition of servile work means that no laborious or ordinary work was to be done and labor was to cease. Special offerings were brought to the Lord on that annual sabbath of the twenty-first day of Abib, while preparation of food that the people needed to eat was permitted. As part of Israel's church laws regulating assembly and worship, including special Sabbath observances, the requirement is not binding today as a law limited to Israel, though its underlying principles remain.