The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 373

PART IV. HOLY DAYS AND SEASONS: WEEKLY, MONTHLY, ANNUAL, SEPTENNIAL, AND EVERY HALF-CENTURY. EXPOSITION. goodness of God in bestowing the gifts or OHAPTER XXIII, the earth. The first aspect, therefore, in Tms Part consists of ohs. n:ili. e.nd xxv., whioh to regard the three great annual with eh. xxiv. parenthetically introduced. festivals-the Passover, Pentecost, and the Every religion must have its round of Feast or Tabernacles-is that they wore holy days and B81180ns: 1. To give occasion days of thanksgiving for the fruits of the for manifesting joyous thankfulness to the eo.rth dispensed by God to man. Giver of all good things. 2. To keep alive First, with regard to the Passover, We the memory of past events around which read at vers. 10, 1 I, " When ye be come into religious associations cling. 8. To impress the land which I give unto you, and Bhall reap upon the hearts of the worshippers those the haTflest thereof, then ye Bhall bring a sheaf so.ored mysteries whioh are regarded BB [ or an omer] of the firBtfruitB of your harveBt essentio.l oharo.oteristics of the system. unto the prieBt: and he Bhall wave the Bheaf 1. The duty and happiness of rejoicing before the Lord, to be accepted for you : on before the Lord find o prominent place the morrow after the Babbath the priest shall under the Mosaic dispensation, as they wave it." The words, " the morrow after the must in any religion where man feels sCLbbath," mean, as we shall see, the day CLfter himself in a covenant relation with God, the first dCLy of Unle11vened Breo.d, that is, brought nigh to him by himself, and no the second day of the feast, Nisnn 16, which longer estranged from him who is his only fell early in April, when the first barley WCLS true life and happiness. Accordingly, the ripening in Palestine. On the 14th do.y of first thought of the annual Jewish festivals Nisan (the do.y of the Po.schCLI sacrifice) o cer- is that of joyous thankfulness, such as is tain quantity of standing bo.rloy was mo.rked becoming to reconciled children grateful to off, by men specially appointed for the pur- their Father for the many bounties that pose, in a field ploughed the previous CLutumn they receive at his hands. The first gift of and sown at least ten weeks before the God of which man becomes consoious is PBBsover, but not prepared arti.ficiully in that of the daily sustenance provided for suoh a way CLs to hasten the orop. On the him, and therefore we should expect holy following WI.Y, Nisan 15, CLt sunset, three days to be appointed to commemorate the men were sent to the selected field. and, w LF.V!TIUUS. z 338 THE DOOK OF LEVITICUS. [oa. xxm.1-5.