Do principles from the Old Testament worship calendar help us celebrate great Christian events?
Worship Calendar
Leviticus 23 summarized Israel’s annual worship calendar, including the weekly Sabbath and annual sabbaths. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread commemorated the Exodus, and foreshadowed the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world. 50 days later, Pentecost foreshadowed the law written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The blowing of Trumpets pictured judgment, and a special assembly which foreshadowed the Second Coming of Christ. The Day of Atonement was a fast day for the covering of sins and reconciliation with God. In the New Testament our sins are not just covered but completely removed. The Feast of Tabernacles reminded Israel of 40 years of wandering, foreshadowed the final harvest of souls and pictured Jesus who tabernacled with us in the flesh.
Calendar Choices
The law was like a schoolmaster or guardian who tutored us.
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3:24-25 KJV)
Now that we are no longer under a tutor, we are free to take the principles learned to celebrate significant events of Christ’s ministry on earth. However, we do not have any authority to either mandate or ban such worship days. That would contradict the authority of the Apostle Paul.
“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it…” (Romans 14:5-6 NKJV)
While the Nicene Creed is a wonderful summary of essential biblical doctrines, Nicea was also responsible for one of Christian history’s great failures. It contradicted Paul by demanding that all Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord on Roman dates. They showed utter contempt for Christians in Asia Minor and Jerusalem who wished to remember the cross on the date of the Jewish Passover.
“So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Romans 14:10 NLT)
This Roman response to Quartodecimanism was a great stumbling block, and completely contrary to God’s inspired words through Paul.
“Therefore let’s not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion for falling.” (Romans 14:13 WEB)
Judaizing and Romanizing
Even Peter was guilty at first of judaizing, an attempt by Jewish converts to enforce the letter of the law in the church.
“But when I saw they were not really obeying the truth that is in the good news, I corrected Peter in front of everyone and said: Peter, you are a Jew, but you live like a Gentile. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?” (Galatians 2:14 CEV).
Judaizing made things such as circumcision, Levitical sabbaths and dietary requirements prerequisites for salvation. One could argue that Romanizing did the exact same thing from a Gentile point of view, making Roman Christian traditions prerequisites to salvation. Neither prejudice represents true Christianity.
Easter and Passover
Easter is Passover in most languages. Early Christians continued celebrating the 14th day of the first Hebrew month. But Passover could occur on any day of the week. Some wanted a Maundy Thursday through Resurrection Sunday observance every year. Rather than obeying Paul’s call for grace, the “Quartodeciman Controversy” ensued, causing division.
The grace of Romans 14 allowed a variety of observances. This includes our current Easter calendar, without judging those who prefer the Jewish dates. Sabbatarians observe the weekly Sabbath, and some observe the annual feasts, and they are free in Christ to do so. Mandating either is contrary to the grace of Paul’s instructions in Romans 14.
Christians emphasize something only vaguely hinted at in Old Testament worship days, the Resurrection of our Lord. That is perhaps the most important observance in any Christian calendar, and is remembered not only on Easter Sunday, but every Sunday.
Pentecost
Jewish Pentecost is 50 days from the Sunday during Passover, where the barest hint of resurrection is in waving a sheaf of first fruits.
“... you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it…” (Leviticus 23:10-12 ESV)
That Sunday hinted at resurrection Sunday.
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 HCSB)
Fifty days after that Sunday was Pentecost, where bread of the firstfruits was also waved.
“And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord ...” (Leviticus 23:20 KJV)
Pentecost is also called the Feast of Weeks, and a day of firstfruits.
“Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy assembly ...” (Numbers 28:26 NASB)
If wave-sheaf Sunday hints at Jesus, then the firstfruits of Pentecost picture the church.
“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23 NIV).
Tabernacles and Christmas
The northern Spring festivals commemorated Christ’s first coming and northern Autumn festivals prepared for His Second Coming.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation [assembly].” (Leviticus 23:24 NKJV)
The ram’s horn announced an alarm or a celebration (Numbers 10:9). Trumpets announce Jesus’ return.
“And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” (Matthew 24:31 NLT)
This is the resurrection of the dead in Christ.
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (I Thessalonians 4:16 ESV)
The Day of Atonement pictures reconciliation through the cross and resurrection.
“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement [reconciliation].” (Romans 5:11 KJV)
The Feast of Tabernacles pictures our earthly abode as a temporary dwelling and our hope of a permanent abode with God.
“So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 HCSB)
The human body is a temporary tent or tabernacle.
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 KJV)
Christmas remembers when Christ, as God with us, began to tabernacle or tent with humanity. Some Christians celebrate great events and heroes of our faith every week of the year, while others only celebrate three major seasons and still others avoid Christmas and Easter altogether. Romans 14 gives us permission to choose. The most important thing is that we do worship God and not judge between our various traditions or preferences.
“... Don't let them say you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival.” (Colossians 2:16 CEV)
Whether you observe a formal calendar or worship God in some other way, do you choose to worship God every day? You decide!
