What is the meaning of Leviticus 23:1? Then • “Then” grounds the command within a real timeline. The word links what follows to what preceded, showing God’s revelation moves in orderly steps (Exodus 40:34-35 right before Leviticus begins; Leviticus 22 closes with “So Moses told them,” leading naturally to “Then”). • Scripture records history, not myth; events unfold chronologically. Because of that, every command that follows in chapter 23 grows out of God’s prior work of rescue and covenant (Exodus 19:4-6; Leviticus 11:45). the LORD • The speaker is “the LORD,” the covenant name used when God relates personally to His people (Exodus 3:15; Leviticus 18:1-2). His authority guarantees that the feasts in this chapter are not human tradition but divine mandate. • God’s unchanging character underwrites His calendar for Israel (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). When He speaks, obedience is the only fitting response (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). said • God communicates clearly: “God, after He spoke long ago… has spoken to us” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Hearing precedes doing (Deuteronomy 5:27). • Revelation is verbal, specific, and sufficient. What God “said” becomes inscripturated, forming an objective standard for worship (2 Timothy 3:16-17). • By speaking, the LORD graciously makes His will known instead of leaving Israel to guess how to honor Him (Psalm 19:7-11). to Moses • Moses serves as chosen mediator (Exodus 24:3-4). God entrusts him with relaying the law “just as the LORD commanded” (Numbers 36:13). • Leviticus traces a pattern: God speaks to Moses; Moses passes the word to Israel. This reinforces both divine authority and prophetic reliability (Numbers 12:7-8; John 1:17). • That God addresses a specific individual shows the personal nature of revelation while still directing it to the entire covenant community. summary Leviticus 23:1, though brief, reminds us that the calendar of worship originates not in human creativity but in a moment when the eternal LORD intentionally spoke to His chosen servant. The timing (“Then”), the speaker (“the LORD”), the act (“said”), and the recipient (“to Moses”) assure us that every feast and Sabbath regulation in the chapter rests on God’s trustworthy, literal word. |
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