What is the meaning of Numbers 28:17?

On the fifteenth day of this month

• Moses pinpoints a specific calendar date—the fifteenth of the first month (Nisan). God is not vague; His timetable is precise, reflecting His orderly nature (Genesis 1:14).

• This date immediately follows the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth (Numbers 28:16), linking salvation (Passover) to ongoing fellowship (Feast).

• The fixed day roots the celebration in literal history, just as Luke 2:1-7 anchors Christ’s birth in time. God’s redemptive acts are real events, not myths.

---

there shall be a feast

• A “feast” signals joyful, communal worship commanded by God, much like the weekly Sabbath (Exodus 31:13) invites rest and delight.

• This feast is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17; Leviticus 23:6). It commemorates Israel’s rapid exodus when there was no time for dough to rise.

• The gathering underscores unity; all households share the same menu, echoing Acts 2:46 where the early church “broke bread together with gladness.”

---

for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten

• “Seven days” establishes a complete cycle of holy time, mirroring the original creation week (Exodus 20:11).

• Unleavened bread symbolizes purity; leaven often pictures sin’s spreading influence (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Removing it from every home signified a fresh, untainted start with God.

• Daily consumption engrained the lesson: holiness is not a one-time event but an ongoing lifestyle (1 Peter 1:15-16).

• Obedience was practical—families baked new bread without yeast—anchoring spiritual truth in everyday routines, just as baptism embodies our identification with Christ (Romans 6:4).

---

summary

Numbers 28:17 commands Israel to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning on Nisan 15, right after Passover. God sets a definite date, invites a joyful communal feast, and instructs seven days of eating unleavened bread to teach continued purity. The verse ties redemption to sanctification, history to worship, and daily habits to spiritual truth, calling believers today to live in ongoing, celebratory holiness grounded in God’s precise, faithful Word.