The feasts instituted by Moses hold significant importance in the religious and cultural life of the Israelites, as outlined in the Old Testament. These feasts were divinely ordained and served as both commemorative and prophetic events, reflecting God's covenant relationship with His people. They are detailed primarily in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

1. Passover (Pesach): The Passover is the first of the feasts and is celebrated on the 14th day of the first month, Nisan (Exodus 12:1-14). It commemorates the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt, when the Lord "passed over" the houses of the Israelites marked with the blood of a lamb. This feast foreshadows the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29), who delivers believers from the bondage of sin.

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread: Immediately following Passover, this seven-day feast (Nisan 15-21) involves the removal of leaven from homes and the consumption of unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15-20). It symbolizes the haste of the Israelites' departure from Egypt and the call to holiness, as leaven often represents sin in Scripture (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

3. Feast of Firstfruits: Celebrated on the day after the Sabbath following Passover, this feast marks the beginning of the barley harvest (Leviticus 23:9-14). The offering of the firstfruits signifies gratitude and trust in God's provision. It prophetically points to the resurrection of Jesus, the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20).

4. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost): Occurring fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits, this feast celebrates the wheat harvest and the giving of the Law at Sinai (Leviticus 23:15-21). It is fulfilled in the New Testament with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), marking the birth of the Church.

5. Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah): This feast, observed on the first day of the seventh month, Tishri, involves the blowing of trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25). It serves as a call to repentance and preparation for the Day of Atonement. Prophetically, it is associated with the future return of Christ, heralded by the "trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): On the 10th day of Tishri, this solemn day involves fasting and repentance, with the high priest making atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:29-34). It prefigures the ultimate atonement made by Jesus, our High Priest, who entered the heavenly sanctuary "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12).

7. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): Celebrated from the 15th to the 21st of Tishri, this feast commemorates the Israelites' wilderness wanderings and God's provision (Leviticus 23:33-43). It involves dwelling in temporary shelters and is a time of rejoicing. It anticipates the future "tabernacling" of God with His people in the new creation (Revelation 21:3).

These feasts, while rooted in the historical and agricultural context of ancient Israel, carry profound theological significance. They not only commemorate God's past acts of salvation but also point forward to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises.Matthew 26:17-20
Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where will you that we prepare for you to eat the passover?
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Luke 2:41,42
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
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Luke 22:15
And he said to them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
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John 2:13,23
And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
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John 5:1
After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
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John 7:10
But when his brothers were gone up, then went he also up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
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John 10:22
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
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The Prophecies
... called the Sanhedrin and which, having been instituted by Moses ... Christ, believed
in the books of Moses, kept them ... day; and I will turn your feasts into mourning ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section xi the prophecies.htm

The Second Helvetic Confession, AD 1566.
... one Mediator between God and man, Jesus the Messiah ... God employed the Patriarchs,
Moses, and the Prophets as ... But feasts instituted by men in honor of saints we ...
/.../ 55 the second helvetic.htm

On the Sacramentals
... by Jesus Christ and the sacramentals were instituted by the ... and need not keep the
law of Moses or any ... up to Jerusalem and offer sacrifice on the great feasts. ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 27 on the sacramentals.htm

Faustus is Willing to Admit that Christ May have Said that He came ...
... why a Christian does not keep the feasts of the ... might become manifest that these
things were instituted to prefigure ... for "the law was given by Moses, but grace ...
/.../faustus is willing to admit.htm

Whether Sufficient Reason Can be Assigned for the Ceremonies ...
... be observed that this too was instituted with the ... the blessing whereby, at the prayer
of Moses, God forgave ... The figurative reason for these feasts was that the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether sufficient reason can be.htm

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... of God (Proverbs 2:17), because instituted by God ... Moses makes the common age of all
men to ... justly abolished all superstitious and idolatrous feasts; and only ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

Period iii. The Critical Period: AD 140 to AD 200
... when he sent Jesus forget the things he commanded Moses? ... by nightly meetings and
solemn feasts and inhuman ... ie, the Persians] have instituted concerning good ...
/.../a source book for ancient church history/period iii the critical period .htm

The Institution of Deacons, and the History of Stephen.
... The office was instituted, because the preaching of the ... incense; and that the
institutions of Moses would retain ... earth; nor could the solemn feasts, which were ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture viii the institution of.htm

The Third Day in Passion-Week - the Last Controversies and ...
... in the language of the Mishnah [5221] - as if instituted by Moses himself, as sitting
in Moses' seat, and ... such as the upper-most places at feasts and in ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iv the third day.htm

General Index
... 291 Church, Militant, Triumphant, Suffering . . The Apostles' Creed Church instituted
by Christ . . . ... 97 Feasts of the Church . . . ... 281 Moses . . . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/general index.htm

How did Jesus fulfill the meanings of the Jewish feasts? | GotQuestions.org

What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

The Feasts and Festivals of Judaism ' Article Index | GotQuestions.org

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