As allude tod, the Old Testament foreshadowed the divine plan of salvation in symbols and rituals. The Law (commonly referring to the first five books attributed to Moses), the Writings (mainly the Psalms and Proverbs) and the Prophets (Kings and Chronicles as the Former Prophets, and the Major and Minor Prophets, also known as the Latter Prophets) contain hidden nuggets of the gospel which is being progressively revealed. Jesus said that everything that had been written about him in the Old Testament would eventually be fulfilled.38
This chapter outlines some of the ceremonies, and the next chapter shows how the holy days and other rituals that Israel was commanded to observe year by year had begun to be fulfilled in Jesus and the church age.
First a brief introduction to the holy days. Clustered in the northern hemisphere seasons of spring/early summer and then again in the fall, the holy days coincided with the two main harvest periods in Palestine. The first harvest, the smaller of the two, occurred at the time of the spring holy day season, ending around Pentecost. The large harvest came in the fall, before the holy days of that time.
Interestingly, the work of the church in making disciples of those who by a combination of grace and personal choice have responded to God’s call to repentance and conversion is metaphorically referred to in planting and harvest terms. This is also true of individual character building – producing the harvest of righteousness – and eternal life in immortality as our ultimate reward.39
The origin of the Old Testament Passover goes back to shortly before the Exodus – the deliverance of Israel out of Egyptian slavery following a dramatic series of ten plagues on Egypt. The last plague, according to the Bible account, was the death of all the firstborn of Egypt – from humans to animals. All Israelite households were to kill a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. This would protect their firstborn from being killed during the night by the death angel – he would pass over them. The lamb was then to be eaten in haste, with all the remains being burned and none remaining to the morning.40
From that point on, the theme of the firstborn becomes very significant. In another commanded ritual, God claims all firstborn life in Israel as his own. Firstborn male animals are to be redeemed or sacrificed, and firstborn sons are to be redeemed with sacrificed animals. The firstborn also enjoy special privileges including a double inheritance.41
Later, when Israel has harvests to reap, the people are given another observance during the Days of Unleavened Bread – the seven days following the Passover – when no leavened or yeast products were to be eaten. On the Sunday during this holy day period, an offering of first fruits is to be made. A sheaf of the first grain harvest is to be waved before God and only after that can the harvest be enjoyed. From this Sunday, 50 days is counted to arrive at Pentecost, the name of which is derived from the Greek word for “fifty”). This day is also referred to as the Feast of Weeks, as it comes seven weeks after the day of the wave sheaf offering.42
Another strong theme and a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham and his descendants is physical circumcision. All males are required to be circumcised, including slaves and others that have become part of a household. In fact, those not circumcised are not allowed to partake of the Passover meal. When Israel settles in the Promised Land, their new leader, Joshua, commands all those born in the desert to be circumcised.43 Apart from the physical procedure, the real significance of this ritual becomes already apparent in the Old Testament, and that is circumcision of the heart – becoming responsive and obedient to God, rather than being stubborn and resistant. This circumcision is not to be done by human hands, but rather by God – he will circumcise the people’s hearts.44 This theme continues to be further transformed in the New Testament as will be shown.
The Sabbath day (seventh day), Sabbath year (seventh year), and the Jubilee – the year after seven Sabbath years, or the 50th year – were all connected to Israel’s covenant with God and were to be special. The weekly Sabbath was enforced under strict rules as a day of rest and worship pointing to the Creator and Deliverer from slavery.45 The Sabbatical year was a year of rest for the land and those working the land. For that special year, the people were promised that the sixth year crops would provide for two years. The fiftieth year, or Jubilee, was to be the time when slaves would be released, and sold or lost property would revert back to its original owners. In other words, it stood for liberation, as well as a second chance in life.46 It is believed that Israel never observed a single year of Jubilee.
Lastly, a tabernacle, and later two temples figured prominently in Israel’s worship. As related in the History chapter, in the wilderness, Israel was given very specific instructions for building a tabernacle, through which God’s presence was to manifest. Many years later, King Solomon built a glorious temple to God in Jerusalem for the same purpose. As a result of sin of the southern kingdom of the divided monarchy, Judah, this temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C. About 100 years later, in the post-exilic period, the temple was, over a period of time, rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, encouraged by prophets Haggai and Zechariah. While physically inferior to Solomon’s temple, God promised that it would end up being even more glorious. This was the temple, later embellished by King Herod, where Jesus would some centuries later to teach the people and challenge his opponents.47