The Prophetic Call of the Church – Leviticus 23:22

By Daniel Muller on August 25, 2013
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The Prophetic Call of the Church

Leviticus 23:22

PRAY ….

SCRIPTURE

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”

INTRODUCTION: READING BETWEEN THE LINES

Expression in English – reading between the lines.

Defined by the uk website – phrases.org:

“Discern a meaning which isn’t made obvious or explicit … For example, one might say “She said she was happy to go to the party but didn’t seem concerned when it was cancelled. Reading between the lines, I don’t think she wanted to go in the first place”.

MLS examples

  • Hidden Treasure = Great house – lousy street.
  • Efficient Kitchen = Small kitchen.
  • Cozy living room = Just bring one small sofa.

We also sometimes need to read between the line when interpreting Scriptures:

Genesis 22 – The Akedah

  • Abraham goes to sacrifice son
  • God confirms Abraham’s faith
  • Abraham tells his servants that he and Isaac will return
  • Abraham believed in the deliverance of Isaac.

John 4

  • Samaritan woman – adulterous
  • Also know this was public knowledge.
  • Timing of coming to the well – usually communal.
  • Thus we know she was shunned – thought not explicitly told.

 

LEVITICUS 23:22 – NEED TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES

Leviticus 23 – Prophetic calendar – looking at work of Christ,

Review of Leviticus 23

v vs. 1-2 – Appointed feasts of the Lord

v v. 3 – Sabbath – weekly

  • reminder of creation
  • promise of rest – Hebrews 4:9 – Jesus our Sabbath rest.

Passover

v vs. 4-14 – 3 festivals in 1

  • vs. 4-8 – two festivals mentioned
    • Night of Passover
      • Passover lamb – Christ sacrifice.
      • Blood of lambs on doorposts of home
      • Blood of Christ on doorpost of hearts.
      • Feast of Unleavened Bread
      • Unleavened  bread = symbol of sinlessness (Christ) & turning from sin
  • Vs. 9-14 – Feast of Firstfruits
    • First harvest (barley, early wheat)
    • Christ’s Resurrection – 1 Cor. 15:20-23:

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

  • So wrapped up in these three festivals, now celebrated in one as the Passover, is the death and resurrection of Christ.

Pentecost

v Vs. 15-21 – Shavuot – Pentecost

  • Another Harvest festival
  • Now celebrated also as giving of the Law
  • Pointing to the time when
    • the Law was written on our hearts as promised in Jeremiah 31:33 and
    • the 1st harvest of believers came in as declared in James 1:18.

v These 4 annual Spring feasts were given to Israel to prepare them for the coming of the incarnate Messiah, Jesus.

v Then skipping v 22 we come to the fall feasts:

Feast of Trumpets

v Vs. 23-25  Yom Teruah – Feast of Trumpets – Rosh Hashanah

  • The ram’s horn proclaiming the coming of the King
  • Preparing the people for the Day of Atonement
  • Looking to the time when Christ is about to appear – some say a prophetic picture of the Rapture as we read in 1 Thes. 4:16-18:

“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.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Day of Atonement

v Vs. 26-32 – Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement

  • Time of judgment – looking to Christ’s second coming
  • Coming to judge the quick and the dead
  • Fullfillment of Rev. 20:11-12

Feast of Tabernacles

v Vs. 33-43        Sukkoth – Feast of Tabernacle (Booths)

  • End time – God dwelling – tabernacling – with His people.  Rev: 21: 1-4:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’

These last three feasts are all in the same month of the Hebrew calendar – in the Autumn – looking to Christ’s 2nd coming.

All these feasts are wrapped up in Christ’s work.

Spring Feasts coming close together to represent the first coming

Fall Feasts coming close together to represent his last coming

And a long stretch in between – the church age.

 

VERSE 22 – WHAT’S IT DOING THERE?

And smack dab in the middle – between Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets is v. 22.

About the gleaning laws

Already found in Leviticus 19:9-10

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.

Repeated in Deuteronomy 24:19-22

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.  When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.  You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.

These are much more detailed and tell us the purpose of the gleaning laws

  • That they were there to look after the poor and the alien among the Israelites.
  • It was a reminder that they suffered in Egypt and God redeemed them – so they should care for those less fortunate.

 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES – THEN

As I said, God mentions this elsewhere in the Torah – twice!

Why here?

v This is an important issue to God.

v Provision for poor

  • Israel was an agrarian society.
  • Wealth measured in land and cattle.
  • Those without land were by definition poor
    • Exception for craftsmen
    • In earliest period of Israelite history – few and far between.
    • How were poor to eat?  Gleanings.

v Meant 2 things

  • No hoarding
    • Picture: kids with marbles, making sure none stray.
    • Hoarding represents self-interest – not caring about others.
  • No hand-outs
    • Why not command keeping aside things for the poor.
    • The poor had to go out into the field to glean for themselves – everyone to work for their bread.
    • E.g.  Ruth.
    • Time gone by – drifter sweeps for food or board (e.g. Smokey Lonesome, Fried Green Tomatoes).

v God places this here in Leviticus 23, in between Pentecost and Feast of Trumpets because

  • This is the main growing and harvesting time of Israel, when the practice of gleaning is applicable.
  • Linked with the benefits of God as symbolized in the Festivals.

v Reading between the lines then:

  • As God loved the Israelites in their need.
    • Brought them out of slavery in Egypt
    • Gave them the law
    • Protected them in the wilderness
    • Gave them the promised land
  • So, the Israelite of means had to care about the Israelite in need.

 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES – NOW

Leviticus 23 also a prophetic calendar – focused on work of Christ.

If Passover and Pentecost are wrapped up in Christ’s 1st coming

If Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement & Sukkoth wrapped up in 2nd coming.

What does v.22 prophetically represent but the time between the two?

i.e. the Church Age!

What does this mean?

Reading between the line:

v As God loved us in our need:

  • Brought us out of slavery to sin
  • Gave us the Holy Spirit
  • Protected the church over the last 20 centuries
  • Given us eternal life.

v So we who have his mercy and grace have to care about those who are without them!

v I don’t think we throw away God’s concern for the physical (and emotional) needs of others – but as there was a spiritual context for all the festivals – there is a spiritual context for this time we call the Church Age.

NOTE:

  • While the gleaning laws were for all Israel – it was to be practised by those individuals who were rich – who had the means.
  • Similarly, though the Great Commission was directed at the church, it is practiced by individuals who are spiritually rich.
  • Everyone who is born-again – has the Holy Spirit – is rich!
  • If not sharing the Gospel – that is hoarding!

The lost still need to be active

Willing to hear and interact with the Gospel.

Willing to accept.

But the gleanings must first be available.

 

APPLICATION

Reading between the lines:

Leviticus 23:22 is a call to the church and to individual believers to care for the needs of the less fortunate:

  • Physically: food, shelter, clothing etc.
  • Emotionally; as deal with those who suffer in a world that spurns Christ:
    • Depression, marital turmoil, financial stress
    • Issues arising from: abortion, homosexuality, abuse.
  • Spiritually:
    • Sharing Christ to a lost world – where greatest poverty is.

We are harvesting for the kingdom – for the time when Christ returns

Many good things to do: tithing, praying, studying the bible, preparing for the pot luck, driving individuals to church, etc. etc.

All are important aspect of being a believer & growing in Christ.

But our primary (and priority) calling is to focus on those in need physically, emotionally and ultimately and most importantly spiritually

All these other things are to:

Encourage us

Help us

Prepare us

Equip us

To do just that.

Apostle Peter says: “in your hearts honour Christ as Lord”

How do we honour Christ as Lord – here is how Peter connects this:

“always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)”

 

LET’S PRAY ….

 

 

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