In Exodus 34 three feasts are mentioned: the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and the feast of ingathering. Although according to Leviticus 23 there were seven annual feasts celebrated by the children of Israel, only these three are mentioned here. The first of the yearly feasts was the feast of Passover, and the second was the feast of unleavened bread. In the chapter concerned with the recovery of the broken covenant, God does not mention all the feasts, and the first of the feasts mentioned is not the Passover. According to the record of the seven annual feasts, the most crucial feast was the Passover, which was for salvation. But in this record of the recovery of the broken covenant, there is no mention of the Passover. Rather, the first feast mentioned is the feast of unleavened bread. We know that the feast of unleavened bread was actually a continuation of the Passover. The Passover lasted one day, but the feast of unleavened bread continued for another six days. However, all seven days are called the feast of unleavened bread. Therefore, the feast of unleavened bread includes the Passover.
Why does Exodus 34 mention the feast of unleavened bread but not the feast of Passover? The reason is that the record here is not related to salvation, but is related to the enjoyment of Christ following salvation. This enjoyment begins with the feast of unleavened bread. Do you intend to enjoy Christ after your salvation? If this is your intention, you need to clear away all leaven. You cannot live a sinful life and at the same time enjoy Christ. If we want to enjoy Christ and rest with Him and with God, the first thing we must do is have a clearance of the past. We must eliminate all leaven. We need to have an unleavened life so that we may enjoy Christ.
Exodus 34:22 says, “And you shall observe the feast of weeks, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of the ingathering at the turn of the year.” The feast of weeks is the feast of Pentecost, which means fifty days. Pentecost is the rich issue of the harvest of the firstfruit. Concerning the enjoyment of Christ, we first need to eliminate all leaven by clearing up our sinful life. Then we shall enter into the rich enjoyment of Christ as the firstfruit. First Corinthians 15 reveals that Christ is the firstfruit in resurrection. Pentecost came fifty days after Christ’s resurrection. After Christ was resurrected, He stayed with His disciples for forty days. Then He ascended to the third heaven, and the disciples prayed for ten days. Following those ten days, Pentecost came, and Christ was poured down upon the disciples in the form of the Spirit. This Spirit is the rich issue of the resurrected Christ.
As I consider the feasts in the Old Testament and how they fit in with the New Testament and our spiritual experience, I am again convinced that the Bible is truly inspired by God.
After we are saved and have a clearance of the past, purging the leaven away, we enter into the enjoyment of the riches of Christ in resurrection. This is our Pentecost. Our Pentecost is not a matter of speaking in tongues. For us, Pentecost is to enter into the full issue of the resurrected Christ. Pentecost is the result of enjoying Christ as the firstfruit. The feast of Pentecost is enjoyed by those who have been saved and who are now living a clean life, a life without leaven.
The last of the feasts in Exodus 34 is the feast of ingathering, which is also the feast of tabernacles. The feast of tabernacles was the time when the full harvest was brought in. This feast signifies the rich, full, and ultimate enjoyment of all that Christ is. We begin the enjoyment of Christ from the feast of unleavened bread, we continue by enjoying the riches of the resurrected Christ, and eventually we come to the ultimate enjoyment of Christ as the feast of tabernacles.
In chapter thirty-four the feasts are mentioned in verses 18 and 22 and the Sabbath is mentioned in verse 21: “Six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.” The fact that the word concerning the Sabbath is inserted between the word concerning the feasts indicates that, while we are enjoying Christ, simultaneously we rest with Him. In our feasting, in our enjoyment of Christ, there should be the Sabbath. Therefore, the feasting and the resting are mingled.
For the children of Israel the feasts were held yearly and the Sabbath was kept weekly. But what is portrayed in Exodus 34 describes our daily experience of Christ. Every day we should have three feasts. In the morning we should have the feast of unleavened bread. When we take Christ as our sin offering and trespass offering, we cleanse away the leaven. This is our feast of unleavened bread. Then during the day we should enjoy Christ richly. If we have such an enjoyment of Christ during the day, then at the end of day we shall enjoy Christ to the fullest. Furthermore many times during the day, perhaps every fifteen or twenty minutes, we should take a short break to rest with Christ. I realize that because we are not in the habit of doing this, we may not find it as easy at first. Nevertheless, let us try to remember the Lord during the day and rest with Him. We have seen that the Sabbath signifies resting with the Lord in remembrance of Him. Let us not forget the Lord during the day, but let us remember Him and rest in Him.