Leviticus 23:1-8: a reflection

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The set feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts. 3“‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no kind of work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings. 4“‘These are the set feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed season. 5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD’s Passover. 6On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. 8But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD seven days. In the seventh day is a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.’”

This passage begins to lay out the appointed feasts of the LORD, the sacred times in Israel's calendar; and it starts with the Sabbath. Six days you shall work, but the seventh is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy assembly. Then come Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God appointed set times, rhythms of rest and remembrance, woven into the year, so that his people would regularly stop, rest, and turn their attention to him.

Notice that God appointed rhythms of sacred time for his people, beginning with regular rest. The Sabbath came first: a weekly stopping, a rest from work, a turning to God. And the feasts marked the year with times of remembrance and worship. God did not leave it to his people to attend to him only when they happened to think of it; he built into their calendar set times to stop, rest, and remember him. The rhythms of sacred time were his gift and his command.

That points to the value of set rhythms of rest and attention to God in our own lives. We can live at such a pace, so filled with work and busyness, that we rarely stop to rest or to turn our attention to God; and we can tell ourselves we will attend to him when we find time, which never comes. But God built regular rest and remembrance into his people's calendar, knowing they needed set times to stop. Build into your own life rhythms of rest and attention to God, set times to stop your work and turn to him, rather than leaving it to chance. The Sabbath and the feasts were God's gift of regular stopping; do not live without such rhythms, always working, never stopping to rest and attend to God. Set apart regular times to rest and turn to him, as God appointed for his people, for we need the rhythm of stopping that he built into their days.

Lord, this passage lays out the appointed feasts, beginning with the Sabbath: six days of work, but the seventh a solemn rest, a holy assembly; you appointed rhythms of rest and remembrance woven into the year, so your people would regularly stop and turn to you. Show me the value of such rhythms in my own life. I can live at such a pace, so filled with work and busyness, that I rarely stop to rest or to turn my attention to you; and I can tell myself I will attend to you when I find time, which never comes. But you built regular rest and remembrance into your people's calendar, knowing they needed set times to stop. Help me build into my own life rhythms of rest and attention to you, set times to stop my work and turn to you, rather than leaving it to chance. The Sabbath and the feasts were your gift of regular stopping; keep me from living without such rhythms, always working, never stopping to rest and attend to you. Help me set apart regular times to rest and turn to you, Lord, for I need the rhythm of stopping that you built into your people's days. Teach me to rest in you.