Holy Time

Holy Time: God’s Gifts in the Rhythms of Redemption

Leviticus 23–24

My grandmother had an old, tall grandfather clock in their living  room. As a child it was impressive—it was taller than me, and I was always afraid of breaking it. But I don’t remember it ever keeping the time. Every meal, every holiday, every board game, or every family moment—it all happened under the eye of that clock that I never remember actually working. Most grandfather clocks require regular winding, regular resetting to keep the time. 

That giant grandfather clock of my childhood stood there towering over me, making an indelible impression on my young mind, not because it kept the time but rather that it didn’t.

It was beautiful, it was stately, but it didn’t work. Or at least I thought it was broken. It probably was never broken, but simply unused. Now, I didn’t understand it then, but that clock taught me something profound: time needs tending. If you ignore it, it drifts. If you don’t reset it, you eventually lose track of what matters most. Time needs tending. How we use our time shapes our lives. 

God is using Leviticus 23–25 to reach into the hearts of His people, opening the glass door of their lives, and resetting the pendulum of their time. Not to control them—but to form them.

To teach them the rhythms of holy rest, holy redemption, holy order, and holy presence. It’s God saying, “Your time belongs to Me. Let Me wind your days around My purposes.” And sadly many of us approach time like that grandfather clock. It is in our lives, but we are not really paying it much attention. 

After explaining and defining the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul makes this application to the church,

Ephesians 5:15–17,

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

We can be foolish in how we use our time or we can be wise making the best use of it. After God makes a way for the people of God to enter his presence through sacrifice, he then gives them Leviticus 23-25, which in essence communicates, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise like the nations, but as God’s people walking with wisdom making the best use of your time in living in and for the will of the Lord. 

We are going to take the next two weeks to think about the rhythms and rest of our lives in the hope we can better understand what the will of the Lord is in regards to how we use our time. 

1.  God’s Gift of Holy Rest (Leviticus 23:1–3)

   
   

God orders his people’s lives in the Old Testament around certain feasts and celebrations to help Israel remember what God has done for them and wind their lives around his purposes.

Leviticus 23:1–2,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts. 

These feasts are not merely for the individual but for the community as a whole to govern their lives around the Lord and his will. And the first rhythm the Lord emphasizes is the Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:3,

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places. 

The first gift God gives in this chapter is the gift of rest. Before any feast is described, before any trumpet sounds or harvests are waved, the Lord sets the foundation: “six days shall work be done, but the seventh is a Sabbath of solemn rest.” Let’s just stop there. Isn’t it interesting that before God lays out a calendar of holy days, He anchors time with this rhythm of weekly rest? Now, church, let me be honest—most of us are not good at resting.

We are always doing, building, scrolling, consuming. But what does God say? He says rest is not optional. It is holy. It is necessary for our holiness. The Sabbath is not just “me time”; it’s “God’s time.” It is merely private time, but it is a public gathering where we rest in the Lord. 

When God created the world, He worked for six days and rested on the seventh—not because He was tired, but to set a pattern for us.

Genesis 2:1–3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 

The Sabbath was woven into the fabric of creation itself. It’s a divine gift—a grace-laced pause from the tyranny of endless striving. Rest reminds us that we are not God. We stop working to declare, “God, You are in control.” When you rest, you are preaching a silent sermon that your identity is not in your productivity but that you are created and loved by God. In Genesis 1:26-27, God creates man in his image, and then rests. And now as God’s image bearers, we model his rest to reflect that we are creatures and image bearers of God.

When we don’t Sabbath, we are ignored God’s creative design for our lives and for his world. 

Now, I know some of us struggle with this idea. We think, “If I take a day off, I’ll fall behind.”

But what if the opposite is true? What if in resting, you actually align with the rhythm of God’s design and find more peace, more fruit, more joy? Think of the practical benefits: Your body is renewed. Your soul is re-centered. Your relationships are refreshed. Parents, imagine the legacy you’re building when your children see you resting—not just napping, but Sabbathing. They’ll learn that worship isn’t just Sunday morning; it’s trusting God enough to stop. It's a weekly reminder to wind your life to God’s purposes. God winds our hearts to Him with the rhythm of Sabbath. 

The ticking of time stops, and we say, “God, You’re in control.” Sabbath is that weekly winding that says, “My identity is not in my doing, but in Your being.” You won’t drift into rest—you have to tend to it. Sabbath is God’s gracious way of keeping your soul from losing time.

So, let’s be a people who receive the gift of holy rest. Not out of legalism, but out of delight—because God Himself rested, and He invites us to do the same. 

II. God’s Gift of Holy Redemption (Leviticus 23:4–8)

Now we move to the second gift God gives His people: the gift of holy redemption. God is not giving them redemption, but setting their yearly clocks to remember his redemption.

Leviticus 23:4–8

“These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the

Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” (ESV)

We have the weekly Sabbath remembering our Creator and a yearly reminder remembering our Redeemer. 

The first appointed feast is Passover, the foundational redemptive event in the life of Israel. It was on this night that the blood of a spotless lamb saved the people of God from death.

Church, let’s remember—this is not just history. This is gospel. The blood of the lamb was painted on doorposts, and when the angel of death passed over the land, he did not enter the homes where the blood covered the door. Why? Because God accepts a substitute. The lamb died in the place of the firstborn. Does that sound familiar?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus is the true and better Passover Lamb. His blood was shed so that we might be covered—not from physical death alone, but from eternal separation from God. The Feast of Unleavened

Bread follows immediately after Passover, showing us that redemption is never meant to be a one-night event. It initiates a life of sanctification. The leaven—symbolic of sin—is removed from their homes. In the same way, once we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we are called to live lives that are purified and set apart for Him.

God doesn’t just redeem us and leave us alone. He sanctifies us. He says, “You are mine now. Walk in holiness.” Let’s pause here and ask: are we living like we’ve been redeemed?

Or do we treat the blood of Christ lightly? Redemption is costly. It took a cross. It took a crown of thorns. It took nails. But Jesus did not hesitate. Why? For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, that we might be forgiven and free (Hebrews 12:2).

So, when we look at these verses, don’t miss the glory behind them. Passover isn’t just a Jewish tradition—it’s a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And friends, this is worth celebrating. Every week, every Lord’s Day, we gather not just to check a religious box but to remember that the Lamb has triumphed, and we are His.

Passover marked time by blood. It wasn’t just a date—it was a divine reset. The blood on the doorposts declared: This is a new beginning. You are no longer slaves. You are Mine. In the same way, the cross is where our clocks were reset. At the cross, Jesus says, “From this point forward, you live by grace.” Your spiritual calendar begins with the Lamb. This is one of the reasons why we have a prayer of confession and an assurance of pardon every week.

Each week we want to reset our lives around our forgiveness and redemption in Christ. 

III. God’s Gift of Holy Rhythms Leviticus 23:9–44

We live in a culture dominated by calendars, deadlines, appointments, and alarms. But despite all this scheduling, many of us feel spiritually disoriented. We’re busy, but not rooted.

Productive, but not prayerful.

In Leviticus 23:9–44, the Lord teaches His people not just to mark time but to redeem time by structuring their lives around His story of redemption.

These annual feasts served as sacred rhythms that helped the people of God remember who they were and whose they were. Through agricultural cycles and spiritual symbolism, God wired reminders into the fabric of their calendar to center their lives around Him.

A. The Feast of Firstfruits — Redeeming the Beginning (vv. 9–14)

God tells the people that when they enter the Promised Land and begin reaping its harvest, they are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits to the priest as an offering. This isn’t just about gratitude—it’s about trust. Firstfruits are an act of faith. Before any harvest is fully in, you’re giving the first to God, saying, “I believe the rest will come.”

This principle echoes in the New Testament. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Just as Israel gave the first sheaf, God gave us Jesus as the first evidence of a greater resurrection harvest to come. Do you offer God your first and best—or your leftovers? Do you build rhythms of worship and service into the start of your day, your week, your month? The firstfruits principle reminds us to lead with faith, not convenience.

B. The Feast of Weeks — Celebrating Spirit-Filled Provision (vv. 15–22)

This was a harvest celebration, marking God’s ongoing provision. In Leviticus 23:15–22,

Pentecost comes 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits, which celebrated the beginning of the grain harvest. Firstfruits was a promise: “God, You’ve started this harvest, and we trust You’ll finish it.” Pentecost, by contrast, celebrated the full harvest—the fulfillment of that promise. In But in God’s sovereign timeline, Pentecost took on even greater meaning in Acts 2 when He poured out His Holy Spirit upon the church.

The Spirit empowered the church to be a new kind of harvest—not of grain, but of souls. Just as the early Israelites gave thanks for the physical harvest, Pentecost in Acts 2 marks the beginning of the spiritual harvest—the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles, empowering the church to proclaim the gospel to all nations. On Pentecost, Leviticus 23:17 says the people were to present two loaves of leavened bread to the Lord as a wave offering. Why two? And why with leaven? Many scholars and pastors see this as a symbol of the inclusion of Jew and Gentile—two peoples, now made one in Christ (Ephesians 2:14–16). The loaves had leaven (which often symbolizes sin), showing that God accepts sinful people, not because of their purity, but because of His mercy. The gospel is seen in Pentecost for God receives people from every tribe, tongue, and nation—not because they are clean, but because He makes them clean through the blood of Christ, the substitutionary sacrifice, and the regeneration of the Spirit.

Friends, Pentecost isn’t merely about fire and tongues—it’s about fruit. It’s about the God who starts the work at Firstfruits and finishes it at Pentecost. It’s about Jesus, the risen Lord, giving His Spirit to gather a people for Himself. And it’s about us—you and me—caught up in that harvest of grace to then offer that grace to others. For you and I are here because someone, somewhere, obeyed the call of Acts 2 and told you about Jesus. The gospel of Pentecost is this: God keeps His promises, God gives His Spirit, and God gathers His people from every corner of the earth. What we see in part in the feasts, we see in greater clarity in the gospel. 

C. The Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, and Booths — Remembering Our Identity (vv. 23–44)

In the fall, God ordained a trio of festivals: Trumpets (a holy convocation and wake-up call), the Day of Atonement (the solemn cleansing of the people’s sins), and the Feast of Booths (a joyful reminder of their wilderness journey). These all point to different aspects of our salvation:

• Trumpets remind us that God breaks through our routines, awakens us and calls us back to Himself.

• Atonement points to Jesus, our great High Priest, who cleanses us from sin once for all

• Booths remind us that we’re pilgrims on a journey, and God tabernacles with us along the way.

  
  

What rhythms remind you of God’s presence, provision, and pardon? The church calendar—Advent, Easter, Pentecost—can serve us like these feasts did for Israel. Use spiritual rhythms not just to keep tradition but to kindle truth. The Lord’s Supper is a regular reminder for us to turn from sin and feed on Christ by faith. 

God gave His people seasonal festivals to keep their hearts aligned with His story. Again, time needs tending, for our lives need tending, we must wind our lives around the Lord’s purposes.  These feasts recalibrated Israel to God’s movement in their lives—harvest, atonement, joy, provision. We need that too. What sacred rhythms are you using to keep your soul in sync with heaven’s heartbeat? With God’s creative design? 

One of the most besetting struggles in our day is anxiety. It is the pace of life, the fear of missing out, the fatigue that comes with the opportunity of knowing what is happening in so many places and in so many people’s lives. And one of the cures for anxiety is the rhythms of rest the Lord teaches us in his word. All these feasts are feasts of faith. We slow down and remember and believe God’s word. Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 6:30–33

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

The cure for anxiety is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and how are we to do that? By resting each and every Sabbath day in the gospel of redemption and the promise that the good work that God began, he will complete. We are anxious because we are not winding our clocks according to the Lord’s purposes. 

IV. God’s Gift of Holy Radiance Leviticus 24:1–9

After detailing the annual rhythms, Leviticus 24 shifts to what happens inside the Tabernacle: the continual burning of the lampstand and the weekly replacement of the bread of the Presence. These were sacred symbols of how God dwelled among His people. These verses teach us that God is not only the Author of time but also the Source of light and life. Leviticus 24:1–9,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the LORD regularly.

“You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the LORD. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the LORD regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the LORD’s food offerings, a perpetual due.” 

I want you to notice something in Leviticus 24:8 that we might be tempted to skim over but is deeply rich in meaning. It says, “Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever.” Don’t rush past that.

What’s being described here is the weekly rhythm of worship inside the Tabernacle—specifically the bread of the Presence and the lampstand. Every Sabbath, the priest would lay out twelve fresh loaves—one for each tribe of Israel—on the table. These weren’t just snacks for the priests; they were symbols of God’s covenant faithfulness to all His people.

And next to that table stood a golden lampstand, burning continuously with pure oil. If you remember from Exodus—and later in Numbers—the lamp was intentionally designed to shine its light toward the bread. Think about that: God commanded that light would fall directly on the bread.

Now why does that matter? What’s the picture being painted here?

Beloved, this is a symbol of God’s covenant relationship with His people. The bread represents the tribes—God’s people. The lamp represents His divine presence, His holy radiance. So every week, as the priest entered the holy place and replaced the loaves, he saw this beautiful image: God’s presence shining upon His people. That’s God’s covenant promise. That’s grace. That’s God saying, “You are mine, and I am with you.”

And if you fast-forward to Numbers 6, to that great priestly blessing, you hear the same language: “The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.” This isn’t just poetic language. It’s rooted in the liturgical life of Israel—in sacred time and sacred space. God’s shining face, His presence, was not a vague idea. It was a visible picture in the Tabernacle every Sabbath. And of course, all of it points us forward. The light is Christ. John 8:12,

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is telling his disciples that I am the pillar of fire that led and guided God’s people out of slavery. I am God. 

Jesus is the light that shines on his people. In Christ, God’s face truly shines on His people—permanently, gloriously, redemptively. He radiates his glory on to us. 2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

So when you think about your weekly rhythms—Sunday after Sunday, gathering with God’s people—don’t treat it as mundane. Every Lord’s Day is a re-enactment of that Tabernacle picture. The light of Christ shines through the Word leading us like a pillar of fire in the darkness. 

Is your life illuminated by the Word of Christ? Do you draw near daily to the light of His presence? Prayer, Scripture, and gathered worship are the oil that keeps your lamp burning.

Friend, if you have never given your life to Christ, the Bible says you are still in darkness. You need to come to the light. You are a sinner, but God came to save sinners. Jesus died on the cross as the perfect substitute, was dead and buried, and was raised on the third day, to save anyone who would come to him in faith. If you turn from your sin and believe in Christ, you too will be saved. But if you reject Christ, you will experience his just retribution. 

V. God’s Gift of Holy Retribution (Leviticus 24:10–23)

After sacred rhythms and radiant symbols, we’re suddenly confronted with a courtroom drama: a man blasphemes the name of the Lord and is stoned to death. But this too reveals the character of our holy God.

A. The Seriousness of God’s Name (vv. 10–16)

A fight breaks out, and in the heat of the moment, one man blasphemes the name of the Lord.

Leviticus 24:10–16,

Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the

Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

The community brings him to Moses, unsure of what to do. God declares: “Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death.” Why such a severe response?

Because God’s name is not like ours. His name reveals His character, His covenant, His presence. To blaspheme it is to reject His holiness. And just like after God’s presence fell in Leviticus 9, and we saw the corruption of Nadab and Abihu, we see God’s light shining on his people, but as one pastor points out, “we see how all the feasts and festivals can’t solve the problem of the human heart.” God is warning Israel of the danger of drifting from the covenant and foreshadowing that they probably will. And we know this will happen in Exile when God’s people will become like the nations and be vomited out of the land as he warned them in Lev. 20. 

The chapter concludes with a reminder of proportional justice: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”

Leviticus 24:19–20,

If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. 

This is not a license for revenge, but a safeguard for fairness. God’s justice is always measured and appropriate. He shows no partiality but everyone will answer for their own sins. He does not punish lightly, nor does He overlook sin. He treats everyone according to what they deserve, except for those who turn to Christ. 

For in Christ,  the justice we deserved fell not on us—but on Jesus. On the cross, the One who never blasphemed was treated like the blasphemer, so that we, the guilty, might be forgiven. Let this passage drive you not to harshness but to humility. Revere God’s holiness, and rest in Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

Even justice is a way God protects time. Like a clock that needs adjusting when it drifts too far, God’s justice realigns His people with what’s right. The punishment in this passage may sound severe—but it shows that God's holiness is not casual. His name is the standard. And here we are reminded of the gospel—Jesus took our penalty. He was wound up with the weight of our sin, so we could be set free to live rightly and reverently.

Beloved,  God gave Israel these holy rhythms because He knows: when we stop winding our lives around His grace, we drift. We forget. We lose time.

But praise be to God—Jesus never drifts. He is the Lord of time, the Redeemer of days, the Light of the world,  and the One who absorbed the justice we deserved. He is not only our Passover Lamb—He is the clockmaker who restores the rhythm of our hearts.

So church, don’t just mark your calendar with appointments and sports practices—mark it with worship. Build rhythms of grace into your weeks, your months, your seasons. Let God wind the clock of your soul, so you don’t just keep time—you keep in step with Him and do his will.  Because holy time is a gift. Don’t be foolish with it. Make the best use of your time understanding the will of the Lord. He is the Author of time and he gave us time we could use it to reflect his glory. I pray we do so.