Verse by Verse

Sometimes individuals look for contradictions in the bible where none exists. A good example of this is found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. In Leviticus, we read of 7 festivals each year that were observed by ancient Israel. But in Exodus and Deuteronomy, we're told that Israel was to come before God 3 times per year. So which is it?

3 times or 7? How do you make sense out of these seemingly contradictory accounts? Today, on this episode of our podcast, we will be dealing with some of these verses. And from them, we will see the true meaning from scripture. It really isn't difficult.

And, no, there is no contradiction. Our verses are found in Exodus chapter 23 verses 14 through 16. Three times you shall keep a feast to me in the year. You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. You shall eat unleavened bread 7 days as I commanded you at the time appointed in the month of Abib.

For in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty. And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field, and the feast of ingathering at the end of the year when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. In the past, we have sometimes referred to the word times as meaning seasons and referring to 3 harvest seasons. In reality, there are only 2 harvest seasons in Israel, the spring and the fall.

But the spring has 2 distinct types of harvest. The barley in early spring, beginning during the days of unleavened bread, and the wheat, which matures later and is harvested leading up to Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost is also called the feast of the first fruits. This festival is a celebration that marks the conclusion of the grain harvest, which includes both barley and wheat. Then in the fall, there is the fruit and vegetable harvest.

This was the largest harvest for the year and involved a lot of work and a great celebration. It was indeed the largest of the 2 harvests. There's another translation of the English word times from the Hebrew. The Hebrew word is regel. It is used 246 times in the Hebrew scriptures, and it is translated 219 times as feet or foot.

The origin of the word seems to be more about walking or traveling somewhere, and in fact in Genesis 29 verse 1, the word regel is translated journey. It is widely understood that Moses was writing about what came to be known as the pilgrimage festivals. These were the 3 times a year that the Israelites were to gather at Jerusalem for the 3 festival harvest seasons. Passover and unleavened bread in the early spring and the beginning of the barley harvest, Pentecost which was the harvest of the first fruits and consisted primarily of wheat, And the 3rd harvest season was the fall harvest when there were 4 festivals, trumpets, atonement, tabernacles, and the 8th day. There is no contradiction between the three times, seasons, or journeys, and the 7 festivals as outlined in Leviticus 23.

Just as the 1 festival of unleavened bread has 2 holy days within the 7 day festival period, so we see that the three times have more than one holy day built within these time frames. There are 7 festivals, but 3 harvest times or 3 pilgrimage festivals or 3 times when the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem. During the first journey, there were 2 festivals, Passover and Unleavened Bread. During the second journey, there was 1 festival, the Feast of First Fruits. And the 3rd journey, when there were 4 festivals, trumpets, atonement, tabernacles, and the 8th day.

So we have 3 times and 7 festivals commanded by God. No contradiction here. These examples are in perfect harmony.

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