Daily Devotion | Leviticus 23:26–44 | 2026 March 19

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 23:26–44 | 2026 March 19

Scripture: Leviticus 23:26–44 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 March 19

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you. We thank God for His grace that we come into a new day to study the daily spiritual nourishment. Today’s passage is Leviticus 23:26–44. Let us pray. Lord, we thank You, we thank You for having mercy upon us, that in this morning You awaken our ears with Your word, so that we may enter more deeply into and know Your presence. Lord, we confess before You that we are foolish; we need wisdom from heaven in order to understand Your word. May You be with us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Now let us look at these two feasts: the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. As we have mentioned before, among all the feasts of Israel, the Day of Atonement is a great day, because on this day the high priest of Israel enters into the sanctuary, into the Most Holy Place, to make atonement before God for the people of Israel. The Day of Atonement is the center of Israel’s life. And the Day of Atonement corresponds to the Passover, so I think this is something important.

We have said before that God often uses such a method to remind His people. Passover prefigures how God’s people came out of Egypt. The Passover lamb was slain, and the blood of the lamb was put on the doorposts and the lintel. This expresses that God, in a sense, dies for His people on the cross and brings them out of Egypt. We have repeatedly mentioned this earlier when we studied Exodus. Now we come to the Day of Atonement. Atonement is even clearer—it shows that God is going to remove the sins of Israel.

So from two aspects, Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then the Day of Atonement—these are two things, but actually they point to one reality: God removes the sins of His people and brings them before the Father. That is the meaning of the Day of Atonement. In fact, this meaning is already expressed in Passover. But the Day of Atonement, as we have said before, is the most solemn and meaningful day among the Israelites. Why? Because on that day, all the sins of Israel are atoned for before God.

The high priest represents the people of Israel and enters into the Most Holy Place to make atonement before God. And when the high priest comes out, as we mentioned before, that is the moment when all Israel rejoices, because God has forgiven their sins, God is willing to dwell among them, and God is still willing to show grace and preserve them. This is the Day of Atonement. We have already talked about many of its regulations—what the high priest must do. The purpose is to show the holiness of that day. At the same time, the Day of Atonement tells Israel that the most important issue in their life is the removal of sin.

They live in this world and continually sin and offend God. The core of being accepted by God is that their sin must be removed—it must be atoned for. Of course, this atonement ultimately points to the redemption of Jesus Christ.

Now I think that even for us today, this passage can still be applied. You may say, we no longer have the Day of Atonement, right? So why should we still look at this passage? Because the Day of Atonement tells Israel that you are living in sin and transgression, you need atonement, and you must live before a holy God. This entire system of thinking must operate in our hearts as well.

That is to say, we are living in a sinful age. Every day we need to confess our sins and repent before God. The result of sin is death. If there is no atoning sacrifice, then our entire life will collapse, and what awaits us is the judgment of the lake of fire. This is a fundamental logic of the Christian life.

So here I also want to remind everyone: as Christians, this deeper foundational logic must continually operate within us. This world is sinful, we are sinners, and if there is no atoning sacrifice, we will move toward destruction in the lake of fire. This most fundamental logic is what makes redemption necessary.

What does that mean? It means if I live in this world and everything is fine, if I live in this world and I am safe and sound, then why would I need redemption? So sin and redemption must be connected. God uses the feasts to remind Israel: you are in sin, and you need redemption.

But this way of thinking is very hard for people to accept. We find it difficult to understand. Why do I need atonement? I am living just fine, right? Especially when you wake up in the morning and see the bright sunshine—what do you think? You think, “Isn’t my life going well? Do I really need redemption?”

I think this is one of the greatest lies that Satan puts into the human heart. For example, imagine someone has two children. One child’s career is flourishing—he goes through elementary school, middle school, university, finds a good job, earns a high salary, gets married, has children, and there seems to be no obvious serious sin. Isn’t that the kind of life we admire?

This is a great reminder to us. The Day of Atonement tells Israel that the most important thing in your life is not a stable job, not physical health, but atonement. God deliberately placed the Day of Atonement as such a solemn feast in the yearly calendar of Israel. Why? To tell them that the most important thing in your life is atonement—you must be atoned for.

Now you see the contrast with the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year creates an image of reunion, of everyone gathering together in joy. This is not entirely false—family reunion is indeed good. But in reality, the Chinese New Year, as the most important festival, can also mislead and numb people, making them feel as if there is no death.

It is a joyful day—everyone celebrates, eats, drinks, and is happy. But this actually gives a wrong impression: it makes people feel that the purpose of life is simply to eat, drink, and be merry. This kind of cultural transmission is very powerful. In fact, all nations have this feature in their New Year celebrations—they are all joyful.

But the premise of this joy must be the Day of Atonement. We are not saying that we should not have joy in the New Year, but the prerequisite is atonement. It must come after a serious process of atonement, and only then do we arrive at the Feast of Booths. This order is something we must understand, and it reminds us what truly matters.

I think many brothers and sisters do not have a deep enough understanding of the Day of Atonement. We do not deeply realize that in this world we need redemption—we need the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And what is the result? The result is that we live comfortably. We say, “I earned this much money this year, my career is successful, my life is smooth. Isn’t that good enough? Do I need redemption?” We may not even see our need.

We may think we need a concert, or better health, or more recognition. These are lies of the world. Brothers and sisters, do not walk down this path.

I am not saying that you cannot have a healthy body or a proper job. But you must deeply realize that your greatest need in life is atonement. You are already perishing; you are dead in sins and trespasses. You cannot face judgment. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can redeem you. Therefore, you must cling tightly to His atonement and, in Him, live a holy life, so that in the final day you may behold the face of the Lord.

This must become your foundational logic. It must operate within your life. If this does not operate within you, then you will begin to love the world, take pride in earthly benefits, and even become attached to this world. This is a great temptation for Christians, especially when you have a good job and a beautiful family, and everything seems to prosper. In reality, this can quickly lead you down a path toward destruction.

In the past weeks and months, we have studied Psalms 40, 49, and 73. These passages especially remind us not to love the world, not to slide into the lake of fire in comfort and ease. From another perspective, we can also give thanks, because God uses suffering to remind us that this world is not our home—our homeland is in heaven.

Now, regarding the Day of Atonement, we have mentioned that one must afflict oneself—that is, restrain one’s heart. And here it specifically says that no work is to be done. Verse 26, and verses 30 and 31 emphasize that on this day you must stop all your work. Why? In order to think about atonement. Why do we as a people observe the Day of Atonement? Why do we need it? Do other nations not need it?

Among all the nations, only Israel has the Day of Atonement. And only they have the sanctuary. This shows that through Israel, God is telling us what the true center of human life and society is—the Day of Atonement. Only when our sins are atoned for can we truly have a good life.

Now let us move on to the Feast of Booths. The Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month, and the Feast of Booths begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. As we mentioned before, this corresponds roughly to October in the solar calendar. It is a season of harvest across much of the world—at least for regions like Asia and the Middle East.

This is a beautiful season. The Feast of Booths also begins with a holy day, where no laborious work is to be done, and on the seventh day there is a solemn assembly, again with no laborious work.

What kind of feast is the Feast of Booths? It is a joyful and happy feast. The first day of the seventh month is the Feast of Trumpets, the tenth day is the Day of Atonement, and then on the fifteenth day comes the Feast of Booths. Even today among the Israelites, it is still a joyful festival.

People gather in Jerusalem and build booths everywhere. Why? To rejoice and celebrate the Feast of Booths, because the produce has been gathered—it is a harvest festival. There is both harvest and atonement, and so the Israelites dwell in booths and rejoice before God.

As we mentioned before, the Feast of Booths comes after the Day of Atonement. When we truly understand the meaning of atonement, when we truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are determined to live a holy life in Him, then God also blesses us to have a joyful Feast of Booths.

A person who truly trusts in Jesus Christ is not someone who lives in misery without joy. On the contrary, when we truly live a holy life, we experience real joy while we dwell in this “booth”—that is, in our bodies in this world. This joy comes from God’s blessing, not from loving the world or from Satan’s deception. Our minds are clear.

We do not sin, yet God still uses what He has created in this world to satisfy us—we have food, drink, and even enjoyment. We live in a joyful life. Therefore, in the Feast of Booths, it specifically mentions taking the fruit of trees, palm branches, leafy branches, and willows, and rejoicing before the Lord for seven days. It is a very joyful feast.

I do not know if you have noticed—palm branches, fruits, leafy branches, willows—what does this remind you of? It reminds us of the Garden of Eden. Yes, God is showing mercy to us. He wants to bring us back to a life even better than Eden, so that we may know His faithfulness and love.

But at the same time, God does not let them live in houses, but in booths, so that they may remember—verse 43—that when He brought Israel out of Egypt, He made them dwell in booths. “I am the LORD your God.”

So you see that God continually reminds them of the Exodus. Passover marks the beginning of their deliverance. The Feast of Unleavened Bread calls them to holiness. Pentecost teaches them to offer the firstfruits and to give thanks. The Feast of Trumpets marks a new beginning. The Day of Atonement brings them back again to the issue of sin and atonement. And then comes the Feast of Booths, where they rejoice and remember how God led them to dwell in booths.

During those days in the wilderness, God gave them manna. He led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The wilderness should have been a place of death, a place where wild beasts devour. But God turned the wilderness into Eden. He caused the Israelites to experience His faithful provision. He sent manna from heaven and made the wilderness like Eden.

Because only in Eden do people have food without labor. In the wilderness, God showed them that He is the true provider. For forty years, they ate manna. Why? So that they would know that He alone is the provider.

They lived in booths and did not have to labor anxiously for food and drink. Instead, they learned God’s statutes and obeyed His law. It was a beautiful time—a time to remember how God saved them. Because once they entered Canaan and lived comfortably, they would easily forget that they had been redeemed by God.

Their eyes would turn again to the earth: “I want more houses, more land, bigger houses.” This is the temptation of man. So God, in His wisdom, brings them out of their houses for seven days each year to dwell in booths, to remind them that houses are not permanent, and that they should long for the true dwelling.

The Feast of Booths reminds them not to love houses. This is especially relevant to us Chinese people—we love buying houses. It feels as if renting is not enough, and only owning a house gives security. But this mindset is wrong.

God deliberately brings Israel into the open field for seven days each year to dwell in tents, to tell them what truly lasts. Is it houses, or is it God’s promise? Is this world what is real, or should you long for your eternal home?

And during this time, there is joy. Imagine it—tents everywhere in Jerusalem, families close together, children running around. What does this show? That we are one family, and that we are moving together toward God’s kingdom. Nothing on this earth is permanent.

These booths remind us not to love earthly houses, but to follow God and live a holy life. At the same time, it also reminds us that our life on earth is like dwelling in a tent. Our tent is our body. The apostle Peter tells us that we groan in this tent. Why do we groan? Because this tent is not our home.

Human vanity is this: on the one hand, we long for houses to last forever, and we also want our bodies to last forever. We exercise, trying to prolong our life. I am not saying you should not care for your body. But we must know that this body will one day decay.

As I said before, think about a glass cup. The question is not whether it will break—the question is when and how it will break. It will definitely break. Our bodies are the same. The question is not whether we will leave this world, but when and in what way we will leave it.

So the Feast of Booths reminds Israel that although it is a joyful feast, they must not fix their eyes on the tent. What they need is to return again and again to God and long for their eternal home in heaven.

Therefore, when we study Leviticus, we can clearly see that even in the Old Testament, the concept of the kingdom of heaven is already very clear. Why must they dwell in booths even after entering Canaan? Because we are strangers and sojourners on the earth.

Then it mentions solemn assemblies, and various offerings—burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings. Why are these offered? To show that after atonement, God’s people are willing to offer their whole life to Him and live such a “booth-like” life.

These offerings are more peace offerings and burnt offerings, rather than sin offerings, because the sin offering has already been completed in the Day of Atonement.

So I think these two feasts remind us how we should live on earth—how we should turn the goal of our life toward the Day of Atonement, to see that the greatest blessing in our life is that our sins are forgiven, and then how we may live joyfully on earth in a way that pleases God. These are all reminders for us.

That is all for today’s sharing. Thank you, everyone.