Feast of Ingathering: God’s Faithfulness — Leviticus 23

The Feast of Ingathering is a festival of thanksgiving for the final harvest of the year, including grapes and grain. It is one of Israel’s three major festivals, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks. During this festival, the people built booths to commemorate God’s protection throughout the forty years in the wilderness.

Feast of Ingathering: God’s Faithfulnes

This is a harvest thanksgiving festival observed after gathering and storing various fruits and grain — such as grapes and olives — in gratitude for God’s grace. It is one of Israel’s three most representative festivals, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks.

Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Ingathering, Feast of Harvest)

The Feast of Ingathering was observed for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (the month of Tishri, corresponding to September–October in the solar calendar). This period marked the final harvest season of the year and fell in autumn, just before the rainy season began. The festival also served as a day to remember and give thanks for God’s grace in sustaining Israel through forty years of wilderness life after the Exodus. For this reason, when the Feast of Ingathering arrived, the Israelites would build booths from palm branches, willow branches, and various other tree boughs — just as they had done in the wilderness — and dwell in them. It is for this reason that the Feast of Ingathering was also known as the ‘Feast of Booths’ or ‘Feast of Tabernacles’.

Each day, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old, and one male goat were offered as burnt offerings. In addition, seventy bulls were offered in total: thirteen on the first day, twelve on the second day, eleven on the third day, and so on, decreasing by one each day, until seven bulls were offered on the seventh and final day. The eighth day, which concluded the festival, was set apart as an especially holy day and observed as a solemn assembly. On that day, one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs were offered as burnt offerings, and one male goat was offered as a sin offering. (Num 29:12–38)

In particular, during the Festival of Ingathering held in the sabbatical year, the Law was read aloud to all of Israel — men, women, children, and even foreigners residing among them — so that they might be taught to fear the LORD. This festival also coincided with the period when Solomon built and dedicated the Temple, making it a time overflowing with gratitude and joy in every way.

Source: Dictionary of Biblical Cultural Backgrounds

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