Leviticus 23 lists the set feasts of Israel, the regular appointments God gave his people to gather, rest and remember what he had done for them. These questions are for a small group, a Sunday class or personal study, and they move from what the chapter says, to what it means, to how it shapes daily life. Each question comes with a leader’s note, so you can use the material without preparing a separate summary.
Leviticus 23 at a Glance
The chapter opens with the weekly Sabbath and then walks through the calendar of the year: Passover and Unleavened Bread in the first month, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks counted seven weeks later, the Day of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month, and the Feast of Booths at the end of the harvest. Each appointment is called a holy convocation, a gathering set apart for the Lord.
Throughout, the chapter keeps returning to two notes: rest from ordinary work, and provision for those who have little, as seen in the instruction to leave the edges of the field for the poor and the foreigner. The calendar is anchored in God’s own words, “these are my set feasts,” which is why the repeated phrase “I am the LORD your God” matters so much.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask group members to point to the verse where they find each answer, and let the silence sit for a moment before you supply the summary yourself.
Leviticus 23:2
“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.
(WEB)
Reading the opening words aloud sets the tone for the whole session by reminding the group that these feasts belong to the Lord. Pause after “my set feasts” and invite the room to hear that the calendar begins with God’s claim on time.
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 kind of work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
(WEB)
This verse introduces the weekly Sabbath and its command to rest in every dwelling. Reading it slowly helps the group hear that rest is a holy gift, not a reward for finished work.
Leviticus 23:22
“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.’”
(WEB)
Reading the instruction about the field corners aloud puts generosity to the poor and the foreigner at the center of worship. It also ends with “I am the LORD your God,” a reminder that justice flows from who God is.
Leviticus 23:27-28
27 “However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 You shall do no kind of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.
(WEB)
The Day of Atonement is the heart of the chapter’s call to repentance. Reading it aloud helps the group feel the seriousness of atonement and the humility it requires.
Leviticus 23:42-43
42 You shall dwell in temporary shelters for seven days. All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in temporary shelters, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”
(WEB)
These verses close the chapter with the reason for the shelters: so that generations will remember the Lord’s deliverance. Reading them together shows the group how remembrance becomes teaching.
Memory Verse for Leviticus 23
Leviticus 23:43
That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”
(WEB)
This verse gathers the chapter’s purpose into one sentence: remembering God’s deliverance so the next generation will know him. It is a useful verse to carry into family conversations and into the week after the study ends.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the appointed times you give us, for the rest that lets us stop and remember who you are. Teach us to keep Sabbath in our homes, to leave generous gleanings for those who have little, and to come before you honestly in repentance. Help us tell the story of your faithfulness so that those who come after us will know that you are the Lord our God. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
