v1-2: The feasts of the Lord; "these are my appointed feasts"; the Lord was to be central in all these things.

v3: The Sabbath, the first, regular weekly, feast. A day of solemn rest, rather than laziness; a day for the Lord, and for testimony to His goodness. Our rest is in Christ, we do not work, Rom 4.1-8, for justification is apart from work.

The Sabbath was a particular sign that Israel were the people of God (Ex 31.12-18). This day was to be kept separate from the other six. It became a family day, having starting at sunset on the 'Friday' and ending with the Havdalah ceremony at twilight on the 'Saturday.'  A closing prayer was later used; 'Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makes a distinction  between light and darkness, between the holy and the ordinary, between Israel and the nations, between the Sabbath and the weekday,' (See A History of Children, Irene Smale).

v4-8: The feast of the Passover (1st month, 14th day), and the feast of Unleavened Bread (1st month, 15th-21st day). These feasts were closely joined, relating to the deliverance from Egypt; see also Matt 26.17; Mark 14.1,12; Luke 22.1; they point us forward to Christ's crucifixion. Deut 16.1-8 gives instructions for Israel.

Leaven (yeast) was to be removed from every Jewsish home. This later became a game for children, to seek out every last piece of yeast from their home.

The seventh day was an 'extra Sabbath,' a day of doing no regular work. This was additional to the usual Sabbath; thus, when Christ died, there were two Sabbaths, on the Friday and the Saturday, meaning He was dead for three days.

Later a more elaborate ceremony developed. The family remembered the first Passover. The head of the household explained the significance of the event - it became a key opportunity to teach the children the ways of God and the history of the nation.

v9-14: The feast of First Fruits, 1st month, 21st day; fulfilled in Christ's resurrection. The first fruits from their produce were given to the Lord, as a sign of gratitude for His faithfulness (v10). The people could not eat of the harvest until they had made this offering; in this way they put Him first (v14). Christ is the first fruits from the dead, giving promise that others shall rise with Him.

v15-21: Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, 3rd Month, 6th day. This was counted 50 days after the First Fruits.

v22: Within the instructions about feasts relating to harvest was a command to remember the poor. Thus worship and compassion are strongly linked; both are part of a 'God-ward' lifestyle.

The prophecy in Dan 9.27 refers to "the middle of the seven", which may refer to a 'week', or seven years, or to the middle of the seven feasts. The feasts listed to this point have been fulfilled, but the later feasts have yet to be fulfilled. Daniel does not refer to what will happen after the middle of the week.

v23-25: The Feast of Trumpets, 7th month, 1st day. This speaks of Christ's return, when the trumpet of God will sound, and of the people being gathered together.

This feast later marked the Jewsih New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Rams horns were blown. They pointed back to the incident in Gen 22 where a ram was offered in the place of Isaac. In recent times, Jewish families re-tell the story of Abraham and Isaac.

v26-32: The Feast of Atonement, 7th month, 10th day. The time of forgiveness of sins, 16.30,34. Failure to respect this day was a serious offence (v29-31).

The Israelites had to deny themselves, showing sorrow for their sins (Zech 12.10-14). In illustration, Joseph's brothers came to him with sorrow (Gen 50.15-21).

Verse 32 indicates that the day actually began on the evening of the previous 'day.' Sunset marked the end of each day.

v33-36: The Feast of Tabernacles, 7th month, 15th-23rd day. This was a time of dwelling in booths/tabernacles (v42), rejoicing in the Lord (v40); the picture is of enjoying Christ's reign. The practice of living in tabernacles reminded the people of their time in the wilderness (v43).

v37-38: These verses summarise the Feasts. The worship of God, whether daily or weekly, or at specified Feast times, was to be ordered by God. The Feasts were to be celebrated in addition to the daily and weekly offerings, and in addition to free will offerings.

v39-43: The people, having gathered the harvest, celebrated before the Lord, with choice fruit, and, presumably, waving branches before the Lord. They also lived in booths for seven days, remembering their journey in the desert.

v44: The Feasts of the Lord; contrast John 2.13,51, where they are called the Feasts of the Jews, indicating ritualism rather than real devotion.