Then God commanded, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin; (Gen. 1:14, TEV).

Most often, the word mo’edim, sacred festivals, ְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים is translated as “seasons” in Genesis 1:14 (See Blog 2). The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon Definitions says, “The pictograph o is a picture of the eye, the d is a picture of the door. Combined, these mean “see the door,” as coming to a tent of meeting and entering in, a place, time or event that is repeated again and again.”¹ Repetition of an account of something at a set time and place makes a witness. It requires the coming together of two or more, an assembly or swarm who agree, hence an appointed time. The tabernacle was called “the tent of witness,” the place of revelation.

Mo’edim is used for YHWH meeting His people at the tabernacle and for the assembly to worship Him as He revealed His Light to them. Israel was expected to come, and YHWH vowed to meet with them at these set times. Meeting with YHWH at His appointed times led to illumination and becoming like Him, receiving the blessings of Eden.

The Torah sets an intriguing foundation for YHWH’s solemn appointed times. Three times mentioned in Genesis, the birth of Isaac was “at the appointed time” (Gen. 17:21; 18:14; 21:1-4). Then, three times in Exodus, YHWH commanded Israel to keep the Passover-Unleavened Bread festivals “at the appointed time” (Exo. 13:8-10; 23:14-15; 34:18). The author intentionally linked the two events. Isaac’s birth story happened in order to fulfill YHWH’s covenant promise to Abraham at an appointed time by the will of God, not flesh. YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt for seven days to birth a new nation by His strong arm to fulfill His covenant promise at an appointed time, exactly 400 years from when Isaac was weaned and 430 years from Abraham’s entering Canaan. The events in Genesis and Exodus “at the appointed time” involve YHWH’s covenant promise, unleavened bread, and an exodus (Lot out of Sodom and Israel out of Egypt).

Takeaway: 
YHWH set the appointed festivals upon the birth of Abraham’s son, Isaac, “In Isaac shall your seed be called (Gen. 21:12). God fulfilled His covenant promises by the sure unleavened Word of God, Yeshua, reversing humanity’s exile from the Garden via an exodus. The birth of Isaac and the exodus belong to each of us of the new creation, His Isaac-like begotten children “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” bearing the testimony of Yeshua (Jhn. 1:12-13).

Fun Factors:
“At the appointed time” occurs 223 times in the Tanakh. 2 × 2 × 3 = 12; 2 + 2 + 3 = 7, the 12 common years and 7 leap years of the Hebrew calendar’s 19-year time cycle.

The name “Isaac” occurs 128 times in the Bible, 128 = 2⁷, or 8² + 8², a direct reference to Isaac’s covenant circumcision on the eighth day and the Passover plus 7 holy assemblies, YHWH’s eight appointed times.

Genesis 21:12, “In Isaac shall your seed be called” = 848, 2⁴ × 53, which is 28² + 8².