CELEBRATION OF SHAVUOT (PENTECOST)

On June 4, 2017, churches and synagogues around the globe celebrated the festival of Shavuot (Hebrew for “Weeks”), also known as Pentecost (“pente” means “50”).  What is it?  What does it signify?

A previous article in VIP centered around the festival of Passover, which occurred on April 10, 2017.  This was the day in history when Moses and the Israelites applied the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their homes, and then fled out of Egypt.  According to the story in Exodus, the Israelites took three days to get to the Sea of Reeds (also called the Red Sea).  Suddenly, as Pharaoh’s army was chasing behind them, the waters of the sea parted, and the Israelites fled on dry ground.  Just as suddenly, the waters closed upon Pharoah’s army, and they were drowned.  To commemorate this amazing event, the Israelites celebrated each year with a commemoration called Passover.  As an aside, in this century, archaeologists found pieces of the chariot wheels embedded in the ground under the Sea of Reeds!

After that incredible deliverance, the Israelites began counting seven weeks, starting from the day after the Sabbath following Passover, up to the 50th day when they would begin the wheat harvest.  This 50-day period was the Counting of the Omer.  An omer is a specific amount of barley.  On the first day of the Counting of the Omer, and each day afterward, this measure of barley was presented as an offering to God, in thanksgiving for the harvest. The barley harvest continued to mature during these fifty days, leading up to the 50th day, called the Feast of Firstfruits.  This date was also known as Shavuot (which means “weeks”, representing the counting of seven weeks), or Pentecost (“pente”, representing the counting of 50 days).

Shavuot was the day to offer the Firstfruits of the wheat harvest to God.  A Firstfruit offering was 100% of the very first portion of the harvest, representing the idea of asking God to bless the whole harvest.  After Firstfruits, there were ongoing offerings called tithes (10% of the harvest), representing a thanksgiving for the ongoing harvest provided by God.  Firstfruit offerings, of course, could only be offered at the very beginning of the season.

The Israelites celebrated three Pilgrimage festivals each year, when all the adult males of each household would present their offerings to God at a designated location.  Shavuot was one of those Pilgrimage festivals.  Those who celebrated these Pilgrimage festivals were given a promise from God, in Exodus 34:24 — “For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times a year.”

Shavuot was also the day that Moses was given the Torah, the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments.  Figuratively, this was the beginning of the “harvest” of a new nation.  It was the day when God presented to the Israelites the constitution that would govern their nation.  On that day, a loud sound came from the heavens, and there was fire and smoke and a violent wind.

Fast forward to centuries later, during the time of Yeshua (Hebrew name for Jesus) and his disciples.  Yeshua was crucified on Passover, the same day that Israelites had applied the blood of the lamb to their doorposts.  He was in the tomb for three days, the same three days that the Israelites had been running away from Pharoah.  Yeshua arose from the dead on the same day that the Israelites would have been offering the firstfruits of the barley harvest.  By the way, this day was the first day of the Counting of the Omer.  Yeshua’s resurrection occurred on Day One.  He told his disciples to expect a special surprise from him on Shavuot, the 50th day of the Counting of the Omer.  As the disciples counted the fifty days, celebrating the maturing barley harvest, Yeshua was making appearances to individuals, to his disciples, and even to a crowd of 500 people.  Figuratively, Yeshua was the firstfruit offering of the barley harvest, and his appearances increased as the barley harvest was maturing.

The 50th day finally arrived, and the Jewish disciples were, of course, in the Temple to celebrate the Pilgrimage festival of Shavuot.  Suddenly, there was an extremely loud sound from the heavens, and violent wind, exactly like what had occurred with Moses on Mount Sinai!  While Moses had seen fire and smoke in his day, the disciples saw fire too, but it was like little fires above the heads of each of the disciples.  People were singing and praising God, and offering their Firstfruit offerings of the wheat harvest, and their praises turned into different languages!  People around them were utterly stunned, because they were hearing these disciples speaking in languages that they had never studied.

Yeshua’s promise had manifested.  He had promised to send the Spirit of God to the disciples. This happened on Shavuot. The same day the Torah was given to Moses is the same day that the Spirit was given to the Jewish believers, so they could be empowered to walk in the Torah.

Comparing the story in Exodus 19 (when Moses was given the Torah) and the story in Acts 2 (when Yeshua gave the Spirit), common occurrences can be seen — a loud sound coming from the heavens, fire and smoke, and rushing, violent wind.  But what was the significance of the “tongues of fire”, and the empowerment to speak in other tongues?  Remember the Tower of Babel? God confused and separated everyone, by creating several different languages. Now, in Acts 2, when the Spirit was given to the believers, God put the scattered folks back together — under the power of HIS divine tongues.

The New Testament, in the book of James, describes the tongue as a little member of the body, yet it can cause so much destruction. It is also compared to the rudder of a ship — a tiny part of the ship that directs the course of the entire ship.  Consider Proverbs 18:21, that says that “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Man cannot tame his own tongue, but God can! When we yield our tongue to the Spirit, and let God speak through us, he is going to speak LIFE, not death!  The course of our life can be changed by words!

So what is the message of Shavuot?

1) When we bring the very first produce to the Lord, He can be trusted to bless the rest of our harvest.

2) Moses was given the Torah on stone tablets, and the Spirit wrote the Torah on stony hearts.

3) When we bring offerings to God during the three pilgrimage festivals, He will enlarge our territory and keep our enemies away from our property.

4) When we yield our tongue to the Spirit, we produce a harvest that brings LIFE.

Shavuot (or Pentecost) is the culmination of the barley harvest, and the beginning of the wheat harvest.  It is a time to celebrate our past blessings, and a new beginning with the new blessings to come!   This completes the 50-day cycle of Counting the Omer!  SHALOM! May we have abundant blessings on our new crops!

———

This article was written by Donna Beccia Carick, co-leader of Shalom Yeshua Ministries. You can correspond with her at donna@ShalomYeshua.org. For information about upcoming events hosted by Shalom Yeshua Ministries, join their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SHALOMYESHUAMINISTRIES/events/.