The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost)

This Friday/ Saturday is the Jewish Festival of Shavuot - originally a harvest festival also known as the festival of weeks.  For believers in Christ it is also the date of Pentecost which we celebrate in church on Sunday.

It’s very interesting that it is connected to the Passover as they count seven whole weeks (49 days) from the Passover and then the following day, the 50th day is Shavuot, or Pentecost.  ‘Pentecost’ literally means 50.

There's a direct link between the end of one era, counting the 50 days is the transition time into the next era with its beginning being marked at the Feast of Shavuot/ Pentecost.

It's fascinating that it was originally a harvest festival.  It tells us a lot about its purpose.  Harvest time!!

On this date in Moses’ time, 50 days after the exodus, God made a reciprocal covenant with Israel as Moses read out the commandments and the people responded by accepting them.  He gave them these commandments and laws (the Torah) as revelation, as law and guidance, and as study. The word “Torah” means teaching, guidance, instruction, direction.

Around 2000 years later, on the same biblical date after Jesus death, resurrection and ascension, God gave the Holy Spirit, at this time establishing an unconditional covenant to both Jews and gentiles, ‘pouring out his spirit on all flesh’. Immediately afterwards the church was birthed and evangelism swept through the Jewish and gentile communities with multitudes turning to God. Remember it's a harvest festival.

The Exodus from Egypt marked the end of an era of slavery, fifty days of preparation followed.  Moses met with God for 40 of them before the new era began on Shavuot with the giving of the Torah.

In the time of Jesus, his death at Passover also marked the end of an era. In the fifty days that followed he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, with the spirit of God instructing the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift the Father had promised them.

Shavuot is one of the three ‘pilgrimage festivals’ which would have caused the Jews to go to Jerusalem, the disciples must have had it in mind to leave for him to tell them to  ‘stay’. They were probably afraid they might suffer the same fate as Jesus.

It was also customary for Jews on the final night to gather; they would stay up all night seeking God and reading aloud the Torah in expectation that God would do something miraculous on the fiftieth day—which is Shavuot. At 9 o’clock in the morning on Shavuot God filled them with The Holy Spirit and baptised them with fire. We call this day Pentecost but it is the anniversary date of God giving the Torah and making Covenant with Israel.

God uses prophetic patterns. On key biblical dates there is precedent so we can be seeking, looking, getting ready and prepared for its coming.

• Jesus sacrificially gave up his life on the same date as the sacrificial lambs were slaughtered for the Passover.
• The Holy Spirit was given on the same date as the Law.

It's not always a big shift like this, but God always shifts something at these times, reveals something new to us. When there is a BIG change it is ‘always’ according to his biblical calendar and prophetic pattern. It's partly so we can be preparing ourselves.

We know something new is coming—big or small, it's never insignificant!

I wonder what it will be this year.

I don't know but I want to be ready to receive it. First in line so to speak. And we know it’s ALWAYS connected to harvest.

 

Joyce Jones (via Rob Bottrill)