Happy Shavuot!

And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh.

Leviticus 23:15–16 (LEB)

Shavuot is traditionally the feast day that celebrates the marriage covenant between Yahweh and His people at Mount Horeb. It is also the feast that believers gathering on that day in the first century, received the breath of God (ruach), with tongues of fire, most commonly referred to as the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means fifty in the Greek language and this is where the “Pentecostal” churches derive their name.

Leviticus 23:15–16 (LEB): ¹⁵ “ ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh.

There are some differences of opinion on the placement of Shavuot in the calendar. Some take the counting from the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread (the day after Passover), and others count from the weekly Sabbath. The first method will cause Shavuot to land on random days of the week, and the other method will cause Shavuot to always be on a Sunday. This is why this year some were celebrating on Thursday and some will celebrate on Sunday.

One reason I believe the Sunday model of Shavuot makes sense is that it aligns with the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah, Yeshua. If he was crucified in a year when Passover fell on a Wednesday, then in order to fulfill His prophecy of three days and three nights in the grave, he would have risen at the end of the regular Sabbath and in time for the appointed time of First Fruits where the sheaf is waved on the day after the Sabbath.

1 Corinthians 15:22–24 (LEB): ²² For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own group: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming, ²⁴ then the end, when he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

There are clues in the New Testament that appear to show the counting starting on the first weekly Sabbath. We can see these days referred to as the first sabbath and second sabbath in scripture, but we have to use the translations that use the Textus Receptus manuscripts, such as the King James Version.

Luke 6:1 (KJV 1900): And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

The word for the “second sabbath after the first” is Strong’s G1207, meaning the second sabbath after Passover. Most Bible translations have dismissed this word and just translated it as “another sabbath”. Some Lexicons call this word a “ghost word” that crept in due to error. I believe it is a legitimate word describing the counting until the fiftieth day.

G1207
δευτερόπρωτος
deuteroprōtos
Thayer Definition:
1) second-first
2) the second of the first Sabbaths after the feast of the Passover

Pentecost is not an invention of the Church, and has nothing to do with Easter, but is a feast tightly woven into the fabric of the Creator. It was the time of the Feast of Weeks that Yahweh made His marriage contract with His people, the twelve tribes of Israel at Mount Horeb.

Exodus 19:1–8 (LEB): 19 In the third month after the Israelites went out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the Sinai desert. ² They set out from Rephidim, and they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain. ³ And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the Israelites, ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and I brought you to me. ⁵ And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, for all the earth is mine, ⁶ but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.” ⁷ And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. ⁸ And all the people together answered and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.

This was not the first time that a covenant was made during Shavuot. The book of Jubilees, found in the caves of Qumran with our oldest transcript of Genesis, gives us a great history of the Feast of Weeks.

The Book of Jubilees translated by R. H. Charles 6:15-19:

15 And He gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not again
be a flood on the earth.
16. He set His bow in the cloud for a sign of the eternal covenant that
there should not again be a flood on the earth to destroy it all the days of
the earth.
17. For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tables, that
they should celebrate the feast of weeks in this month once a year, to
renew the covenant every year.
18. And this whole festival was celebrated in heaven from the day of
creation till the days of Noah-twenty-six jubilees (1309-1659 A.M.) and
five weeks of years: and Noah and his sons observed it for seven jubilees
and one week of years, till the day of Noah’s death, and from the day
of Noah’s death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham,
and they ate blood.
19. But Abraham observed it, and Isaac and Jacob and his children
observed it up to thy days, and in thy days the children of Israel forgot it
until ye celebrated it anew on this mountain.

The book of Jubilees is written as from angels narrating the law and history to Moses when he was on the mountain. Stephen makes reference to this in the book of Acts before he was stoned. I recommend reading the book of Jubilees because it gives a little more detail than Genesis.

Acts 7:53 (LEB): ⁵³ you who received the law by directions of angels and have not observed it!”

The instructions of the Creator were not first given at Mount Horeb to the “Jews”, as is falsely claimed today. God’s people were always given His instructions until they forgot them, or stopped doing them, and all twelve tribes were at Mount Horeb, not just the tribe of Judah.

Genesis 26:4–5 (LEB): ⁴ And I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands. And all nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, ⁵ because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge: my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

The Creator, or Heavenly Father in New Testament terms, gave us His Spirit on this feast as it is recorded in the book of Acts.

Acts 2:1–4 (LEB): 2 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. ² And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.

This rushing wind is called Ruach in Hebrew. It is translated “spirit” from the Greek word Pnoe, which also means wind or breath. We get words such as “pneumatic” and “pneumonia” from the Greek word. Before this event, the disciples of Yeshua were in hiding and not very bold. Afterwards, they went out proclaiming the gospel.

John 16:7–15 (LEB): ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, ¹⁰ and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, ¹¹ and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. ¹² I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now. ¹³ But when he—the Spirit of truth—comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak from himself, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will proclaim to you the things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and will proclaim it to you. ¹⁵ Everything that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he takes from what is mine and will proclaim it to you.

Once again the Father ratifies His covenant with His people on Shavuot. This time it is not with the blood of animals as in the past, but the blood of Messiah and His Spirit. What effect does this have on those present? It emboldened them to start preaching repentance to the commandments of God and the good news that was bestowed on all of mankind, to be able to share in the covenants of promise with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

Galatians 3:13–14 (LEB): ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” ¹⁴ in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The curse of the law is death for breaking it, not the law itself. There were no sacrifices for breaking the ten commandments, only stoning and death by the presence of two to three witnesses. Yeshua brought a better sacrifice to the heavenly tabernacle that resolved this problem. The earthly sacrifices were insufficient and temporary.

Hebrews 10:1–18 (LEB): 10 For the law, possessing a shadow of the good things that are about to come, not the form of things itself, is never able year by year by means of the same sacrifices which they offer without interruption to make perfect those who draw near. ² For otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the ones who worship, having been purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But in them there is a reminder of sins year by year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵ Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but a body you prepared for me; ⁶ you did not delight in whole burnt offerings and offerings for sins. ⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— in the roll of the book it is written about me— to do your will, O God.’ ⁸ When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and offerings for sin you did not want, nor did you delight in,” which are offered according to the law, ⁹ then he has said, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second, ¹⁰ by which will we are made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices many times, which are never able to take away sins. ¹² But this one, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from now on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. ¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will decree for them after those days, says the Lord: I am putting my laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ¹⁷ He also says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will never remember again.” ¹⁸ Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The book of Hebrews was written around the time the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and the people needed comforting. Many dispensational Christians claim this book does not apply to Christians or the Church because it was written to the Hebrews. I disagree and believe it does an excellent job explaining the covenants and how the new covenant works. We are either part of the covenant with God or we are not. The covenant is with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, so any one that is a part of this must be grafted into the family of God. There is no “side deal” for the “Church”. Speaking to the gentiles, Paul gives this warning:

Romans 11:17–21 (LEB): ¹⁷ Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although you were a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the root of the olive tree’s richness, ¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. But if you boast against them, you do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off in order that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Well said! They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand firm because of faith. Do not think arrogant thoughts, but be afraid. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

It is my opinion that after the house of Israel, that is the northern kingdom consisting of the ten tribes, was divorced from God and scattered, they seeded the whole world. Therefore, the house of Israel can come back out of the nations and be grafted back into the commonwealth of Israel. In contrast, Judah remained the keeper of the law.

Romans 3:1–2 (LEB): 3 Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? ² Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

On Shavuot, remember that our spiritual ancestors were delivered from slavery in Egypt at this time and instructed in the perfect ways of the Creator. His Spirit was given to write these instructions on our heart and deliver us from evil and death. Repent and believe the gospel, so that your sins can be blotted out, and a refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord!

Photo by Tom Nora on Unsplash.

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