Spring Feasts
Passover.
Unleavened Bread
First Fruits
Now, the Feast of Weeks…Pentecost
If you’re familiar with the New Testament, that word “Pentecost” probably rings a bell. We associate it with a very significant event described in the book of Acts. But the word “pentecost” just means “50” and it originally referred to this Old Testament feast because God commanded that it be observed seven weeks after the feast of first fruits on the 50th day. Therefore the feast is termed The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost and we find it explained in Leviticus 23:15-22
15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
7 weeks.
50th day.
Dedicating the wheat harvest to the Lord. Expressing gratitude for the first sheaves…and trusting Him to bring in the rest.
This feast was commemorating the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, when God established His covenant with His people. They promised to obey Him…and it was also a remembrance of the disobedience of those same people when Moses came down from the mountain to discover them worshiping a golden calf…and 3000 died as a result (Exodus 32:28)
How does Jesus fulfill this feast?
I am so glad you asked!
Matthew 3:11,12 records John as saying that the Spirit is coming and He will gather His wheat into the barn. (The Spirit…the wheat…note that significance)
Acts 1:4-8 - Jesus says POWER is coming…and the very next chapter tells us that indeed it does come! Acts 2:1-4 describes for us how the Holy Spirit was given in a powerful demonstration….and it happened on this very feast day celebration!
WOW.
And on this very day, commanded as observance of the giving of the Law, when about 3000 men perished because they failed to keep the Law, read what Acts 2:38-41 tells us -
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Did you get all that? WOW! Because we can’t keep the Law, God gives us the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus in us….on the day set aside to observe the giving of The Law.
And on that same day, when about 3000 died because they failed, God through the gift of His Spirit added about 3000 souls…and the Church was birthed.
WOW. Just WOW!
Sisters, there are no coincidences under God’s rule. Every word of Scripture, every move of Jesus, every jot and tittle of the Law are intentional and divine. God set forth the standards of His glory and drew us to Himself. We could not attain to His perfection which was no surprise to Him. He not only knew it all along, He planned it from before time began and provided The Only Way to be in an eternal relationship with Him…through His perfect Son, the spotless Lamb of God. Who loved us and fulfilled every requirement of the Law on our behalf. Who is the scarlet thread that runs throughout the Old Testament and is the glorious focus of all the HOLY days God ordained. These feasts are the picture God gave the Israelites so they would know their Savior would come.
But they were blind and could not recognize Him when He arrived.
We have the spectacular advantage of being on this side of history and being able to look back and see that, indeed, the Savior has come. He lived, in perfect fulfillment of every law God requires. He died, as the glorious provision of the perfect sacrifice. And He lives, even now, preparing the Eternal Home for His Bride, ever interceding for us, making us to be beautiful and without blemish, ready to be presented to our Groom on that glorious Day.
Hallelujah and amen!!!!!!!!!!!
One last thing (I say that alot, don’t I?) That last verse in this portion about the Feast of Pentecost. If you missed the earlier post on that, I think you’d enjoy reading it. It’s called Margin. Check it out. And thanks for reading. See ya next time!