Pentecost: Feast of Weeks/Feast of First Fruits

Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Feast of First Fruits

The Pentecost is a significant event in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Let's start with the Old Testament context.

Old Testament:

In the Old Testament, the Pentecost is known as the Festival of Weeks or Shavuot. It was one of the three major pilgrimage festivals celebrated by the Israelites. The word "Pentecost" itself means "fiftieth" in Greek, referring to the fact that it was observed on the fiftieth day after the Passover.

A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, Vol. I: Genesis–Deuteronomy Chapter 16

As on the second day of the passover, a sheaf of new barley, reaped on purpose, was brought into the sanctuary and presented as a thank offering to God, so on the second day of Pentecost a sheaf of new wheat was presented as first-fruits (Exod. 23:16; Num. 28:26)—a free-will spontaneous tribute of gratitude to God for his temporal bounties. This feast was instituted in memory of the giving of the law—that spiritual food by which man’s soul is nourished

Old Testament 16:1-17: The Three Major Festivals

In the agricultural cycle it marks the end of the wheat harvest season, and by tradition it is tied to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. It is also associated with covenant renewal and pilgrimage. Celebration includes the bringing of a “wave offering” of two loaves of bread, animal sacrifices (seven year-old lambs, one bull and two rams) and a drink offering in thanksgiving for a good harvest. A goat is also to be sacrificed as a sin offering for the people.

Leviticus 23:15-16 describes the observance of the Festival of Weeks, where the Israelites were commanded to count seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath following Passover. On the fiftieth day, they would present offerings to God as a sign of gratitude for the first fruits of the harvest. This festival also commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Leviticus 23:15–16 CSB

15 “You are to count seven complete weeks starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering. 16 You are to count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.

Leviticus 23:10 CSB

10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.

Deuteronomy 16:9–12 CSB

9 “You are to count seven weeks, counting the weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 You are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the Lord your God has blessed you. 11 Rejoice before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your city gates, as well as the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow among you. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes.

Exodus 34:22 CSB

22 “Observe the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the agricultural year.

Exodus 34:23 CSB

23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.

Exodus 23:16 CSB

16 Also observe the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of your produce from what you sow in the field, and observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

Numbers 28:26 CSB

26 “On the day of firstfruits, you are to hold a sacred assembly when you present an offering of new grain to the Lord at your Festival of Weeks; you are not to do any daily work.

Exodus 34:28 CSB

28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

Joel 2:28–32 CSB

28 After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. 30 I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.

Acts 1:5 CSB

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:1 CSB

1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.

Acts 2:4–13 CSB

4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

Acts 2:17–18 CSB

17 And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy.

New Testament:

The New Testament account of the Pentecost is found in the Book of Acts, specifically in Acts 2:1-41. The events of the Pentecost in the New Testament took place during the Jewish celebration of Shavuot, which is why there were devout Jews from different regions present in Jerusalem.

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. Suddenly, there was a sound like a rushing wind, and tongues of fire appeared over each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in different languages. This miraculous event drew the attention of the crowds outside.

Peter, one of the disciples, stood up and addressed the crowd, proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he explained that what was happening was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, who had foretold of God's outpouring of His Spirit on all people.

As Peter preached, the crowd was convicted of their sins and asked what they needed to do. Peter urged them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. About three thousand people responded to his message, were baptized, and became part of the early Christian community.

Significance:

The Pentecost in the New Testament marks the birth of the Christian Church and the empowering of believers through the Holy Spirit. It represents the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to send the Spirit as a Helper and Comforter. The event also signifies the universality of the Gospel message, as people from different nations and languages were present and could understand the disciples' preaching.

The Pentecost continues to be celebrated by Christians worldwide as a significant feast day. It reminds believers of the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, equipping them for service and empowering them to share the message of Jesus Christ with others.

The Pentecost has its roots in the Old Testament Festival of Weeks and finds its fulfillment in the New Testament as the empowering of the early disciples through the Holy Spirit, marking the birth of the Christian Church and the beginning of spreading the Gospel to the nations.