Feast of Weeks
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Feast of Weeks:
Feast of Weeks:
Observed on 6 Sivan, 50 days after the first Fruits.
Also known as Pentecost, it is the time to present an offering of new grain of the summer wheat harvest to the Lord.
It shows joy and thankfulness for the Lord’s blessing of harvest.
Often called Matan Torah (giving of the Law), it is tied to the Ten Commandments because it is believed God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at this time.
The book of Ruth is often read to celebrate the holiday.
It is one of the three pilgrimage feasts when all Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to “appear before the Lord”
Deuteronomy 18:16
Deuteronomy 18:16
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
Fascinating Facts:
It is celebrated 50 days after Passover, so it became known as Pentecost, which means “50” in Greek.
The days from Passover to Shavuot are counted at weekly Sabbath services.
Special foods for this holiday are dairy foods, because the Law is compared to milk and honey.
Homes and synagogues are decorated with flowers and greenery, which represent the harvest and the Torah as a “tree of life.”
Observant Jews often spend the night reading and studying the Torah.
The Jesus Connection:
The Jesus Connection:
Jesus had told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem following his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
They were all together in the upper room for feast on the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week, thus, it was the first day of the week.
The Holy Spirit filled the house, with a sound like a mighty wind and what appeared to be tongues of fire, and filled the disciples
Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:1-4
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The apostle Peter referred to the prophet Joel who said that God would “pour out his Spirit on all flesh”
Joel 2:28- 32
Joel 2:28- 32
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Likewise, Peter said that the risen Jesus had poured out the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:32- 33
Acts 2:32- 33
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
The people responded to Peter’s message with repentance, and about 3,000 were baptized
Acts 2:41
Acts 2:41
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
The new covenant between God and Israel (Jer. 31:31; Heb. 9:14- 15) was initiated on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the death of Christ.
This was the giving of the Holy Spirit en masse
It was the culmination of weeks of waiting
Christ departed so that the Holy Spirit could come (John 16:7), and the growth of His church was the result.
Once again we see a foreshadowing of the work of Christ, and Gods provision for His people
Recap:
Christ is referred to as the firstfuits, and the feast of Firstfruits represented the resurrection of Christ.
50 days later was the feast of weeks, also the time in which Moses gave the law.
The day of Pentecost (as noted in Acts) is when the Holy Spirit was given.
The feast of weeks in the O.T. represented the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Just as Moses gave the law on this day, God gave the Holy Spirit on this same day.
On corresponding days, God gave His word, and the one who illuminates His word.
The feast of weeks was a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus left this earth so that the Holy Spirit could come. Though His disciples did not want Him to leave, They had no idea of what a blessing the Holy Spirit would be.
The Holy Spirit is just as much a blessing to us today, but we have to give Him room to work.
And when the Holy Spirit works, things happen!
Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament:
Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:9- 10; 2 Chron. 8:13; Ezek. 1 (Traditional reading)
Feast of Weeks in the New Testament:
Acts 2:1- 41; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8; James 1:18