Keeping Shavuot–The Feast of Weeks–Pentecost–Its Importance and Meaning to Messianic Believers Today
Keeping Shavuot-The Feast of Weeks-Pentecost-Its Importance and Meaning to Messianic Believers Today
For the Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah, Shavuot—The Feast of Weeks—Pentecost is about the giving and receiving of YHVH’s Torah and the establishing of the marriage covenant between YHVH and the Children of Israel. The Feast of Weeks is about the re-establishment of a broken covenant through the grace of YHVH and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit to aid fallen man in their keeping of the Creator’s instructions. Pentecost is about life and the establishing of the Body of Messiah through the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
What is Shavuot—The Feast of Weeks?
Shavuot is one of the seven-annual one of the 3-pilgrimage Feasts of YHVH. The instructions related to its keeping is found in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus. However, the origin of this set-apart day is founded upon the story behind the Creator’s giving of the commandments to the mixed multitude at the base of Mount Sinai as recorded in Exodus 19 through 24.
As the story goes, a mixed-multitude of souls, composed of the 12-tribes of Israel and various nationals from other nations, had escaped Egyptian-bondage roughly 50-days prior their settling at the base of Mount Sinai. YHVH, the Creator of the Universe, who bore this mixed multitude (with some estimates as high as 2 to 3-million souls) on eagles’ wings (Exodus 19:4) and brought them unto Himself. It was here and at this time that Father proposed a covenant between He and the Children of Israel that would be the shadow picture of an even greater covenant iteration in the years to come.
The 50-day trek from Egypt to Sinai foreshadowed the 50-day or 7-Sabbath Count (traditionally referred to as the Counting of the Omer) that begins at Wave Sheaf (i.e., Firstfruits) and culminates at Shavuot, also known as The Feast of Weeks and Pentecost in the Greek. (Read or listen to our discussion on the Day of Firstfruits.)
We find in Exodus 19 that Father proposes the establishment of a Covenant between He and Israel, whereby He would be Israel’s God and Israel would be His special and favored people above all the nation-people of the world (i.e., their Elohim) if they would hear His voice and obey His instructions (i.e., His commands). The Children of Israel agreed to the terns of this covenant and on that fateful day, at the foot of Mount Sinai, YHVH, in the midst of fire, lightening, smoke and loud shofar blowing, spoke His commandments directly to the people. Although the people were terrified by this indescribable manifestation, even to the point of demanding that YHVH speak exclusively through Moses to them so as to not repeat this terrifying manifestation, the covenant was ratified by the sprinkling of blood upon the written contract and upon the people.
A covenant is an official, established agreement between 2 or more interested parties. A blood covenant, which is what the Sinai Covenant was, required that both parties swear to abide by the terms of the contract. YHVH, because He is Creator and Elohim, certified His agreement to abide by the terms of the covenant (i.e., He would be the nation’s God and the people would reap the benefits of being a special possession of YHVH), simply by stating His Name—I am YHVH. Israel’s certification to abide by the terms of the contract was embodied in the nation’s collective, verbal affirmation that they would obey YHVH’s instructions and not worship or follow any other god. Thus, the contract—the covenant—was ratified and sealed by the sprinkling of blood upon the written contract and the people.
For all intents and purposes: this very first Shavuot was a marriage. This was a marriage between YHVH and the nation of Israel.
The Covenant is Broken
It was only but a short time after the ratification of the marriage agreement between Israel and YHVH that the people broke the covenant.
Because this was a blood covenant, if either party were to violate the terms of the contract, their life would be required of them. It goes without saying that YHVH could not—would not—violate the terms of the covenant. Israel, on the other hand, because they failed to have the Spirit of YHVH and His Torah (i.e., YHVH’s instructions) implanted in their hearts, returned to the worship of their Egyptian god (i.e., the Golden Calf) while Moses was attending to sacred business on the Holy Mountain (Exodus 32).
Despite the nation breaking the Sinai Covenant, the Almighty continued to honor the covenant. Israel cheated on her spouse YHVH. Yet YHVH did not put Israel, His bride away immediately; at least not until many centuries later when Israel delved so deep into idolatry that they could no longer hear the voice of YHVH and had completely turned their back upon their Elohim. That’s when YHVH divorced His bride Israel and the nation was left to suffer through a severe fracturing of the nation into two, followed by several usurpations, exiles and captivities at the hands of pagan nations and rulers.
The New (Renewed) Covenant
The Father knew that His people would break the marriage covenant from the very beginning. Thus, He set into motion a plan that would re-invigorate that broken covenant and re-establish the nation of Israel (both Houses of Israel—Judah and Israel) back to her favored state as His chosen people. This re-established covenant would be the Sinai Covenant on steroids. For not only would the Father bring back the original covenant to be followed by a reconstituted nation of Israel, it would be extended to the nation peoples of the world if they too agreed to the terms of the agreement. But Father did not stop there. Knowing the inherent problems His people originally had keeping His instructions, He would give His children the help they needed to keep His instructions and to ensure their success in staying in covenant with Him. This He would accomplished through the outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon His elect. Thus the Creator of the Universe’s presence would be within each one of His chosen people, and that Holy Spirit would inscribe Torah—Abba’s instructions—upon each and every heart and mind.
Of this New Covenant, the Prophet Jeremiah wrote:
“Behold, days are coming, declares YHVH, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, declares YHVH. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares YHVH. I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33; NASB).
This prophecy was confirmed by the Prophet Ezekiel who wrote:
“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and givem them a heart of flesh that they may walk in My statutes and keep MY ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19, 20).
Down Payment on the Renewed Covenant
Although the New (or Renewed) Covenant has not been fully enacted, we saw the down-payment of it played out on the Temple Mount on Shavuot, just 10-days after Yahoshua commissioned His disciples on the Mount of Olives and then ascended up on high. On that fateful day, Pentecost 28 C.E., the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach HaKodesh) was poured out upon the disciples of Yeshua who were attending Shavuot, gathered on the Temple Mount (Acts 2). This was the fulfillment of the “shadow picture” of the very first Shavuot at Mount Sinai. At the first Shavuot, YHVH gave the Children of Israel His Torah—His instructions—His commandments. On the Day of Pentecost in 28 C.E., YHVH gave the Children of Israel (i.e., the disciples of Yeshua HaMashiyach) His Holy Spirit. Thus we see how Torah became fully manifested and is Spirit within the people YHVH. At the time of the first Shavuot, 3,000 souls perished because Israel chose to break the covenant. At the time of Pentecost on the Temple Mount, 3,000-souls entered the Body of Messiah and into life eternal.
The Importance of Shavuot For Messianic Believers Today
Shavuot remains relevant to every Torah Observant Believer in Messiah today. Beyond the fact that we are commanded by YHVH to keep Shavuot (Leviticus 23:21, 22), we gain invaluable and crucial understanding of the New (Renewed) Covenant that Messianics are now privileged to be under. Shavuot is important in reminding Messianic Believers of the importance of keeping Torah and being in a right-relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Shavuot also serves as a prompt for every Torah Observant Believer to seek the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives such that they live lives of their chosen status as Kings and Priests of YHVH Elohim. And Shavuot teaches the Messianic Believer that just mechanically keeping Torah is not to secure their place in the Kingdom of YHVH. Torah is Father’s house-rules that help us maintain a substantive relationship with Him. Admission into the Kingdom of YHVH is gained through the shed blood of YHVH, for salvation is a gift from Yah. YHVH’s Holy Spirit aids the believer in his/her keeping of the Creator’s house-rules in the midst of his/her living in this corrupt and dying world.
Shavuot then is about living the life that the Creator of the Universe always had in mind for His chosen people. Shavuot is living life in the Spirit.
Keeping Shavuot
The keeping of Shavuot by today’s Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah is pretty simple. We find in Leviticus 23: 21 that Messianics are to:
- Make a proclamation on Shavuot; such that believers are to extol the glories of the Creator and speak to others of YHVH’s Word.
- Have a holy convocation; such that believers come together (e.g., fellowships and congregations and assemblies) for the reading of Scripture and the breaking of bread.
- Perform or conduct no servile or laborious work.
With the Temple in Jerusalem no longer in existence, Messianics can not truly keep Shavuot as one of the 3-pilgrimage Feasts of YHVH and as instructed in Torah (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16). However, under the auspices of the renewed covenant, the believers’ bodies have replaced the Temple proper as the dwelling place of YHVH (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). Thus, wherever 2 or 3 have gathered together in their Master’s Name, there He will be in their midst (Matthew 18:20).
Thus every Torah Observant Believer in Yahoshua Messiah is obliged to keep Shavuot in Spirit and in Truth. The actual method for keeping the Feast of Weeks is strictly between the individual believer and YHVH (Colossians 2:16, 17; Romans 14:5).
Faithfully,
Rod and Hilary
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What is the True State of our Worship?--Parashah 139 Discussion and Study In today’s installment we will be discussing Parashah 139—which is contained in Deuteronomy 17:1-20. So grab your bible and maybe a cup of coffee or tea, and let’s get into our study of Yah’s...
A Sit-Down Conversation with Dr. Miles R. Jones on the Survival of the Hebrew Gospels
Greek Primacy vs. Hebrew We have been indoctrinated and taught that the original Gospel texts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Revelation were all written in ancient Greek. But is this in fact true? For one must rationalize that the writers of these texts were...
Round and Round the Asherah Pole We Go–Parashah 138
This Week’s Torah Reading This week’s Torah Reading, Parashah 138, is contained in Deuteronomy 16:13-22. My ruach eye (that is, my spirit eye) seemed focused primarily on Deuteronomy 16:21-22. These two verses has to do with, yet again, another admonishment to avoid...
Paul on Physical Circumcision for God’s People–A Question of One’s Jewishness Part 3
Opening Remarks on Paul on the Question of Physical Circumcision for God’s People In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, we return to our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series and to our series within a series entitled: “A Question of One’s Jewishness.” Today,...
God’s Food Laws-Tithing-Walking in Obedient Covenant Relationship with God-Parashah 136
This Week’s Torah Reading is found in Deuteronomy 12:20-15:6. I’ve entitled this discussion: Gods Food Laws-Tithing-Walking in Obedient Covenant Relationship with God-Parashah 136 Personal Perspective—Opening Remarks Our obedient covenant relationship with the...
Racism and Faith–What Walking in Torah With a Circumcised Heart Looks Like—Parashah 134
How Yah views race and skin color This past week’s interaction with Faith and Race. Not a direct interaction, but an interaction that directly affected friends of this ministry. And these friends ended up having a very troubling experience with a member a black...
Humility-Pride-Remembering-God’s Grace and God’s Faithfulness—Parashah 133
Our Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 9:1-29—Humility-Pride-Remembering-God’s Grace and Faithfulness—Parashah 133 Father’s Faithfulness Stands Despite Our Debased Nature How are we to understand Father’s faithfulness towards us despite our incessant propensity to...
Who and What is Yeshua Messiah-My Personal Perspective on the Person of Yeshua Messiah
Recently, a dear sister discovered this ministry through our website, www.themessianictorahobserver.org. She reached out to me via a couple email messages. And she posed the question: Who or what I believe Yeshua Messiah to be? And she prefaced her question by...
Yeshua-The Bread of Life-Torah Reading-132
Introduction to Parashah 132—Yeshua, the Bread of Life Our Parshah this week, under the 3-year Torah Reading cycle, is found in Deuteronomy 8:1-20. The most prominent verse in the reading is verse 3: “Thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every Word that...
Blaspheming the Name of God-Part-2 of the Series A Question of One’s Jewishness
Picking-Up Where We Left Off What I want to do this week is to pick-up from where we left off from the last installment of this series within a series which was entitled: "You Are Called a Jew" and move on through verses 19 through 24 in this installment. And...
The Shema-God’s Word Dwelling Within Us-Sabbath Thoughts & Reflections-Parashah 131
Today's Torah Reading Shabbat Shalom beloved of the Most High and sister and brother of the true Faith once delivered. Today's Torah Reading or Parshah is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-7:26; Zechariah 14:1-9; and Mark 12:28-34. But given the content rich nature of this...
Hear O Israel The Statutes and Ordinances Which I Speak-Thoughts and Reflections on Parashah 130-Deuteronomy 5:1-6:3
What Yehovah Expects of His Children This week's Torah Reading (aka parshah), found in Deuteronomy 5:1-6:3, is a reiteration of the 10-Commandments by Moshe to the generation slated to enter the Land of Promise. And along with that iteration comes clarification as to...
Heeding Zophar’s Wisdom About Yehovah
Job: A Story With Many Complexities You know, the story of Job is not by any stretch of the imagination an easy one to work through. Theres just so many complex literary and spiritual textures and concepts woven into the baseline story. The Cepher of Job is in part a...
Can I Get a Witness Up In Here?
A Story of Witness and Commitment to YHVH Picking up from my last blog-post taken from the Cepher of Y’hoshua (aka Joshua), I wish to now turn our attention to chapter 22, verses 10-34. And what we find here in this passage of Holy Writ is an amazing but awesome...
The Great Commitment to Kingdom Living by God’s Elect
My daily Torah studies this morning brought me to the Cepher of Y'hoshua (aka Joshua), chapter 22. By the end of my studies this morning, I was compelled to ask myself, what is the level of commitment I had to walking and living Kingdom. You'll soon see what I mean....
You Are Called a Jew-Part 1 of the Series: A Question of One’s Jewishness
Goal Today we continue our exposition into some of the Apostle Paul's most challenging and hard to understand writings and teachings, having just concluded in our previous post a discussion on the apostle's naming the "gospel" as "my gospel." (I would humbly...
The Gospel According to the Apostle Paul
Our New Challenging Pauline Passage--Romans 2:16--A Seemingly Bold and Curt Statement From the Apostle. Our focus passage, or more precisely, our focus verse today is Romans 2:16. And we find when we read this verse a rather bold and seemingly curt statement...
Are You Under the Law? Part 4 of the Paul on Being Under the Law Series
A Culmination of the Previous 3-Installments Today's discussion is a culmination of the previous 3-installments of this series within a series where we'll finally answer the question: What did Paul mean by one who is under the Law as mentioned in Romans 6:14-15. And...
Paul on Being Under the Law Part 3–Keeping Passover 2021 and Sin Consciousness
1 Corinthians 5:7-Get rid of the old hametz, so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed (CJB). Yeshua is our Pesach How appropriate for this time of year wouldn't you say. And...
Paul on Being Under the Law-Part 2-Torah Meets Grace
Goal What I would like to do in today's installment of TMTO is to lay the ground-work or set-the table if you will in our gaining as complete an understanding of what the Apostle Shaul (aka the Apostle Paul) meant when he wrote to his Roman Messianic readers that "sin...
Torah Readings and Studies-Deuteronomy 13–Beware of False Prophets
Prophets That Enticed Departure From Covenant A most timely Torah Reading this past Sabbath I must say: Deuteronomy 13:1-5, which addressed the issue of false prophets amongst Yah's set-apart people. This mitzvah (or commandment) was not so much against those who...
The False Hope of Imitation Christianity
If you've been called and chosen, this message is for you. But it's not for everybody. Questions: What does John 8:32?--You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free. We are to get our information from Scripture. Do you know what you worship? What's the...
Overcoming Obstacles to Faith-Part 3-Learning From Ancient Israel’s Mistakes of Not Finding Contentment
Picking-up From Part 2 of the Series My goal in this message is to pick-up where I left off from my previous two messages on overcoming obstacles to belief. Quick Review of Parts 1 and 2 In Part 1 of this series, we looked at overcoming...
Overcoming Obstacles to Belief Part 2-Learning From Ancient Israel’s Mistakes of Murmuring/Complaining
Goal: Last week I presented to you an overview of the important differences that exists between believing IN YHVH verses believing YHVH and how life can and does create obstacles to our believing Yah. Also recall that I discussed two behaviors that proved to...
Overcoming Obstacles to Belief–Part 1: Learning From Ancient Israel’s Mistakes
Goal: What I intend to address in my message today is something that I believe is crucial for our (1) making it into the Kingdom of Yah; (2) successfully walking out our Faith in Spirit and in Truth; and (3) living the life abundant that Yeshua our Master...
Should Messianic Torah Observers Keep Thanksgiving? The Re-Broadcast
Should Messianic Torah Observers Keep Thanksgiving? In this installment, we reflect upon Torah-Keeping Believers in Yeshua celebrating Thanksgiving: Is it a terrible reminder of genocide that New World Settlers brought upon Native American Indigenous Peoples, or a day...
Lashon Hara-The Sin You Never Knew You Were Committing-Torah Reading Numbers 12:1-15
Verse-by-Verse Discussion Miriam and Aharon Engage in Subversive Conversation Verse 1—Two of Moshe's family members, Miriam and Aharon, engaged in some subversive conversation against Moshe. Moshe apparently married an Ethiopian woman which seemed to outrage the...
Finding Contentment in our Faith–Torah Reading-Numbers 11:1-35
Finding Contentment in our Faith--Torah Reading--Numbers 11:1-35 Verse 1--The peoples' complaining or murmuring (complaining about their hardships openly in Taberah or The Place of Burning) displeased Yah which led to His wrath coming down upon the people...
What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law–Part 1
Goal of this Post “For Yah shows no partiality (that is, Yah shows no favoritism). For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are...
Paul and the LGBTQ Community–A Messianic Perspective
The Indictment Against Homosexuality In our ongoing quest to untangle and clarify some of the more difficult and challenging Pauline writings, (of late making our way through the Book of Romans), I want to next tackle Romans 1:26-27. Now, most of us should be...
Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God in You
The Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God (of Yah) in You My goal in delivering this discussion to you here today is to communicate to you another way of looking at and understanding the Kingdom of Yah. Another perspective. Another angle. Another Truth....
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)–A Messianic Torah Observer Perspective
Introducing Yom HaKippurim (aka, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement) Instead of trying to figure out what the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur/Yom HaKippurim is about through hearsay, public discourse or opinion, what do you say we delve into the riches of Torah to get...
Yom Teruah’s Greatest Truths and Mysteries (Revealed)
Yom Teruah's Greatest Truths and Mysteries (Revealed) Today I want to expand our understanding of Yom Teruah (aka The Day of the Blowing of Trumpets or simply the Day of Trumpets) from the day being just another one of the 7-annual Feasts of YHVH; just that...
Polygamy and the Bible–A Messianic Perspective
My Interest Piqued In my studies of this past week’s Torah Reading, I was drawn to Deuteronomy 21:15-17. Many modern English bibles generally entitle this passage something akin to “The Right of the Firstborn.” That being said, this short passage really is about the...
Picking Up and Moving Forward With TMTO
Update on TMTO (Special post without any fanfare and promotion)--Where we are today and where we'll be going. Discontinuing Live-Stream and Why. The failure of the Livestream. Non-committal group of individuals. Newsletter failures. Loss of focus on the original...
Torah Reading 48–Shofetim–Judges–Reading Outline
This week's Torah Reading is contained within Deuteronomy 16:1--21:9 and is entitled Shofetim. In English, Shofetim means Judges. If one were summarize the content of this reading I guess it could be described as a discussion of Yah's established civil...
The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People
Today’s discussion is entitled, “The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People.” Why The Church Loves This Romans 1:17 Fundamentalists; traditionalists; and evangelicals absolutely love this passage. Why? Because...
Jews Before Gentiles?
Today’s discussion is entitled, “Jews Before Gentiles? How Does that Work?” And the biblical basis for our discussion this evening is found in Romans 1:16 which reads: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation...
Torah Reading 46–Ekev (Because)–A Focus on the Kingdom of God
Highlights and Comments Shalom Saints. This week's Torah Reading is entitled, "Ekev," or "Because." The portion covers Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25. I wish to share with you some of my thoughts and reflections on the many life truths that I drew from my study of this...
To Whom Do You Pray?
Who do you pray to and worship and give thanks? Yeshua? YHVH? Both? Is it Biblical to pray to and worship Yeshua as so many Christians routinely do? In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, we will continue our review of the Book of Romans and Paul's...
Messianic Sainthood–Paul and the Book of Romans
Paul Calls His Roman Readers Saints. What Gives? Our next challenging Pauline passage of the Book of Romans is found in chapter 1 verse 7 and it reads as such: "To all those in Rome who are loved by G-d and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from G-d our...
Chevra Kadisha-Honoring the Jewish Dead
An Intriguing Article I recently became intrigued by an article I came across on the "My Jewish Learning" website. The article was entitled: "Chevra Kadisha or Jewish Burial Society." It was written by a Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. And yes: I do from time to time visit...
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