Shavuot ~ Pentecost

Today's post is about Shavuot- or, as it is often called, Pentecost. Most people know about the Pentecost after Jesus ascended into heaven, and the Holy Spirit came. However, have you heard of the first Pentecost? (Or in biblical Hebrew, Shavuot.) Shavuot is a feast ordained by God that occurs 7 weeks after Passover (see Lev. 23:15). Shavuot is when God gave the Israelites His Word on Mount Sinai; over three thousand years ago. Shavuot is a celebration to reawaken and strengthen our personal relationships with God by rededicating ourselves to study and observe God's Word. God revealed Himself to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai. His people heard His voice when He gave them the Ten Commandments, and they promised to obey the commands (Exodus 24:7). The Torah includes the first five books of the Bible. Now, today, we rededicate ourselves to studying and observing the whole Bible.

Passover freed God's people from physical bondage, however, when the Torah was given on Shavuot, it freed us from our spiritual bondage. Also, historically, on Shavuot, the one main thing the Israelites did was the presentation of a wave offering to the Lord- two loaves of bread with leaven. By doing this, the Israelites were showing that they trusted God for their food and for the harvest. 

Many years later, after Jesus died and rose again, He sent the Holy Spirit- on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost). On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were in an upper room. While they were sitting in the upper room, "divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them." (Acts 2:3). They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, or languages. Jesus fulfilled Shavuot by sending the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). An important thing to keep in mind is that the apostles spoke in tongues (languages) people that were there knew. The Bible also says that when publicly speaking in tongues there needs to be an interpreter. Jeremiah 31:33 says: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." This verse was fulfilled on Pentecost, when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 state the same thing. God has written His Law and His Word on our hearts. Yeshua fulfilled Shavuot. 

I encourage you to read the passages mentioned and dig more into it yourself. It is so incredible! Happy Shavuot!