A Christian look at the Biblical Feasts - Shavuot

Now that we have gone through the Spring Feasts we can move on to the next one, and a personal favorite, Shavuot. But who am I kidding? I love them all. 

There is a layer of overlap between Shavuot and Passover when we look at something called Counting the Omer.  This is found in Leviticus 23:15-16, ¹⁵ “‘From the day after the day of rest — that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving — you are to count seven full weeks, ¹⁶ until the day after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to Adonai. And so, from the time of First Fruits we are to count the days. It is on this Fiftieth day that we are then faced with Shavuot!

For us this time means getting to learn, from review of Passover, to looking forward to Shavuot and what it means.  To celebrate and recognize this we have a Counting the Omer chart for each child on our fridge. It runs in a circular board that they get to add a sticker to each day. One of these years I will have something a little more permanent of an option, maybe for a small treat each day, but with my children at young years of age respectfully a sticker makes their days. It adds a sense of excitement to the in between time, building towards one of the most undervalued Holy Days by mainstream Christianity, and yet still often recognized. Many denominations recognize the event of Pentecost, the day that the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit was given to us, coming down on the Apostles. We see a beginning to this in Acts 1:2-8, ³ After his death he showed himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. During a period of forty days they saw him, and he spoke with them about the Kingdom of God.⁴ At one of these gatherings, he instructed them not to leave Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) but to wait for “what the Father promised, which you heard about from me. ⁵ For Yochanan (John) used to immerse people in water; but in a few days, you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)! ⁶ When they were together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore self-rule to Isra’el?” ⁷ He answered, “You don’t need to know the dates or the times; the Father has kept these under his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you will be my witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y’hudah (Judah) and Shomron (Samaria), indeed to the ends of the earth!” And indeed ten days later they received that Holy Spirit as we see in Acts 2:1-4, The festival of Shavu‘ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. ² Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 

Now that we've seen the Christian significance what Was Shavuot, Why where the disciples already gathered and what purpose did this Holy Day have in the Old Testament? In fact, it is the day the Torah was given was to Moses! The day that Elohim gave us his commandments to follow to show us how to obey him, follow him, and know the righteous from the unrighteous, the clean from the unclean. The Day after fleeing Egypt that Moses went up on Mount Sinai. 

So it really is the day of Gifts from Elohim. His perfect Law, and the Holy Spirit to help follow that Law. As it says in John 16:7-11, ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the comforting Counselor will not come to you. However, if I do go, I will send him to you. ⁸ “When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment — ⁹ about sin, in that people don’t put their trust in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, in that I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; ¹¹ about judgment, in that the ruler of this world has been judged. And in 1 John 3:24, ²⁴ Those who obey his commands remain united with him and he with them. Here is how we know that he remains united with us: by the Spirit whom he gave us. As well as John 16:13, ¹³ However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future.

But it is not only the day of gifts from Elohim, but also of ourselves. Lets go back to Leviticus now, Chapter 23, verse 21 to 22, after all the sacrificial aspect to this Holy Day, ²¹ You shall make proclamation the same day, summoning a holy assembly; you shall do no servile work that day. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ²² And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God. Now that the sacrificial system is fulfilled with our ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah this is what is left standing. Which really is the How of celebrating Shavuot as Elohim has ordered us to, and as the Apostles continued to do after Yeshua's death. Could you imagine if they hadn't? Would they still have received the Holy Spirit if they had not been gathered?

So from that passage we then see two big things, one is that we are to do no servile work, this Holy Day is to be treated as a Sabbath of sorts. A break! The next point while sounding specific still serves a point today, that we are to be providing for the poor and guest in our lands. And so on this day, of all days, we also ensure that we are giving, helping those who need it most from us. This can be done in many ways, be it donating to a cause or donating your time and so on. Beyond that the only remaining facet is that, like so many others, this is after all a Feast! Eat and be merry! 

For us additionally, we have looked at this as a day of gifts. Be it us gifting to help the needy, Abba Father sending us the Holy Spirit, Abba Father sending us the Law, and so from there as Parents we have decided this is a day of gifts for our children. Not willy nilly toys or clothes or the like, but a gift with some substance for their walks with Adonai. This year they will be getting their own personal Bibles, each one specially chosen for the child's best interest to encourage them to delve into Scripture. 

Don't forget to light four candles on your menorah for this Holy Day, for four of the seven Holy Days have now been completed! For some, this will be the last candle of the year to be lit. Feeling that you only lit what Christ has already fulfilled, but for others they will continue to light the candles on each of the respective Holy Days.

Some people follow a tradition where you stay up late to study the Bible, often the story of Ruth. Should you feel called to stay up late to do so may the Ruach bless you in that action and give you understanding! 

And with that we have Shavuot! May you all enjoy your Feast of Weeks and keep counting those days to the next Joyous occasion!