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TITLES for the DAY
Hag Shavuot - Feast of Weeks
"And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks of the
Firstfruits of wheat harvest" (Exodus 34:22 ).
Feast of Firstfruits is a commonly used title condensed from
Feast of Weeks of the Firstfruits.
Pentecost - Fiftieth Day
"Even to the next day after the seventh week shall you number
fifty days; and you shall offer a new grain offering to the
Lord. You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of
two omers: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with
leaven; they are the firstfruits to Yahweh" (Leviticus
23:16-17).
Yom HaBikkurim - Day of the Firstfruits
"Also in the Day of the Firstfruits, when you bring a new
grain offering to the Lord, after your weeks are ended (the day
after seven weeks from Passover High Sabbath), you shall have a
solemn assembly; you shall do no servile work" (Numbers
28:26).
Feast of Leavened Bread, ending the Passover
season,
contrasts to the beginning Feast of Unleavened Bread.
HISTORIC EVENTS of the DAY
Languages divided (3750+ years ago)
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because Yahweh did there confound the language of all the earth: and from
thence did Yahweh scatter them abroad upon the face of all the
earth" (Genesis 11:8).
Torah given in languages of all nations
(3300+ years ago)
"And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because Yahweh descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended
as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
And when the voice of the shofar sounded long, and grew louder
and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a
voice" (Exodus 19:18-19)."And God spoke all these
words, saying, I am Yahweh your God, who has brought you out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall
have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:1-3).
Gospel given in languages of all nations
(1900+ years ago)
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, . . . every
man heard them speak in his own language. . .'we do hear them
speak in our own languages the wonderful works of God.' . . and
the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls" (Act 2:1-41).
WAVING the FIRSTFRUITS
The day after the
Passover Seder is called Waving Day, and it is the first day of
Counting the Omer (tithe). On that day a lamb is waved, with
cakes made from the first omer of barley - the first grain crop to ripen.
Today is the fiftieth day of
Counting the Omer. On
this day the first omers of wheat - the last grain crop to ripen
- are baked into leavened bread and brought to wave before
Yahweh.
Each loaf is made with
an omer of fine wheat flour, about a half-gallon.
Each is about three feet long and nine inches wide.
Leader: Did you start counting the weeks
after sundown at the end of Passover High Sabbath?
Congregation: Yes.
Leader: Is this the day after seven complete
weeks?
Congregation: Yes.
Leader: You have reached the fiftieth day of
counting the omer?
Congregation: Yes, the Day of Pentecost is
fully come; we may wave the omers.
To the singing of Hallel Psalm 113, the loaves are waved from
South to North over Jerusalem ("Ye His servants"),
East to West ("from dawn to sunset"), heavenward
("high in heaven") and downward ("who humbles
himself").
MESSIAH'S BETROTHAL
Today is an annual rehearsal for the betrothal of the Bride
(Israel / the Church) to Messiah. This Festival is an engagement
party.
On Passover, Yeshua redeemed a slave-girl (Israel / the
Church) to be His future bride. Then He told her to "count
the days." On day forty-two, He left this earth, saying,
"I go to prepare a place for you". When the fifty days
were fully counted (Pentecost means fiftieth day), He gave her
an engagement stone. This is that day. On the Feast of
Tabernacles, the marriage will be celebrated.
Incidentally, it was on that forty-second day of counting
that Noah left the Ark to build his new house (Genesis 8:14).
On Passover, we drank four cups.
God said, "I am Yahweh and I will make you special to
me:" we drank the Cup of Sanctification;
"I will deliver you from slavery:" we drank the Cup of
Deliverance;
"I will pay your dowry:" we drank the Cup of
Redemption;
and "I will take you for my bride and live with you
forever:" we drank the Cup of Glorification.
Now, fifty days later, God hands us another cup, saying:
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
"Yahweh, your Lord, shall be your only husband (a
betrothed one was called husband or wife),
and you shall love your Lord with all your heart, soul, and
mind,
and you shall diligently teach your children His words,
and you shall praise Him when you are in His house and when you
are walking outside."
Today we drink that cup, saying, (Exodus 24:7)
"Whatever my Lord speaks, I will obey, and I will learn to
please Him.
He answers, "This is my covenant with you, to always
seek what is best for you," and hands us the stones with
the ten commandments, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"Thy maker is thine husband; Yahweh of Hosts is His
name; and thy redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the
whole earth shall He be called" (Isaiah 54:5).
A TALMUDIC STORY UNFOLDS
Noah’s family left the Ark, and grew to 70 families. God
told them to cover the Earth. But they went east to a land we
call Iran, and built a city. They had one language, and were of
one purpose - to make a name for themselves, and they started
building a tower. But one day God gave each family a different
language, so that they could not understand each other and would
disperse throughout the Earth. This is that day!
Centuries later, the children of Israel - a mixed multitude
from the 70 nations, were delivered from Egyptian slavery on
Passover. Fifty days later, they were encamped around Mt. Sinai.
Hear what the Hebrew people have been taught and believed about
this for 3300 years.
God spoke to them His commandments in Hebrew and in the 70
languages of the nations. A tongue as of fire came to each of them
and said, "Do you accept?" They answered,
"Whatever our Lord says, we will obey, and we will
learn."
This is that day!
1900 years ago, Yeshua was sacrificed on Passover. When the
50 days were fully counted, that is on Pentecost, people from
all the nations were gathered at Jerusalem to rehearse this
according to God’s commandment. Amazingly, they saw centuries
old teaching unfold before their eyes! Everyone heard the Hebrew
apostles speaking - in their own language - about Yeshua being
their Passover sacrifice; and tongues as of fire appeared, and they
had a decision to make: would they accept? The Holy Spirit was
given as "earnest" - the promise of the future
marriage.
This is that day!
For
several weeks, studying on the Triennial Torah Cycle from the Holy
Temple, we have been looking into the details of the Exodus from
Egypt, and their significance to us, especially relating to this
Festival season.
On
the evening of Nisan 15 / March 27, we celebrated the redemption
from “Egypt”, the “Land of Sin”. The following day, we started
“Counting the Omer” each day. Today is the Fiftieth Day of Counting
the Omer – it is therefore called Pentecost.
This
year (2003), we “prepared the Passover” on a Wednesday, the same day of the
week as the crucifixion of Yeshua. Three days later, we observed the
Sabbath, remembering the Sabbath resurrection of Yeshua. The Sabbath
when we read that “Moses went up to God” (on Mt. Sinai) preceded the
fortieth day when Yeshua ascended into the heavens. And now, on the
same day of the week as 3314 years ago at Sinai, and the same day of
the week as Pentecost (approx.) 1960 years ago – eight days after
Yeshua’s ascension, we celebrate Pentecost on this Friday.
Between the
Passover celebration and Pentecost, there are exactly seven weeks:
therefore it is called Hag Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks. The
seven weeks are for the redeemed slave-girl (Israel) to mature
enough for her betrothal to Messiah at Shavuot.
For seven weeks,
Israel would face trials in the wilderness.
-
[Foresight] The redeemed people
(Israel) appeared trapped by the world (Sea), couldn’t see the way
to the promised land, and sin’s Treasure City wanted them back.
(Egypt symbolizes sin, and Rameses means Treasure City) They said,
(Ex 14:12) “It would have been better for
us to serve the Egyptians (sin) than to die in the wilderness
(learning to serve God).” But Moses said, “Do not fear: stand
still and see Yeshua Yahweh! (the salvation of Yahweh)”
After the Sea was parted for them, they sang “MiChamocha –
Who is like You?” Then, at this Festival time, 3314 years ago, the
Ten Commandments were given at Mt. Sinai in the hearing of
millions of people, so that we would believe the Torah and the
Prophets. They were not secretly given to one man!
(1 Corinthians 5:7) For we walk by
faith, and not by sight.
-
[Water] After traveling three days without taking time
for hearing the Word of God, when they finally came to a resting
place, the Word seemed bitter to them. Then God showed Moses how
to make it taste sweet.
We need to daily consume
the Word of God, and it will stay sweet. David said (Psalm
119:97), “O
how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day”, and (Psalm 119:103)
How sweet are Thy
words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
-
[Bread] Having been
forced to work seven-days-a-week for sustenance
in Egypt, they now could not see how they were to feed themselves.
Instead of praying, they complained. God provided “Bread from
Heaven” for them to collect each morning, with twice as much on
Friday so they could observe Sabbath. Even with such goodness, the
people called the bread a derogatory name – “manna /
what’s-this-stuff?” – and some of them tried to collect it on the
Sabbath. We need to learn to trust God
daily for provision – remembering that we are created, redeemed,
and sustained for His service.
-
[Luxuries] They wanted the
luxury-food of Egypt, so God sent quail in the evening.
(1 John 2:15-17)
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but
is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its
lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
-
[Idolatry] They became lax in their
faith – “loosened their grip on the Torah” (Rephidim), and were
attacked by Rome’s religious system (Amelek / Esau-Edom-Rome).
(1 Peter 4:12-13)
Beloved, do not be
surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for
your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Messiah, keep
on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may
rejoice with exultation.
Now, since the
time of our redemption, we should have matured. At this time for
betrothal, we should be prepared to say, “Whatever my Lord says, I
will obey, and I will learn” (Exodus 24:7).
The Torah is the
Betrothal Contract (Shitre Erusin). This should not be
confused with the Marriage Contract (Ketuvah), which relates
to a later Festival
On the day after
the Passover Seder (Sivan 16) we started counting Day One – Waving
Day: on that date the “manna” stopped and the first of the new grain
harvest (barley) was waved and then eaten “unleavened”. (It was
during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.) Now we have reached Day
Fifty, and we have grown to maturity – the bread is leavened, and
become large loaves. We wave two two-omer loaves from the new wheat
harvest, then we may eat of that harvest. (An omer is dry measure,
about a half-gallon of flour.)
Paul says, (1
Peter 2:1-3) Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and
hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the
pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
To recap the story, as it relates to our redemption:
On Nisan fourteen the
Passover Lambs were slain and the blood put on the doorposts,
prefiguring Yeshua’s crucifixion on that date. That evening began
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover was eaten.
The next day, Israel
traveled from the Egypt’s Rameses – “the world’s Treasure City”, to
Sukkot – “Temporary Dwellingplace”, where they could begin to mature
in God’s way. Then they traveled to Etham – “Away from Them”. Next
they came to Pi-hachirot – the “Mouth of Freedom”, on the date that
Yeshua would be freed from the grave.
After three days, the
Pharaoh’s armies caught up with them. On the seventh and last day of
Unleavened Bread, they were baptized in the split Red Sea. Israel
went from the Sea to the Wilderness of Shur – “Vision”, the name
implying that there the people could be close to God. After three
days travel without water – the “Word of God”, they came to a place
of bitter water, so it was called Marah / Bitterness. The people
therefore complained to Moses. Even after witnessing such miracles
as God had just performed for them, they had trouble believing that
God would provide for their mundane needs, such as water and food.
Like our society that trusts in money instead of God. Because the lack of Torah study had caused a disaster, God
gave the people commandments – “added because of transgression”.
One month after their
departure from the world’s Treasure City, they came to the
Wilderness of Sin (pronounced “seen”). Here the people all
complained about the lack of bread. God said that He would give them
“bread from heaven”, to teach them to trust Him for their needs
day-by-day, and to trust Him for provision for Sabbath without
working on that day.
(V.28-29)
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My
commandments (Mitzvot) and My instructions (Torah)?”
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