Yahuah Elohim desires that His creatures live in harmony with Him. Just as it was in the Garden of Eden. However, the sin of disobedience destroyed this connection. Yahuah remembers mankind and has done everything so that they can once again return to such fellowship. Among other things, this was vividly demonstrated in the feasts. In this article we will highlight one of the three spring feasts – the Feast of Weeks:
“10 And you shall perform the Festival of Shaḇu’ot to Yahuah your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as Yahuah your Elohim blesses you.“
5 Moj.16:10.
This feast goes by different names, in Hebrew it is Shavuot. Another name is the Festival of the Harvest:
„16 and the Festival of the Harvest, the first-fruits of your labours which you have sown in the field; and the Festival of the Ingathering at the outgoing of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labours from the field.” Exodus 23:16
And the Day of the Firstfruits: „26 And on the day of the first-fruits, when you bring a new grain offering to יהוה at your Festival of Shaḇu’ot, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.” Numbers 28:26.
A FESTIVAL OF COUNTING AND ANTICIPATING
It was a unique festival in some respects, because in order to celebrate it (i.e., to meet one’s Creator) one had to do some calculations. There is a very important lesson in this related to the beginning of counting, the waiting period and the meeting. Thus, this feast required a certain amount of knowledge as well as vigilance.
The guidelines for this feast are described in Leviticus 23:15-17:
The beginning of the counting is, according to verse 15, the day the barley sheaf was brought to perform the rite of shaking by the priest. Verse 11, on the other hand, says when this was to take place – “the day after the Sabbath.” The earlier verses describe the Passover feast of 14 nisan and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted 7 days and began with the feast day (15 nisan), or Sabbath. Only the next day was the day of shaking the sheaf (16 nisan). This was the day from which 7 full weeks had to be counted down and the following day, the 50th, was the festival of Shavuot.
BEGINNING OF THE BARLEY HARVEST
The Israelites couldn’t start the harvest without bringing a sheaf of firstfruits. It was the beginning of the barley harvest. It was a very joyous day:
„10 And you shall perform the Festival of Shaḇu’ot to Yahuah your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as Yahuah your Elohim blesses you.
11 “And you shall rejoice before Yahuah your Elohim, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite who is within your gates, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where Yahuah your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell.“
Deuteronomy 16:10-11
According to the history of the people of Israel, the Feast of Weeks overlaps with a certain event in the history of Israel, namely the receiving of the Law at Mount Sinai. This event took place 50 days after the exodus from Egyptian slavery. Yahuah establishes a covenant with Israel that was to bring special blessings in the future:
“5 ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine –
6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
Exodus 19:5-6
What can a harvest festival and 49 days of a powerful love story have in common? They are the main elements of the Feast of Weeks!
The word Shavuot, means “weeks.” Elohim said:
“9 “Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.
10 And you shall perform the Festival of Shaḇu’ot to Yahuah your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as Yahuah your Elohim blesses you.”
Deuteronomy 16:9-10
Offerings of barley and wheat are made, and the harvest of the “seven crops” – pomegranate, grapes, olives, wheat germ, barley, figs, and dates — is celebrated. It is a time of gratitude for the land’s harvest. This period is called “bikurim,” or first fruits.
It is the time when the Israelites received the Torah, and agreed to obey it, thus becoming a covenant nation. It is also the time of the New Testament Body of Messiah, on the day of the Outpouring of the Spirit. The new birth, the first fruits. Traditionally, the book of Ruth is read during the feast, as the story described in it happened during the barley harvest. Shavuot, on the other hand, is celebrated between the harvest of barley and wheat. In addition, an interesting principle of the festival of Shavuot defines the commandment:
“22 ‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am Yahuah your Elohim.’” Leviticus 23:22
The word Pentecost is derived from the 50 days that are counted from Passover to Shavuot: seven weeks – that’s 49 days, while the 50th day marks the festival itself. The analogies between the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the descent of the Spirit of Yahuah in Jerusalem are not coincidental. Both events mark, if you will, the birth of two religions, both created by the hand of Yahuah. The first came seven weeks after the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt, and the second came seven weeks after the crucifixion and resurrection of our Passover Lamb, Yahusha the Messiah. Both events made the societies that were established at the time immediately operational.
Thanking our Generous Creator
Shavuot is a time to appreciate the Creator’s generosity. We see His generosity not only in the seven species of fruit, the giving of His Word at Sinai, or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of Yahuah on the Apostolic Gathering. We also observe it in the story of Ruth, where we can see the message of the coming Messiah generously given to the world. Not only was Yahusha a descendant of the heroes of this love story in the book of Ruth (King David was their grandson), but the very choice of spouses testifies to Yahuah’s desire to redeem all people and include them in his family. Boaz was a Jew, and Ruth was a Gentile from the neighboring idolatrous Moabite people.
The scriptures tell us how it was Ruth who had to gather the leftover harvest left in Boaz’s field, and destined for the poor and sojourners, according to the law of Leviticus. From the very beginning, Yahuah told Abraham that all the land would be blessed through him and his descendants. The Gospel was already in operation long before the first cry of the newborn Yahusha.
Yahuah’s desire to include all the peoples of the world mentioned in Scripture can be seen already in the first covenant with Israel. This is a manifestation of Elohim Yahuah’s concern for those who do not know Him. However, He knows them and loves them.
A Beautiful Union
Just as Ruth and Boaz became one flesh, so Elohim wants Jews and non-Jews to become “One New Man.”
“11 Therefore remember that you, once nations in the flesh, who are called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands,
12 that at that time you were without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Yisra’ĕl and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no expectation and without Elohim in the world.
13 But now in Messiah Yahusha you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
14 For He is our peace, who has made both one, and having broken down the partition of the barrier,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity – the torah of the commands in dogma – so as to create in Himself one renewed man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and to completely restore to favour both of them unto Elohim in one body through the stake, having destroyed the enmity by it.
17 And having come, He brought as Good News peace to you who were far off, and peace to those near.
18 Because through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
(Ephesians 2:11-18)
Paul wrote these words while in prison. He was accused of bringing Timothy into the temple courts, behind a wall behind which Gentiles were not allowed to enter. Paul knew that Yahusha’s death and resurrection had brought a new covenant that gave everyone the opportunity to approach Yahuah – Jews and Gentiles alike. But now, through the blood of Yahusha, all the nations of the earth could enter Yahuah’s presence. Just as Joel prophesied, the Spirit of Yahuah was poured out on all flesh! Both Jews and members of other nations could be one, could be a new people together, reconciled to each other and to Elohim. And we can all have access to Yahuah Elohim, our Father, through the Holy Spirit, given to us on the day of Pentecost. Exactly as after marriage Boaz was still a man and Ruth a woman, we all still retain our Jewish or non-Jewish identity in Yahusha. Instead of gray homogeneity, Yahuah loves diversity – and unites us in it as one. Elohim commanded that on Shavuot two loaves be offered as a shaken offering, which symbolizes His fellowship with us – both Jews and Gentiles.
Yahusha said in Revelation:
“20 “See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I shall come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:20
As you celebrate, take time to pray for Yahuah’s Spirit to be poured out on the nation of Israel, and for the Jews to receive their Messiah, as well as for the great global family that Israel has contributed to. Pray for a great harvest in Israel. Pray for the harvesters and for more fruit! Pray that Israelis will become one with the One who loves them – their kinsman and redeemer – and that they will become one in glory with His children from other nations. The beautiful bride of the Messiah.
