The third and fourth annual events on God's calendar.
Leviticus 23:15-16 "From the day after the Sabbath-the day you bring the
bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special offering-count off seven full
weeks. 16 Keep counting until the
day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of
new grain to the LORD.
In the previous post, we discussed how God has a calendar, and by examining the events on it, we can learn a lot about Him. God wanted His people to use His calendar to know Him, remember Him, and reflect on all He has done for His chosen people.
We started with the weekly event God gave us, the Sabbath day, the day God stopped creating. Then, we looked at the first two annual events on God's calendar:
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
All of these events should have helped God's people stay focused on Him, but the Old Testament believers, much like us, quickly lost their focus and did not remember His goodness to them. (Judges 2:10, 8:34, Nehemiah 9:17)
God's Spring Calendar Continues With:
First Fruits - Reishit
(Exodus 23:19)
Deuteronomy 26:8-10 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O LORD, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.' Then place the produce before the LORD your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him.
Preparations for the First Fruit celebration began on Passover day. The first barley harvest was carefully selected, bundled, and left in the field overnight. The priest meticulously chose the best barley, just as he did with the Passover lamb.
These barley sheaves would be prepared for the priest to present as the first of the spring harvest. This offering would be waved before God, acknowledging that the land's abundance was a gracious blessing from Him.
Festival of Weeks – Shavuot
(Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26)
Leviticus 23:15-17 "From the day after the Sabbath-the day you bring the bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special offering-count off seven full weeks. 16 Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the LORD as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the LORD from the first of your crops.
Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, is the next significant harvest celebration that occurs at the end of the fall harvest season. The word "Pentecost" is derived from the Greek word for "fifty," as it is celebrated 50 days after the observance of Passover.
This festival is marked by the offering of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, which are prepared into two loaves of bread and waved before God. Interestingly, the rules for this bread is different than the bread of Passover, they were commanded to use yeast for this bread. Yeast representing sin in a believers life wasn't a concept until Paul wrote about it in his letter to the church at Corinth.
Pentecost was not only an agricultural celebration but also a time to remember the giving of the law and the commitment of God's people to live by His rules. It's important to note that the laws of God were originally intended to be celebrated, before religious leaders started adding more and more man made rules. (Psalm 19:7-14, Philippians 3:8)
The Ultimate First Fruit
1 Corinthians 15:20,23 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.Revelation 1:5 He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
Since we don't grow our own food, these holidays don't mean much to us, we don't think much about the blessing of having extra food. But as always there is more to this holiday than just food.
Just as Jesus fulfilled Passover and Unleavened Bread, he also fulfills the First Fruit and Pentecost festivals we celebrate. The first fruit was planted in the ground to be raised up on Easter Sunday.
Jesus rose from the grave and stayed remained on the earth for 40 days to give his people plenty of proof that he is the first fruit and to give his people instructions about their next steps.
Pentecost is the birthday of the church
Acts 2:1-4 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
God changed the significance of Pentecost dramatically. The festival would no longer be seen as an agricultural holiday, and the word "Pentecost" would take on a new meaning. Most importantly, God's relationship with his people would never be the same.
The Old Testament prophets had foretold that God would have a new place to live, no longer in physical places and things, but in his people. When the Holy Spirit filled the lives of believers, it was a spectacular event, just as when God had appeared in the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, or in the Tabernacle and Temple.
It's no surprise that people came running to see what was happening as this drama was confusing to most of the people that were there. A week after giving his disciples the task of being the church, Jesus gave them the power they needed to accomplish it by entering his new dwelling places on earth.
This was the promise of the new covenant, where God could now live with his people in a way even better than in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:8-10, Jeremiah 31:31-33, Ephesians 1:13)
God's plan to save us from ourselves is revealed by the events on his calendar:
- Have your sins been forgiven by the ultimate Passover lamb that willingly became the sacrifice for your rebellion?
- Have you begun to walk in obedience to his teaching to begin the process of getting rid of sin in your life as you follow the true bread of life?
- Have you experienced Emmanuel, God with us, personally in your life as you walk with him through his power that dwells within you?
If you can answer yes to these questions then you are ready for the next event on God's calendar. God told us all of this so that his chosen ones would be prepared for the Feast of Trumpets! (Matthew 24:31, Revelation 8:1-11:19)
RELATED ARTICLES
The Spring Feasts & Why They Point to What’s Ahead
(icejusa.org)
What Is Pentecost? (bibleproject.com)
God's Covenant Through Moses (desiringgod.org)
