Shavuot is called the Feast of First Fruits because of the celebration of the harvest when the Israelites brought the first fruits of the soil as a free will offering to God. It is also known as the Feast of Weeks because we count seven weeks from a particular day during Passover. It is also called Pentecost because it is fifty days after Passover.
Shavuot is one of three pilgrimage feasts that the Jewish People were commanded to observe at the Temple in Jerusalem. It celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai when God revealed Himself through the Law.
Jeremiah foretold the day when God would make a new covenant with His People, saying, “Behold, days are coming… when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…. I will put My Torah within them. Yes, I will write it on their heart” (Jeremiah 31:31-22 TLV).
God also declared, “I will put My Ruach (Spirit) within you” (Ezekiel 36:27 TLV). After Yeshua had become our Passover Lamb, God gave His Holy Spirit to Believers on Shavuot. No longer is the law only written on stone, but the Holy Spirit of God writes the Law on our hearts and lives within us!
On Shavuot we offer God:
- the first of ourselves,
- the first of our lives, and
- the first of our days.
On Shavuot we thank God for revealing Himself to us:
- in His written Word - given to us on Mount Sinai, and
- in His Holy Spirit - given to us in Jerusalem
May you know His joy and peace as you reflect on His wonderful gifts to you this Shavuot!
Read more about Shavuot on our Jewish Voice website
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