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As many
within Messianic Judaism seek to reclaim a biblically-based
lifestyle, we are rediscovering the importance
of the biblical holidays. The holidays bring order
to our lives. Through them we pace ourselves;
on a weekly basis, as on Shabbat we enter into
God's perfect rest, and seasonally, as we mark
our place during the year. God appointed these
times to help us stay in touch with Him, with
our Jewish roots, with our ancestors, with our
families, and with the eternal purposes that God
has for His people.
The calendar
begins in the spring with Passover, as we remember
the blood of the lamb placed on the doorposts
of our houses. We eat the bitter herbs of slavery,
remembering God's deliverance of our people out
of Egypt. We remember the death of the Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world. We also
celebrate the feast of firstfruits of the harvest,
symbolically referring to the resurrection of
the Messiah. Fifty days (seven weeks) later, we
come to Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. However,
many Jews and Christians are particularly "weak"
on the Feast of Weeks!
Shavuot
is one of the three major festivals that all Jewish
men were required to make the journey to Jerusalem
to attend. It marks the end of spring, and the
beginning of summer and the harvest.
Shavuot
- a time for both physical and spiritual harvest
In ancient Israel agriculture was the basis of
the economy, and the nation's wealth and welfare
were tied to the Land. God wanted Israel's approach
to agricultural success to be different from that
of all the other nations. If we obeyed God and
His Word, there would be plenty of rain and an
abundant harvest. If we disobeyed, we would find
a shortfall at harvest time.
On Shavuot
the nation of Israel was expected to bring the
first fruits of the wheat crop to God. Giving
the Lord the firstfruits of the harvest was a
way of showing Him our gratitude and declaring
that all our wealth ultimately comes from Him.
It is right to offer to God the firstfruits, the
beginning and the best of the harvest. Therefore
Shavuot teaches us to regard all of God's gifts
with gratitude, returning to Him, in the form
of the firstfruits, that which we receive.
During
Passover we offered to God the firstfruits of
the barley harvest. That was symbolic of Yeshua's
resurrection. Fifty days later we returned to
Jerusalem to offer the firstfruits of the wheat
harvest. The harvest was extended from the barley
to the wheat. Fifty days after Yeshua rose from
death His first Jewish followers were gathered
together in Jerusalem and the Spirit that raised
Him from the dead was poured out on His first
disciples. The Messianic Community, the Body of
Messiah, came into being. God's harvest was extended
to more of humanity. That happened on the day
of Shavuot, in fulfillment of Shavuot.
One name
for Shavuot is "Atzeret shel Pesach," the completion
of Passover. Messiah Yeshua died on Passover to
atone for sin, then He rose from death to overcome
death. Forty days later He ascended to heaven,
and from there He sent His Spirit on Shavuot to
enable us to overcome sin and experience victory
in our lives. The coming of the Ruach HaKodesh
(the Holy Spirit) completes the work of the Passover
Lamb's death on the cross. The Spirit of God indwelling
us gives us the power we need to overcome our
tendency to evil and completes the work of salvation.
Though
marvelous in its own right, God knew that the
death of the Passover Lamb and the redemption
from sin was not enough. Just as the cycle of
the Spring festivals would be incomplete without
Shavuot, the work of salvation is not complete
until a man's sin nature has been dealt with and
the power to overcome it has been granted.
Therefore
Shavuot is a time when we thank God for His gracious
provisions in our life, both for His material
provision, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest,
and for His spiritual provision - the Holy Spirit
which brought a rich harvest among those first
Messianic Jews in Jerusalem.
Shavuot
- a time for union between Jews and Gentiles
The Megillah of Ruth is one of the texts that
is read on this holiday. Megillat Ruth is about
the harvest, but also included the message of
gathering Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel.
Ruth, a Gentile, joins herself to the Jewish people.
Speaking to Naomi she says, "Your people will
be my people, your God will be my God." Ruth
later marries a Jewish man by the name of Boaz,
and from that union, in the third generation,
came King David, and through him, King Yeshua.
On Shavuot,
the High Priest waved two loaves of wheat bread
made with leaven. This is the only offering in
all of Scripture that included leaven. In general
the biblical principle is that offerings had to
be without leaven, which is usually symbolic of
sin. By waving the two loaves of wheat bread,
Israel's High Priest was praying: "Lord, thank
you for extending the harvest to the wheat. We
offer up to you the first fruits, the beginning,
the best of this crop, and Lord, we ask you to
bring in the rest of the harvest throughout the
year."
Why were
two loaves of bread waved and not just one big
loaf? These two loaves of bread can be understood
to be symbolic of the two peoples that make up
the Messianic Community. In Romans 11 Rabbi Paul
talks about the Olive Tree of salvation and blessing
made up of the original branches, the Jewish people.
Then wild olive branches, the Gentiles, were grafted
into the olive tree. It could be that the two
loaves represent the original branches, the Jewish
people, and the wild branches, the gentiles that
we grafted into the Olive Tree. Each one is incomplete
without the other. The Jewish loaf needs the Gentile
loaf to be complete, and the Gentile loaf needs
the Jewish branch to be complete.
Shavuot
- a time of empowerment
On Shavuot we remember and thank God for "Mattan
Torah," the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai,
one of God's greatest gifts to us. It was about
this time that the Ten Commandments were given
to the Jewish people. Torah means more than just
"Law;" it means "teaching or "instruction." Through
the Torah God clearly communicated to us His ways,
His nature, and His will for us. Today, Shavuot
is a time when religious Jews will stay up late
into the night studying the Torah and reading
from the Psalms.
On Shavuot
we also remember "Mattan Ruach," the giving of
the Spirit, the One through whom God writes His
law on our hearts. The Spirit gives us the power
to live out the full spiritual intent of the Torah.
We don't dismiss the Law when we have the Spirit.
On the contrary, the Law becomes alive to us.
At the deepest level of our hearts, it becomes
our desire to please God and to fulfill all His
commandments.
Law, by
itself, has an inherent weakness. It lacks power.
Lawmakers may pass laws, but that doesn't mean
the people will have the desire or the ability
to comply with them.
The rabbis
determined that Shavuot was the same time when
the Jewish people received the Torah on Mt. Sinai.
While Moses was up on Sinai receiving the Torah,
Israel was at the bottom of Sinai worshipping
the golden calf and breaking the Law. Moses came
down from the Sinai, saw what was happening and
called out, "whoever is for the Lord, come to
me." The Levites came to Moses and they went throughout
the camp of Israel and killed three thousand Jewish
men who lead that rebellion of false worship.
Three thousand Jewish men were killed on Shavuot
when the law was given. When the Holy Spirit was
given another three thousand Jewish people came
alive!
At the
time the Law was given (Exodus 32:19-29), three
thousand Jewish men were put to death because
their actions were now deemed "illegal," they
were weak, and the giving of the Torah alone didn't
strengthen them. But the Spirit gives us a new
desire to fulfill God's Torah and the power to
do so. The Spirit gives us power to live, power
to witness, power to please God, and power to
have victory over the world, the flesh and the
devil. It is hardly coincidental that, on the
day of Shavuot when the Spirit was given, three
thousand Jewish men were empowered to witness
to Yeshua and His Resurrection Life.
Shavuot
- a time to grow in the Spirit
Prior to the coming of Messiah, the ministry of
the Spirit was limited. He seems to have come
upon fewer people, to a lesser extent and for
a shorter duration of time. King David had to
pray, "Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."
The full indwelling of God's Spirit was not to
be realized before Yeshua died.
The indwelling
of the Spirit is the greatest gift we can receive
in this life. He regenerates us when we are spiritually
dead, and revives us when we are spiritually cold.
If it weren't for the work of the Spirit none
of us would have any spiritual life at all.
The Spirit
also baptizes us into the body of Messiah. He
joins us, both to the Father and to one another.
Believers in Yeshua all share the same Spirit.
We have a new unity and oneness with each other.
We are no longer alone, but are part of an eternal
community.
The Spirit
assures us of eternal life and that we truly belong
to God. "You have received a spirit of adoption
as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The
Spirit Himself bears witness that we are children
of God (Romans 8:15-16). Do you have that
inner witness of the Spirit that God is your Father,
and that you are truly one of His?
The Spirit
of God guides our prayers. "We do not know
how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself
intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words." (Romans 8:26).
The Spirit
gives gifts to every child of God. Every believer
has at least one gift from the Spirit, and you
are expected to put yours to good use. Ask Him
to reveal what your gifts are and then start using
them.
The
Holy Spirit as portrayed in the Scriptures
The
Holy Spirit is like a seal (imprint): A seal
demonstrates ownership. We are owned by God. Thus
He has a vested interest in our well-being. The
Holy Spirit seals us, and there is no force in
the universe that can break that seal. He will
see us safely and securely to our final rendezvous
with the Father on the day of redemption. We are
protected, we are secure, because of the indwelling
of God's Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians
1:13, 4:30).
The
Holy Spirit is like a pledge (earnest money):
He is the pledge, the down payment of our inheritance
(2 Corinthians 1:22). The presence of the Holy
Spirit in the believer's heart is God's guarantee
that he will receive all the promised blessings
of salvation, including those yet future. In human
affairs, once a down payment has been made, the
purchaser is pledged to go through with the transaction.
The deal is closed. The presence of the Spirit
is a sure guarantee that God will never fail in
any of His promises connected with our salvation.
The
Holy Spirit is like a Friend: Before His ascension
to heaven, Yeshua said that He would send us another
Comforter ("Paraklete" see John 16:7), the same
kind of Comforter that He was. Comforter corresponds
to the Hebrew word "Menachem" - in fact, a name
given by the rabbis as one of the names of the
Messiah. The Spirit is a comforter of the very
same sort as Yeshua. The Greek word "Paraklete"
includes the concepts of One who is called alongside,
an Adviser, Corrector, Lawyer, Counsel for the
Defense, Legal Assistant, Helper, Strengthener,
Encourager.
Why was
it to the disciples' advantage that Yeshua left?
It is because the Holy Spirit continues Yeshua's
ministry to us, but brings His life and ministry
to us in a deeper way; one that is able to transform
us from within. We can be even closer to Yeshua
now than the disciples were who walked with Him.
In one
sense, Yeshua's ministry to the disciples was
incomplete. There was more that He wanted to teach
them, but they weren't able to understand it at
that point. But the Spirit is like Yeshua, the
Master Teacher, the chief Rabbi, the Guide, who
illumines us and enables us to understand and
apply Yeshua's teachings, His miracles, His unique
birth, death and resurrection to our lives.
The Spirit
guides us, leads us and teaches us all things.
He brings to remembrance all the things that Yeshua
taught, and guides us into all the truth. Further,
He even transforms us into the image of Yeshua.
He convicts us when we sin. He corrects us when
we err.
The Spirit
also has a prophetic teaching ministry. He can
and will reveal the future to God's people. He
does this through the Scriptures and through New
Testament prophets and revelation.
The
Holy Spirit is like clothing: "I am sending
forth the promise of My Father upon you; you are
to stay in the city until you are clothed with
power from on high" (Luke 24:49). The Holy
Spirit covers and protects us. He clothes us with
God's divine power and wisdom from on high.
The
Holy Spirit is like a dove: The dove is a
symbol of purity, it flies in the heavens, and
is a symbol of peace. God's Spirit is pure and
holy. He comes from heaven and is the source of
peace. Doves were used as sacrifices for the very
poorest people. God's Spirit is gracious and sacrificial.
Consider that the Holiest Spirit is willing to
come to the unholy, to the weakest, to the most
unseemly, to the most poverty-stricken among mankind,
and especially to those who are poor in spirit.
The
Holy Spirit is like fire: Fire is an indicator
of the presence of God. Our God is a consuming
fire. The Lord was in the burning bush. The Lord
was in the pillar of fire that protected Israel
from the Egyptians and lead us through the wilderness.
Tongues of fire appeared above the disciples'
heads in the upper room on the day of Shavuot.
Fire,
when applied to metal, separates dross from ore,
the impure from the pure. Fire, when applied to
anything organic, separates the organic from the
inorganic during combustion. Fire purifies and
cleanses. The Holy Spirit cleanses and makes holy.
The Holy Spirit will not abide with unholiness.
The Spirit will not abide with lies. If your life
is unholy or if you are given to lying you cannot
legitimately claim to be operating in the Spirit.
Fire can
melt the hardest material on earth, even solid
rock. The Holy Spirit can melt and mold the toughest
human heart. Fires makes it possible for man to
live in the coldest regions on earth. It cooks
our food and heats our homes. Without fire man
would be reduced to a near animal existence. With
fire man becomes a little more like God, no longer
forced to concentrate all his energies on mere
survival, but able to contemplate the deeper issues
of life.
Fire sometimes
indicated the approval of the Lord, like fire
being sent from heaven to consume a sacrifice,
as in the account of the "showdown" of Elijah
and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). When we
have the Spirit we have God's blessing and approval.
The
Holy Spirit is like oil: Oil was used for
anointing. The prophet Samuel anointed young David
with oil, announcing that he would one day be
king of Israel. Yeshua was anointed with the Spirit.
That is what makes Him the Messiah. We need to
be anointed with the Spirit if we are to be Messianic;
"little anointed ones" as it were.
Oil was
burned and gave light. The Spirit of truth enlightens
us, gives us knowledge. Oil was also used to cleanse,
heal and sanctify. The Holy Spirit brings cleansing,
healing and holiness. Just as there should always
be a good supply of oil in any lamp, so we need
to be daily being filled with the Spirit.
The
Holy Spirit is like water: Water holds fascination
for man. People will travel hundreds of miles
to view great downpourings of water, like the
Niagara Falls. Water is relatively simple yet
mysterious. It is tasteless, odorless, colorless,
transparent, and buoyant. It holds up heavy objects
like a metal ship or a tree. The Holy Spirit holds
us up.
Water
enables us to transport things, such as shipments
brought on barges. The Holy Spirit transports
us, His precious cargo, through life and ultimately
all the way to the world to come.
Water
makes life possible, and many a human being has
died for want of it. The most fertile land without
water is a desert, just as the most talented or
gifted people without God's Spirit ultimately
miss out on life. Where there is water there is
life, growth, and fruitfulness. Without God's
Spirit your life will be a spiritual desert. With
water it will be a flourishing garden. The Spirit
makes life more abundant.
We use
water to cleanse our bodies, to our clothes, our
homes. God's Spirit cleanses us. Water is also
refreshing. There is nothing like a cool glass
of water on a hot day. The Spirit gives refreshment,
as Yeshua said, "He who believes in Me, from
his innermost being shall flows rivers of living
water" (John 7:38).
The
Holy Spirit is like wine: On the day of Shavuot
(Acts 2) when the Spirit was poured out on the
disciples, some mocked and said, "They are full
of sweet wine" (perhaps because of their obvious
joy and zeal). Peter stood up and said that the
men were not drunk, but that it was what had been
spoken of through the prophet Joel, "I will pour
forth of My Spirit on all mankind". Wine is a
symbol of joy. God's Spirit brings joy into our
innermost being. You will never find true joy
and happiness without receiving the Spirit - the
source of all joy.
The
Holy Spirit is like wind: The Hebrew word
for Spirit, Ruach, can be translated as wind (John
3:8, Acts 2:1-2). On the day of Shavuot the coming
of the Spirit was accompanied by the sound of
a violent rushing wind.
Like wind
His work may be not be visible, but the results
certainly are. We can't see the Spirit, but we
can easily see the effect of His transforming
work in people's lives. And the Spirit's work
is Sovereign. He touches whom He will and gives
gifts as He sees fit. You can no more govern the
moving of the Spirit than you can control the
wind.
Wind can
be powerful, like a tornado or hurricane. It can
carve exquisite structures out of solid rock.
Arches National Monument is a good example of
what wind can do. It will destroy those structures
that oppose it, but not destroy those things that
bend and yield to it. Allow the Spirit to have
His way in your life, and He will make something
beautiful of it.
Wind can
also be a cool, refreshing breeze. The Holy Spirit
is like a cool breeze that comforts and refreshes;
and just as the wind is from the heavens, so the
new birth is from above.
The
Holy Spirit is like breath: Ruach is also
translated breath. Without breath we die. God's
Spirit, His "Breath" gives us life. We have life
and tremendous intimacy with God due to His indwelling
Spirit. Our breath is close to us. God's Ruach
is as close to us as our own breath.
How
to be filled with the Spirit
We receive the Spirit by faith and prayer. We
continue to be filled with the Spirit by faith
and prayer. Being filled with the Spirit is not
something that God wants to be difficult. It is
as simple as breathing. Simply pray to be filled
with the Spirit. If you sin or grieve the Spirit,
pray out a prayer of confession and pray to be
filled anew with the Spirit, and you will be.
Pray for
more of the Spirit. "How much more will your Father
in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?"
Don't grieve the Holy Spirit by continuing in
sin. Be sensitive to the Spirit. Learn to hear
His gentle, quiet voice. Be sensitive to His prompting
and leadings.
Shavuot
- a time for feasting We eat the festive loaves
after the service, especially with milk dishes
such as blintzes. One tradition states that after
receiving the Torah, the Jewish people were too
hungry to wait for meat to be cooked, so we simply
made a dairy meal instead. According to another
rabbinic interpretation, dairy foods are eaten
at this time because the Bible compares the Torah
to milk and honey.
Other
Shavuot customs Reading the Ten Commandments:
This reminds us of the giving of the Law.
Reading
the Megillah of Ruth: This is done for three
reasons:
1) The setting of the Book of Ruth is the harvest.
2) She became a follower of the God of Israel,
just as Israel became a follower of the Almighty
at Mount Sinai.
3)The Book of Ruth announces the ancestry of King
David, Ruth's great grandson (who according to
Jewish tradition, was born and died on Shavuot).
From the line of King David came Messiah Yeshua.
Decorating
the home: It is customary to decorate the
home and synagogue with green plants and flowers.
Grass grew on Mount Sinai, and the green plants
remind us of the trimming used to adorn the people's
baskets of first fruits that they gave to the
Priests. It also reminds us that the Torah is
a tree of life. As a tree provides fruit and nourishment,
so does the Word of God.
May this
Shavuot be a time of great joy for you and your
family. May our hearts be as one in Messiah Yeshua,
and may we experience the presence of the Ruach
HaKodesh in our lives in a new way!
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