Exhortation Station

Happy Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)! When this feast rolls around every year, I often find myself asking, “so what is this day about again?” Of the yearly appointed times, Shavuot holds a unique place as the only single-day pilgrimage festival. While I see a clear theme of redemption in the Passover season, I find it more difficult to pin down the significance of Shavuot. I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but I can offer some of my musings.

On the day after the Sabbath during the feast of Unleavened Bread, the children of Israel were to present a sheaf of barley representing the first of the year’s harvest, along with an unleavened grain offering (Lev 23:9-14). This day, commonly referred to as First Fruits, kicks off a 7-week (50-day) count that culminates with Shavuot. The term “first fruits” can be a bit confusing, as Shavuot also involves a first fruits offering — this time leavened loaves made from the first of the wheat harvest. It might help to think of First Fruits as “first first fruits” and Shavuot as “second first fruits.”

Leviticus 23:15-17
¹⁵ You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. ¹⁶ You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to YHWH. ¹⁷ You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to YHWH.

Exodus 34:22
You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

“The first things belong to Yahweh” is a theme evidenced throughout the Torah (e.g., Ex 13:2) and certainly present on Shavuot. To Him belong the first and best of what we receive from His hand. Here is a question to ponder: What place does the King of Kings hold in your mental hierarchy? Is He an afterthought, or is He the first thought? Is He the last resort after all other options have been exhausted, or is He ground zero for your entire outlook? In all your ways, do you acknowledge Him (Prov 3:5,6)?

I find it interesting that a leavened grain offering is prescribed on Shavuot, in contrast with the unleavened offering presented on First Fruits. It is commonly thought that the purging of old leaven during the feast of Unleavened Bread symbolizes cleansing our lives from the contamination of sin. While somewhat speculative, I wonder if the leavened offering of Shavuot represents a life filled with the new and pure leaven of God’s Kingdom. Perhaps the 7-week period between First Fruits and Shavuot symbolizes a gradual but intentional process of growth in righteousness. Something to ponder.

Given the timing of Israel’s arrival at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:1), there is reason to suspect that the original Shavuot may have coincided with the giving of the Ten Commandments. It is at least a distinct possibility that Shavuot occurred sometime during the events recorded in Exodus 19-24, when God set before Israel the terms of the covenant. A pivotal moment was when the children of Israel voiced their acceptance of the covenant, declaring “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do!” (Ex 19:8, 24:3,7). But would they follow through?

From Acts chapter 2, we know that the Holy Spirit filled Yeshua’s disciples on Shavuot (i.e., Pentecost). As I understand it, the giving of the Holy Spirit is a key aspect of how God writes His law on the hearts of His people in the New Covenant (see Jer 31:33). The word “holy” simply means “set apart,” which is synonymous with “sanctified.”

All of this leads me to wonder if Shavuot represents a critical juncture in the sanctification process of a believer. Unlike the other appointed times, which take place in the early spring or fall, Shavuot is situated at the transition between spring and summer. The barley and wheat have sprouted. Now it is time for the rest of the crop to come to fruition. Now begins the long, hot summer as we eagerly prepare for the Master’s return. Will we be scorched by the summer heat (Matt 13:6,20,21), or will we be like a tree firmly planted by streams of living water, which yields fruit in its season (Psalm 1:1-3)? Will our fervor dwindle with time, or it burn intensely? 

As a brand new believer, there is much to learn. As a loving father, Yahweh is exceedingly patient through each stage of the growth process. But as we grow in the knowledge of Him, we are called to put away childish behavior and press on to maturity (1 Cor 13:11, Heb 6:1). Yahweh will allow our faith to be tested. We will encounter situations that beg the question, “who will you choose to serve?” We can proclaim our devotion to the King from morning until evening. But will we follow? Of the roughly 600,000 men who came out of Egypt (Ex 12:37), only two men of their generation — Joshua and Caleb — followed Yahweh fully so as to enter the promised land (Num 32:11,12). 

A choice is set before you. You were offered redemption, and you accepted. You applied the blood of the Lamb to the doorpost of your heart and mind, and you were released from your bondage to sin. Hallelujah! Now you are being offered sanctification. There is a difference between entering in and continuing on. Will you accept the call to follow? This in-between period is the proving ground. This is where we decide whether to build storehouses on earth or lay up treasures in heaven. This is the juncture at which small choices affect the trajectory of our lives. This is where we are offered sweet communion with the Creator, if we will but forsake the fleeting pleasures of sin.

If redemption is a central theme of Passover, then perhaps covenantal faithfulness is a central theme of Shavuot. The holiness of God is not something to take lightly. Rest assured, you will not be alone in your pursuit of purity. He will come close beside you and lead you into His rest if you will cling to Him. And when He has tried you, you shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10). Only be strong and courageous (Josh 1:9)!

1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua Messiah. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

(Bible passages NASB 1995; Hebrew transl. added)