And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) to the LORD … You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

[Leviticus 23:33-34, 41-43]

The third and final fall feast is the Feast of Tabernacles — or Sukkot in Hebrew. Sukkot is the Hebrew word for booth or temporary shelter, which is why this appointed feast is also called Booths. The Feast of Tabernacles always falls on the 15th day of the seventh month of Tishrei, which is 5 days after the Day of Atonement.

In contrast to the Day of Atonement, which is commemorated with fasting, repentance, and solemn self-examination, Tabernacles is a joyous occasion with feasting, dancing, singing and worshiping the LORD. Tabernacles is to be celebrated for an entire week, followed by a special 8th day solemn day of rest called ‘Shemini Atzeret‘ (the eighth day of assembly). I will discuss the significance of this 8th day in my next post.

Like every other appointed Feast of the LORD, Tabernacles was designed by God to be an annual memorial of the past and a dress rehearsal for the future. It is no surprise that Tabernacles is directly connected to the most important event in Israel’s history — the Exodus.

After Yahweh redeemed the children of Israel from bondage and demonstrated His supreme power over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, He led Israel through the Red Sea on their way to the Promised Land. That journey lasted much longer, however, because of the people’s stubborn unbelief, which derailed them into a 40-year wandering in the wilderness.

During this wandering, the Israelites were forced to dwell in temporary shelters, or booths. The LORD also instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle for Him — the Tent of Meeting — which always was located in the center of the camp. All 12 tribes of Israel were to remain encamped around the Tabernacle of the LORD.

To remember the Exodus story, the LORD instructed the Israelites to build their own temporary shelters — or booths — and dwell in them for an entire week each year. As you might imagine, this appointed feast also points to a time when the LORD will once again dwell in the midst of His people.

The Tabernacle and the Temple

Once the Israelites settled in the Promised Land and the 12 tribes received their allotted inheritance, the Tabernacle lost some significance in the Biblical narrative. Although the Tabernacle was moved around some, it eventually landed in Shiloh, where a community of priests took care of it’s contents, especially the Ark of the Covenant.

Years later King David established Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and resolved to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Zion. The Bible says that David erected a replica of the Tabernacle to house the Ark, which the Prophet Amos called the “tent of David” [Amos 9:11].

Although the LORD would not allow David to build Him a permanent dwelling place, David’s son, King Solomon, was chosen by God to build the Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon dedicated the Temple on the 15th of Tishrei — the Feast of Tabernacles — and the Shekinah glory of the LORD filled the Temple [2 Chronicles 7:8-10].

“But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.”

[2 Chronicles 6:18-20]

Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles

Although we do not have Biblical clarity on the exact time of the birth of Jesus, I do not believe that December 25 is the best option. If God is true to task with giving prophetic significance to His appointed Feasts, then it would stand to reason that the Lord Jesus likely was born during one of them. The best candidate in my opinion is the Feast of Tabernacles or perhaps Trumpets.

John’s gospel doesn’t begin with the birth of Jesus, yet John does provide the most thorough theological explanation of how God the Son became the Son of Man.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made …

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

[John 1:1-3, 9-14]

Interestingly enough, the Greek word used for “dwelt” here in John 1:14 is skénoó — meaning to dwell as in a tent, encamp, have my tabernacle.

Taking this into consideration, John could be saying that the Son of God literally took on a human tabernacle, or body, on the actual Feast of Tabernacles.

For a more in-depth explanation of this concept, you can read here.

One of the complementary traditions that became associated with this festival was the erection of four massive golden lampstands [50 cubits high] in the Temple Compound to be lit at sundown. The lampstands emitted light all over Jerusalem, which according to the Jewish rabbis, was symbolic of the God’s Shekinah glory that was promised to return to Israel with the coming of the Messiah.

It is interesting that Jesus appeared in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths and caused great controversy with His teaching [see John 7-8]. With the massive golden lampstands serving as a backdrop, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” [John 8:12].

Tabernacles in the Future

As we will see next time, the Feast of Tabernacles has prophetic significance that will be realized after the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus! Stay tuned.

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”

[Leviticus 23:22]

Autumn has always been my favorite season. Summers in the south can be brutal and unrelenting. It’s not unusual for us to have oppressive heat well into October, so when the cooler temperatures finally began to arrive recently, I gladly grabbed a jacket and embraced the fresh fall air with enthusiasm.

My point is that the long, hot days of summer can wear you down and make you lazy, but the reality is that the summer provides the best opportunity to work, be active and productive. Long days mean more daylight hours to get the job done. A summer wasted is a terrible thing. Seems like I remember the Lord Yeshua having something to say about that.

“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

[John 9:4-5]

As I have been studying the seven appointed Feasts of the LORD, I have rediscovered the rich theological and prophetic implications of God’s reckoning of time. God never wastes a season, especially the summer season, and that is precisely where we are on His prophetic timeline.

The LORD’s appointed “moedim” are divided up into four spring and three fall feasts. We already have seen how the Lord Yeshua has fulfilled the spring feasts in His first advent, as the Lamb of God and firstfruits of the resurrection. We will soon see how Christ fulfills the autumn feasts at His second coming.

But what is God doing in between the spring and fall — between the first and second coming of Christ?

How should we understand this long, hard “summer season” that has lasted nearly 2,000 years since the Lord’s first coming? How much longer will the Lord tarry during this summer season and for what primary purpose?

I believe the answer is found in one of the great mysteries of God’s redemptive plan — the fullness of the Gentiles.

The Good News of Gleaning the Fields

Leviticus 23:22 is the pivotal verse in this important chapter. The instructions in this verse can be easily overlooked, but make no mistake, these instructions are tucked neatly between the description of the spring and fall feasts on purpose.

The LORD commanded the Israelites to intentionally leave the edges of their fields untouched each harvest to provide gleanings for the poor and the sojourner (i.e. Gentiles). These gleanings would provide essential sustenance for those who had not inherited land or who were outside the commonwealth of Israel.

Beyond the practical purpose of showing God’s love and concern for the poor and the stranger, the gleanings of the harvest symbolized a much greater spiritual principle — the LORD’s redemptive plan has always included provision for the Gentiles. Israel was strategically placed in the midst of the pagan nations in order to be a light to the Gentiles and a blessing to all the families of the earth (Acts 13:47).

There is perhaps no greater Old Testament picture of this promise than in the story of Ruth and Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer. As Ruth, a poor Moabite widow, was allowed to pick the gleanings from the fields of Boaz, the God or Israel was showing her grace and preparing her to become the Gentile bride of her Jewish kinsman-redeemer. What a typological picture of a predominately Gentile church becoming the bride of Israel’s Redeemer! Wow!

My point is that the summer gleanings in the fields of Israel represent the spiritual summer season in God’s mysterious work of redemption, as He has extended the good news of His grace to the Gentiles for the last 2,000 years!

The spring feasts are fulfilled. The fall feasts will be fulfilled at the appointed time, but at this moment and in this season, God is making provision for the nations to receive salvation through Jesus Christ and become heirs along with Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in!

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

[Ephesians 3:6]

Salvation is to the Jew First

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

[Romans 1:16]

To say that the nation and people of Israel have a unique place in relationship to Almighty God may be the understatement of all time. As the LORD chose Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and called them into covenant relationship with Himself, He was beginning the process of creating a new nation – a people for His own possession and purpose.

So it goes without saying that the people and nation of Israel — known today as the Jews — have a special place in God’s sight, as the apple of God’s eye. Perhaps the Apostle Paul says it best when he writes, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” [Romans 3:1-2].

Every single book written in our Bible (with the exception perhaps of Luke and Acts) was inspired through the Holy Spirit and penned by a Jewish author. The word of God has been written and preserved by the Jewish people. It both was to and through the Jews that salvation has come to the world through Yeshua the Messiah.

“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

[Romans 9:4-5]

This is why we should have expected the early New Testament church to consist exclusively of Jewish believers! The Feast of Pentecost was the fulfillment of the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest of God’s people.

But God’s plan of salvation did not stop there. Many of the Jewish believers in Yeshua were too short sighted when considering the overall redemptive work of God. Many of the Jews had forgotten God’s promise to bless all nations of the earth through their Messiah.

After Pentecost was fulfilled through the sending of the Holy Spirit and the salvation of 3,000 Jews from the diaspora, the last days had arrived. Summer had started. But few could comprehend just how long this summer season of God’s patience and grace would last.

A Partial Hardening upon Israel

“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

[Romans 11:25]

Although salvation most certainly came to the Jews first, as a believing Jewish remnant embraced Yeshua as Messiah, the overwhelming majority of the Jewish nation and its leaders rejected their own Messiah and persecuted the early church. Unfortunately, many Gentiles in the church later perverted this reality to develop anti-Semitic, replacement theology that led to atrocious persecution of the Jewish people by “Christians” in the name of Jesus Christ.

This terrible anti-Semitic blight in church history must be acknowledged and condemned, especially considering that the same anti-Semitic spirit is alive and well within Christendom today. Despite the fact that the God’s redemptive work has predominately targeted the Gentile nations for the past 2,000 years, we cannot forget that His promises to redeem and restore the people and nation of Israel still stand today!

The Apostles were clear that the leaders of national Israel were responsible for willingly rejecting Yeshua the Messiah and in that regard were guilty before God for their rebellion. Consider these verses accusing the Jews of rejecting Christ.

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” 

[John 1:11]

“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

[Acts 2:23]

“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him

[Acts 3:13]

“The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.”

[Acts 5:30]

Beyond the initial rejection of Jesus by His own people, the Apostles were relentlessly attacked, persecuted and opposed by the Jewish leaders of their day. The Apostle Paul especially suffered many attacks by the Jews and although forever burdened for his kinsmen in the flesh, he was called to be an Apostle to the Gentiles.

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”

[Acts 13:45-46]

As Paul writes to the believers in Rome, however, he clarifies that this hardening and jealousy of the Jewish people toward Gentile believers is only temporary in nature. In other words, even though the majority of Jewish people historically have rejected their own Messiah, the LORD has not completely rejected His people the Jews. He has always preserved a believing remnant of the Jewish people to this day.

“I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! … In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

[Romans 11:1,5]

The Fullness of the Gentiles and the Future Salvation of Israel

So why such a long “summer” between the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus? In short the answer is simple — Grace. As Peter reminds us, the only reason the Lord tarries is because He is demonstrating patience and mercy to the world in order to allow for as many as possible to be saved before the day of judgment arrives.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief …”

[2 Peter 3:8-10]

This age of grace, this summer season of God’s mercy, is allowing the fullness of the Gentiles to come into the Kingdom. The LORD promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him and his offspring (Jesus), which is precisely why Jesus commanded His disciples to go to ends of the earth and make disciples of all nations.

But there is coming a day, much sooner than later, when the fullness of the Gentiles will come to a close, the summer days of grace will end, the great tribulation will begin, God will return special attention to the Jews, and the Day of the LORD will come.

I would like to leave you with some Scriptures that demonstrate how all of this will transpire at the end of the age.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.“

[Luke 21:20-24]

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” 

[Revelation 11:1-2]

Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.

[Jeremiah 30:7]

““Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it … And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

[Zechariah 12:2-3, 9-10]

And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob;
and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”

[Romans 11:26-27]

Summer is almost over. The fulfillment of the fall feasts of the LORD are ever so near. Stay tuned as I will examine the fall feasts next time.

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place … And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

[Acts 2:1,4]

After the Lord Jesus — our Passover Lamb — was crucified, buried and triumphantly resurrected as the Firstfruits from the dead, the Bible says that He “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” [Acts 1:3].

Just before His ascension, Yeshua commanded His disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit who would come “not many days from now” [Acts 1:4]. As the disciples gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, there must have been a spirit of enthusiasm and anticipation for what would happen next. The purpose of Pentecost was about to be fulfilled.

God’s Presence and Power on Display

As I mentioned in my last post, there are obvious parallels between the giving of the law at Sinai and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that we cannot overlook.

The LORD commanded Moses to gather all of Israel in one place and to have them consecrate themselves before entering His presence at Sinai. At the appointed time, the people of Israel witnessed perhaps the greatest manifestation of God the world has ever seen.

The theophany at Sinai was as terrifying as it was awesome to behold. The people heard thunderings and trumpet blasts, saw lightening flashes and a thick cloud cover the mountain, and finally the LORD Himself descended in fire (Exodus 19:16-18). The sheer presence of God caused all of Israel to tremble.

And there the LORD commenced to thunder with His mighty voice and speak the holy commandments of God to His people.

Fast forward to the fulfillment of Pentecost. We find God’s people all gathered in one place, waiting in expectation for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. At that moment, a mighty rushing wind from heaven descended upon them, like a tornado raging through the city. As the whirlwind moved through Jerusalem, multitudes heard the sound and wondered in amazement (Acts 2:5-6).

Divided tongues of fire came down and rested upon each individual disciple, giving them utterance to proclaim the word of God in other languages. Just as the LORD descended in fire and proclaimed His word to all Israel at Sinai, the Holy Spirt had come baptizing with fire and proclaiming the gospel to all Israel at Pentecost.

Birth of a Nation — Birth of the Church

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

[Exodus 19:5-6]

The LORD redeemed the children of Israel from bondage out of Egypt, brought them through the baptismal waters of the sea, and established a covenant with them at Sinai. It was the confirmation of this covenant that effectively sealed the relationship between the LORD and His people. It was much like a marriage ceremony, as God claimed Israel as His “treasured possession” and a “holy nation.”

The day of Pentecost likewise was the birth of the “ekklesia,” the blood-bought church of the living God. The Lord Jesus had accomplished the necessary work of redemption on the cross and proven His power over death and the grave in His resurrection. At Pentecost God would seal the New Covenant with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which enabled the Lord to indwell each and every believer in a new and living way!

God’s promise to bless all the nations of the earth would begin to be fulfilled on this day, as there were ” devout men from every nation under heaven” in Jerusalem at Pentecost [Acts 2:5], who heard the good news about Jesus for the very first time. God’s redemptive work would move beyond the unique nation of Israel to the ends of the earth.

The church — the people of God — now included the Gentiles. Just as Pentecost was also called the Feast of the Harvest of the Firstfruits, the birth of the church was the initial, spiritual harvest for all who would believe in Christ.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

[1 Peter 2:9-10]

The Law Written on our Hearts

The relationship between the law of Moses (Sinai) and having faith in Christ has often been misunderstood and misrepresented.

God’s law is good. It is pure and perfect. It is God’s fixed standard of righteousness by which we must measure ourselves and all things.

The reality, however, is that no flesh can be justified by keeping the works of the law because we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. We can strive to live by the law, which is good, but ultimately the law will condemn us because we can never measure up to the moral perfection required by God.

So what is the purpose of the law?

The law exposes our sinfulness and ultimately shows us our need for a Savior, which is why the gospel is such good news!

Yeshua perfectly fulfilled the law, and having never sinned, He is the only person who ever met God’s righteous standard in perfect obedience to the Father. Because of the righteousness of Jesus, who did keep the law of Moses, we are offered the free gift of salvation through faith in Christ.

When we believe in the finished work of Christ, the Bible says that God makes Him (Jesus), who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. In this gracious exchange, God credits the righteousness of His Son to all who believe, having imputed the punishment for our sin upon Christ at the cross.

So what does all of this have to do with Pentecost? Everything!

The giving of the Holy Spirit changed the way God’s people related both to Him and His perfect law. No longer are we like the Israelites, trying to obtain righteousness by keeping the law of Moses, but now we are set free from sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life! We are justified not by works but by the law of faith (Romans 3:27).

The New Covenant is the promise that God would take the very laws written on tablets of stone at Sinai and write them on the very hearts of His people. And in addition to the spiritual transformation of our hearts, which changes our very desires, the Lord also promised to give us His Spirit as our Helper to enable us to obey the law. We are set free to walk in step with the Spirit in obedience to God!

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

[Jeremiah 31:31-33]

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

[Ezekiel 36:26-27]

God of Holiness, God of Grace

Finally, it is worth noting that we see the full representation of God’s divine nature both at Sinai and Pentecost.

At the very moment the LORD was writing His law on tablets of stone, the Israelites had already transgressed the first two commandments. Convinced that Moses had abandoned them, the children of Israel tempted Aaron to mold a golden calf to be their “god,” and they bowed down to worship this idol in the very face of God.

As a result of this gross transgression, the LORD demonstrated His holiness and judgment upon Israel, and 3,000 people died that very day [Exodus 32:28].

On the day of Pentecost, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter stood up and preached the good news of Jesus to the crowds. And what happened next was not a coincidence. God demonstrated His goodness and grace in direct contrast to Sinai. The Lord saved 3,000 souls that very day!

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

[Acts 2:40-41]

Pentecost will forever be memorialized with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church, and the confirmation of the New Covenant established by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Weeks is the last of the spring feasts of the LORD, which all have been fulfilled in the first coming of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Next time I will begin examining the fascinating connections between the fall feasts of the LORD and the second coming of the Lord Jesus!

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.”

[Leviticus 23:15-16]

Numbers are both symbolic and significant in the Biblical narrative. The LORD often uses numbers in patterns for emphasis and contrast.

The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, is no exception.

The LORD commanded the Israelites to determine the appointed Feast of Weeks by counting seven weeks, or seven “sevens,” from the day after the Sabbath of Firstfruits. After counting these seven weeks, or 49 days, the next day — or 50th day — was to be the holy convocation of Pentecost. Interestingly, this means that both the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Pentecost will always fall on the day after the Sabbath, or the first day of the week, which is Sunday.

The Feast of Weeks is also known as the Feast of the Harvest of the Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16), and the First Fruits of the Wheat Harvest (Exodus 34:22) and is called in Hebrew, Shavuot.

Eventually this feast became known as Pentecost because it was observed on the 50th day — from the Greek “penta,” or fifty. It is the second of the three great feasts of Israel, where all the eligible males were to present themselves before the LORD in Jerusalem. It also was a one-day celebration that commemorated the conclusion of the barley harvest and the continuation of the wheat harvest in the land.

As we will see, however, there is another significant event in Israel’s history that may be directly associated with Pentecost.

The Covenant of Sinai

The LORD redeemed Israel out of Egypt with wonders and an outstretched arm, showing His supremacy over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. The Israelites were saved from the angel of death by the blood of the Passover lamb and then made haste out of Egypt with unleavened bread in hand.

As Moses led the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, the LORD purposely turned them toward the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) opposite of Arabia, and it was here on the shores of the sea that the LORD would bring His final act of judgment upon Pharaoh

The LORD parted the sea so that His people would cross on dry land, and then He brought the waters crashing down upon Pharaoh’s army. As the Israelites stood safely on the other side and saw the bodies of Pharaoh’s army washing up in the sea, they realized that for the first time in over 400 years — they were free!

The Israelites had been redeemed by God and had become a nation reborn — a people of God’s own possession. After witnessing firsthand God’s deliverance, Moses and the people broke out in joyous song.

“Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up. With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.”

[Exodus 15:11-13]

After meandering through the rugged terrain of the Arabian mountains, the LORD led Israel to the base of a holy mountain — Sinai. It was here at Sinai that the LORD entered into covenant with the people He had redeemed. It was on this mountain that the LORD manifested His power and glory in perhaps the greatest theophany in human history. It was on Sinai that Israel would receive God’s law and agree to keep it.

Later Jewish tradition says that the LORD gave the law to Moses precisely on the day of Pentecost, although there is no real Biblical or historical evidence for this. Exodus 19:1 says that it was in the third month, on the 15th day, that Israel camped at the base of the mountain.

The most conservative calculations using this date would place the giving of the law around 59 days after Firstfruits, which obviously would be beyond the 50th day of Pentecost, yet some scholars have gone to great lengths to reconcile the two.

Either way, it is worth noting that there are obvious parallels and typological connections between the Sinai covenant and the sealing of the New Covenant on Pentecost in Acts 2, which I will explore in my next post.

Once again, the Feast of Weeks has been fulfilled through the coming of Yeshua and the subsequent sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell within His people.