GATHERING
THE SABBATH
WHAT IS IT?
Shavu’ot is a Hebrew word which means “weeks”. The feast of Shavu’ot (in English, the Feast of Weeks) gets its name because God command His people to count seven full weeks after Firstfruits, and mark that particular day as His appointed time.
Leviticus 23:15–16, 21
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 YHWH… You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
Firstfruits was the day that the first harvested sheaf of barley was offered before YHWH. The day of the Firstfruit offering was specified as the day after the Sabbath during the week of Unleavened Bread. From this day, seven full weeks are to be counted to Shavuot.
Another way of counting is to count days, starting with the Sabbath day during the week of Unleavened Bread. One day after that Sabbath day would be the day of Firstfruits. So fifty days after that Sabbath day would be Shavuot. For that reason, the Greek word pentecoste “fiftieth” was used for Shavuot in the New Testament. This is the origin of our English word Pentecost. So in English, this Appointed Time is often written either as Shavuot or as Pentecost.
God instructed his people to hold a “holy convocation”, that is a special gathering or assembly of believers for the purpose of remembering this Appointed Time of YHWH. We are told to do no ordinary work on this day. In other words, this day should be a day of rest from our work, as would a Sabbath day. And God instructed his people to present an offering of new grain.
The new grain this time of year would have been wheat. The barley harvest began seven weeks earlier at Firstfruits. By the time of Shavuot, the barley is all harvested, and wheat is now ripe. Shavuot takes place at the beginning of the wheat harvest. And God instructs his people to take the newly harvested grain and make two loaves of bread from solet, which is fine flour ground from the inner kernel of the wheat. These two loaves of bread, along with number of animals, were to be offerings to YHWH on the day of Shavout.
The command regarding Shavu’ot is also given in Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 16:9–12
“You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to YHWH your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as YHWH your God blesses you. And you shall rejoice before YHWH your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that YHWH your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Here we are told to “rejoice before YHWH”. It was the beginning of the wheat harvest – a day to rejoice and praise the Father for his abundant provision! We are also told specifically that the observance of this day applies to everyone “among you”, including the foreigners (sojourners) who were living among them.
Together with the instructions about Shavuot, God also gave some special instructions about how to harvest the grain:
Leviticus 23:22
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 YHWH your God.”
For this reason, the time of Shavuot is also a time to show generosity by sharing with those in need.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Receiving the Ten Words
Other than the fact that this day marked the beginning of the wheat harvest, Scripture doesn’t say exactly why this day was to be remembered. Traditionally, however, Jewish teaching hold that this day marked the day that Moses received the Ten Words (Ten Commandments) on Mt Sinai. A careful counting of events, beginning with the people of Israel arriving at Mt Sinai on the first day of the third month (Exodus 19:1) indicates that this tradition is quite possibly correct. The Ten Words were either given on Shavuot, or a day or two from it. Thus, Shavuot has always been a time to celebrate the gift of the Torah, God’s word to His people.
Every year at Shavuot, Exodus 19 and 20 is read, and we are reminded of the circumstances and miraculous way in which God spoke. And we are also reminded of the incredible gift of having God’s word – the very essence of who He is – available to us. On this day, the Father gave us His Word, His Torah, His instructions for life. The Scriptures are more than just a book. They are the recorded words of YHWH - His personal communication to us. His Word is holy just as He is holy. His Word is who He is. And He gave it to us, it seems, on Shavu’ot.
Ezekiel’s Vision
Another passage that is also traditionally read on Shavuot is Ezekiel 1-2, which records the vision of Ezekiel when, as he puts it, "the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." The experience of Ezekiel was not unlike the experience of the people of Israel at Mt Sinai. There were many similarities, including fire, smoke, lightening, sounds (literally, voices). Furthermore, as YHWH spoke to Ezekiel in the midst of all the fire, smoke, lightning, and sounds, we are told that the Spirit entered him. God's Spirit, like His Word, is the very essence of God himself. It is who He is. His Word and the Spirit are intimately connected.
Ezekiel’s Vision
Another passage that is also traditionally read on Shavuot is Ezekiel 1-2, which records the vision of Ezekiel when, as he puts it, "the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." The experience of Ezekiel was not unlike the experience of the people of Israel at Mt Sinai. There were many similarities, including fire, smoke, lightening, sounds (literally, voices). Furthermore, as YHWH spoke to Ezekiel in the midst of all the fire, smoke, lightning, and sounds, we are told that the Spirit entered him. God's Spirit, like His Word, is the very essence of God himself. It is who He is. His Word and the Spirit are intimately connected.
The First Shavuot
According to Jewish tradition, the day of Shavu’ot marks the very day YHWH gave his Word to Moses and the people on Mount Sinai. This is the day He gave His Ten Words (Ten Commandments). But is that true? Although Scripture doesn’t specifically state it this way, a careful look at the events of Scripture seems to indicate it to be very likely.
Exodus 19 records this event. The people of Israel have just been delivered from Egypt. There were the 10 plagues, and then Passover, and the Red Sea was parted and the people were set free. And after traveling for about seven weeks, they finally arrive at Mt Sinai. There the God of Israel, YHWH, speaks to His people. Exodus 19:1 tells us the exact day this happens:
Exodus 19:1
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
“On the third new moon… on that day” means that they arrived at Mt. Sinai on the first day of the third month. Looking at the rest of the chapter, we can postulate a likely timeline as follows:
DAY 1 - The people arrive at Sinai on the first day of the third month.
DAY 2 – Moses goes up the mountain the first time and hears promises from YHWH. He goes down and tells the people. They say we will obey.
We don’t know for sure which mountain this is, but it was likely a big mountain. If it is the traditional location of Mt Sinai then it takes about 6 hours to climb up. Thus is seems likely that would have taken a full day to go up and down the mountain.
DAY 3 – Moses goes up the mountain a second time to tell YHWH people will obey. YHWH says prepare the people today and tomorrow, for on the third day I will come down. So Moses probably goes down immediately, that very same day. This is also counted as the first day of preparation.
DAY 4 – Second Day of preparation
DAY 5 – Third day of preparation – the people gather at base of Sinai. Moses goes up for the third time. YHWH covers Sinai in smoke and fire and thunder. YHWH sends Moses back down to tell people not to come close, and to bring Aaron back up.
DAY 6 – Moses and Aaron go back up, and YHWH gives the Ten Words
So they arrive at Sinai on day 1 of the third month, and it seems likely that it would have been on day 6 at the soonest that YHWH first spoke to the nation of Israel.
We know that Passover is always on the 14th of the first month, and that the week of Unleavened Bread starts the following day, on the 15th. Somewhere during that week of Unleavened Bread a regular Sabbath day will occur. The day of that Sabbath day is the day of Firstfruits.
We have no way of knowing when the Sabbath day occurred within that the week of Unleavened Bread that particular year. But for the sake of argument, lets assume it was the same as the year when Yeshua was crucified. That year, we know that Firstfruits was 3 days after Passover. Yeshua was crucified on Passover, and 3 days later on Firstfruits he was resurrected. In that case, Firstfruits would have been on the 17th, and exactly 7 weeks later would be Shavuot. If we count the days, we see that in this case Shavuot falls right on Day 6 of month 3, the very day we estimate the Father gave the Ten Words to His people.
Little wonder that YHWH told His people to remember this for all generations. On Shavuot, it seems, He gave his Torah to His people. And then, nearly 1500 years He also gives His Holy Spirit to His people. Now His Torah will be written on our hearts.
The following chart helps to visually show these events, in relation to the Appointed Times of the first month:
HOW TO CELEBRATE
Based on the instructions of Scripture, we are told to:
1. Do no ordinary work, as on a regular Sabbath
2. Gather together with other believers (a holy gathering)
3. Rejoice before the Father
It is a day to praise Him for:
a) His provisions (crops growing in the field, our jobs, home, family, etc.)
b) His Word – the Ten Commandments, the Torah, and the rest of Scriptures which are his gift of life to us
c) His Spirit – YHWH’s Spirit dwelling within us, to guide us, instruct us, comfort us, and help us truly desire to keep His Torah.
It’s also a day to remember those in need, and to share generously from the abundance of our blessing.
Often believers gather together for praise and worship, including reading and discussing the scriptures relevant to Shavuot. Some of the Scripture passages associated with Shavuot are listed under the Scripture tab above.
SCRIPTURES TO STUDY
Leviticus 23:15-22. God gives instructions to His people concerning the Appointed Time of Shavuot.
Deuteronomy 16:9-12. God gives additional instructions to His people concerning Shavuot.
Numbers 28:26-31. Another passage containing God’s instructions regarding Shavuot.
Exodus 19-20. YHWH speaks to his people at Mt. Sinai when He gives the Ten Words (Ten Commandments), probably on the very day of Shavuot.
Ruth 1-4. The entire book of Ruth is traditionally read on Shavuot since it took place during the grain harvest time and also demonstrates the Biblical principle of leaving the corners of your field for those in need to glean. This book is reminder of our responsibility to be generous to others in need.
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15. Ezekiel receives a vision from God as the heavens are opened up to him. This passage is traditionally read on Shavuot since many of the elements of Ezekiel’s vision are similar to the events at Mt. Sinai when the Ten Words were given.
Jeremiah 31:23-34. This prophesy promises the “new covenant” in which God will write His Torah upon the hearts of His people.
Ezekiel 36:22-32. This prophesy, with similar aspects to that of Jeremiah 31, promises that God will put His Spirit within His people us and cause them to “walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules.”
Matthew 3. This passage tells of John the Baptist teaching that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Then Yeshua is baptized and the Spirit of God came upon Him.
John 1:1-34. The apostle John explains how the Word of God is Yeshua, then he gives testimony to Yeshua receiving the Holy Spirit at his baptism. We know that God’s Word is the essence of who He is. Now John tells us that Yeshua is the embodiment God’s Word. Yeshua is the Word in the flesh. The Father first gave His Word on tablets on stone, then He gives us His Word in the flesh through Yeshua. And finally He writes His Word on our hearts with His indwelling Holy Spirit.
John 14:15-31. Yeshua speaks to his disciples, promising to them that the Holy Spirit would come and to help them and instruct them.
Acts 2:1-12. Exactly seven weeks after Yeshua is resurrected, the Holy Spirit that was promised by Yeshua (and John the Baptist, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) came upon those believers gathered to celebrate Shavuot in Jerusalem.
Acts 10. Several years later, the Holy Spirit is given to Gentile believers of Cornelius’ household, as God shows that He is the one who declares which people are clean. The Gentiles are made clean by their faith in Yeshua and not by undergoing Jewish conversion rituals as taught by the Jewish leadership of that time. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was proof to everyone that faith in Yeshua, not man-made ritual, allowed people to become a part of the covenant community of YHWH.