Series on Old Testament Festivals and Sacred Days – Festival of Weeks
(Click on the
link below to read the verses.)
Leviticus
23:15-22; Acts 1:1-8; Acts 2:1-4
[Many of the
festivals and sacred days from the Old Testament don’t seem to be relevant for
us today. In this series, we’re going to take a closer look at them to learn what the significance was for the people of Israel at the time.
And to learn what the significance is for us today.]
“Five, ten,
fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty…
Here I come,
ready or not!”
Does that sound familiar to you? Does it bring back childhood
memories? That’s how we started every game of Hide and Seek when I was a kid…
by counting.
Just like we counted as kids, Israel was to count
out 49 days, plus one, following the end of Passover week. On the fiftieth day,
they were to celebrate the Festival of Weeks. It was a festival of thanksgiving
to the Lord for their wheat harvest.
21 That same day
will be proclaimed an official day for holy assembly, a day on which you do no
ordinary work. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from
generation to generation wherever you live. NLT Leviticus 23
The book of Leviticus is basically a manual of
regulations that Israel was given by the Lord through Moses while at Mount
Sinai. The purpose of these regulations was to help Israel to live as the
Lord’s holy people in the Promised Land. The Festival of Weeks was one of those
regulations.
However, besides the immediate purpose of the
Festival of Weeks, it was also a foreshadow of something even bigger. Following
his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem where they
would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. After his ascension, here’s
what happened.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. NIV Acts 2
It happened during the Festival of Weeks which is one
of the three major festivals where Jewish men are expected to celebrate by making
a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. As a result, the city was packed with devout Jews from
all across the world.
But there’s more than meets the eye happening here. Peter
boldly stood and spoke to the skeptical crowd about Jesus. As a result, about
three thousand believed in him as the Messiah. Just like the Festival of Weeks
was originally instituted to give thanks for the wheat harvest, now there was a
new harvest – a spiritual harvest.
Also, over the years the Festival of Weeks became
known as Pentecost, which is Greek for the number 50. Providentially, Jesus was
crucified and buried 50 days prior to Pentecost. It was the birth of the
Christian church, and the beginning of the harvest.
During his last days on earth, Jesus made a promise
to his disciples.
8 But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth.” NIV Acts 1
Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit and being his
witness is still true for us today. We may not have the physical manifestations
of the Spirit, but he is at work in and through our lives to continue the
harvest.
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