The Gathering
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks)
Leviticus 23: 15- 20
15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. 18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest.
Author’s note: Remember, Yehoshua was the final sacrifice. For these observances we are not to prepare any burnt, sin or fellowship offerings. Matthew 26:26-27 Now as they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Here Yeshua teaches us that the drink, grain (bread), sin and fellowship offering all reside within HIS sacrifice.
Today Shavuot is celebrated as a traditional festival “observance,” which include feast, special prayers and abstention from work. It is important to remember Yehoshua’s sacrifice; as well as all the sacred dates; keeping them as a perpetual covenant. The Bible tell us to hold a sacred assembly, pray, and do no physical labor.
21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
This is the “Feast of Harvest,” and it is celebrated as the ingathering of the first fruits of the earth. It encourages us to look forward to that great day of the final gathering, when the LORD (YEHOSHUA) will send forth HIS reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to gather the wheat for HIS garner. Matthew 13: 24-30
One day the whole universe will participate in this harvest celebration.
Matthew 13
24 Yeshua told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds (tares) among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Exodus 34:22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Did you know: that Shavuot is translated as ,”weeks” in English. Shavuot is celebrated seven weeks after the Passover.
It was also called day of Pentecost because it is fifty days after the second day of the Sabbath (Passover.) Pentecost meaning fifty.
Acts 1 : 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Yehoshua began to do and to teach 2 until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. 3 After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift MY Father promised, which you have heard ME speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Acts 2 begins by saying When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place. Since the Bible tells us it was the day of “Pentecost,” we can deduce that since Yehoshua remained among them forty days before ascending; ten days after would be fifty days (Pentecost) after the Sabbath (Passover). This again proclaims the “Feast of Harvest” and First Fruits.
Acts 2: 2-3 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.
