Day 50 of Omer Counting
And now for the culmination of all that Omer counting we've been doing since Passover.
This year, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) begins at sundown on Tuesday, May 18th as Shavuot is on Wednesday, May 19th
and goes until sundown. Shavuot is a Sabbath---no work day.
"On the day of first fruits, when you bring a new grain
offering to the Lord in your feast of Shavuot, you are
to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; but present.."
various offerings by fire (not possible today, because there is no Temple). Numbers 28:26-31
Counting the Omer for 49 days has been the 'bridge' between Passover and Pentecost.
Now we're ready to celebrate Shavuot. As Believers in Yeshua, we have a double celebration.
Read about it in Acts 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 16:8
Background Information
A Pilgrim Festival
Have you ever wondered why all of the people were there when the Holy Spirit decended on the
people in the 'upper room'? People from all of the nations were outside (the ones Peter talked to in Acts 2). Three thousand
pilgrims came to believe in Messiah Yeshua and were added to the Messianic Believers that day.
When I began to study the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, it came together for me. This is one of the three 'Pilgrim Festivals' in which all Jews were commanded
in the Bible to make the trip to Jerusalem and to the Temple to offer sacrifices at the Temple and to celebrate Shavuot!
Just think: Yeshua and his disciples, as observant Jews, celebrated this feast day! Should we do any less?
Traditions
Since the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, Jews and Messianic Believers
celebrate the holiday with--what else--TRADITIONS!
The Rabbis teach that the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) were given on this day, at Mt Sinai.
While there is no Biblical basis for this belief, it still is a good way to remember and to celebrate
the giving of the Torah.
Other traditions include decorating the synagogue and home with greenery and flowers to symbolize the
harvest aspect of this holiday;
reading the whole book of Ruth; and staying up late the first night of Shavuot to study the Bible.
Special Foods
The food of choice for Shavuot is DAIRY with the most popular item
being blintzes (crepe-like pancakes filled with farmer cheese), and cheesecake.
Most often a complete 'dairy' meal is prepared. Challah bread,
the special braided bread for Saturday night is made with a ladder design on top to
symbolize Moses’ ascent to Sinai. Ladders with five rungs recall the five books of the Torah:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Why the tradition of eating dairy? The reasons abound, but I'll go with: because Torah is likened to
milk in the Scriptures and provides all the 'spiritual nourishment' necessary for the human soul.
The Yeshua Connection
As Messianic believers went out, "The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Acts 2:47
This day has come to symbolize the ingathering of the last spring harvest, and, more importantly, the gathering of the people to the Torah, and since Pentecost, the gathering of people to Yeshua. It is certainly another Biblical celebration full of meaning and lessons for Messianic believers.
Shavuot in the Future
Just as there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that Jewish people heard and accepted Yeshua in a supernatural way on Pentecost, so an even greater outpouring is predicted by the prophet Zechariah: "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).Yes, there will be mourning when all of Israel finally realizes who Yeshua is, but after the mourning and the repentance there will be great joy.
What about you? Are you celebrating the full meaning of Shavuot through Yeshua?