Shavuot begins at sundown on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Biblical Calendar dates are (Third Month) Sivan 6–7. Shavuot is one of God’s Appointed Times – a two-day biblical holiday.
God performed two great miracles on Shavuot – the giving of HIS Word on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. These two foundational truths are the guiding lights of every believers’ relationship with Adonai and Yeshua. They are the pivotal aspects of our faith! His Word provides written instructions for living a life of holiness and the Holy Spirit empowers believers to overcome sin, to understand, obey, and teach His Word.
We find Shavuot in scripture in Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10, and 2 Chronicles 8:13. This Appointed Time is also known as the Feast of Weeks because God instructed HIS people to count seven weeks (49 days) after Passover until the 50th Day for the observance of Shavuot. This season on the Biblical Calendar marked the beginning of Israel’s wheat harvest, and every Hebrew adult male was required to bring a portion of their wheat harvest as an offering to the Temple in Jerusalem. This measure of wheat was known as an “Omer,” thus the “Counting of the Omer” name was attached to the seven-week count. Shavuot is one of Israel’s three commanded feasts for Israelites to make a pilgrimage trip to the Temple in Jerusalem to come before God to worship and celebrate HIS blessings. Adult males were not to come empty handed, but bring an offering!
The Holy Spirit Empowers Believers
“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.” (Acts 1:8).
The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in faith walk. Here are some key points:
- Inner Strength: The Holy Spirit strengthens our inner being, allowing Yeshua to dwell in our hearts through faith. This empowerment comes from God’s unsearchable resources of glory .
- Overcoming Weakness: The Spirit grants believers the power to overcome sin, temptation, and spiritual weakness. It gives us courage to speak truth and reach out to others in love and compassion .
- Effective Witnesses: Just as Acts 1:8 mentions, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to be effective witnesses for Yeshua. It provides boldness to testify even in fearful situations .
- Conviction, Teaching, and Equipping: The Holy Spirit convicts, teaches, equips, and empowers believers to grow in grace and spread the gospel.
In essence, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to live out their faith, enabling them to fulfill their calling and share the Gospel with others. The Bible’s portrayal of the Holy Spirit is multifaceted, reflecting its integral role in the life and faith of believers.
Shavuot (Pentecost) in the New Testament
In the New Testament Shavuot (Pentecost) is the pivotal moment when the Holy Spirit is given to the followers of Yeshua in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Their faith in Yeshua is given tremendous power through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The believers become temples of the Spirit!
The great importance of Shavuot (Pentecost) can be seen in the final act of the Resurrected Messiah, before He ascended to Heaven. Yeshua promised the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. He instructed them to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit, and to go to Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit arrived. Yeshua told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would teach them all they needed to know to be His representatives on the earth and the Spirit would give them power. Their ministries could not move forward without the Holy Spirit! In the Upper Room on Shavuot (Pentecost aka 50th Day) the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven and fell upon Yeshua’s followers. They preached the gospel in every language and on that same day 3,000 new believers were added to the already believing disciples in the Upper Room which numbered about 120.
While many non-believing Jews had come to Jerusalem that day to celebrate the “physical harvest”- the blessing of a wheat crop at the Festival of Shavuot; Yeshua’s Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles were celebrating the arrival of the Holy Spirit and a “spiritual harvest” of 3,000 souls that were added to the Kingdom of God that day!
The Bible speaks extensively about the Holy Spirit, revealing it as a fundamental aspect of faith. The Holy Spirit is considered the third person of the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The scriptures describe the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, a Guide, the Counselor, and the very presence of God within believers. John 14:26 (CJB)” But the Counselor, the Ruach HaKodesh, (Holy Spirit) whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything; that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
The Holy Spirit helps us make decisions based on Yeshua’s teachings and guidelines for holy living in all aspects of our lives. Holiness is simply living a life that follows the Holy Spirit’s leading and in essence obeying God’s Word and Yeshua’s teachings.
For many believers, the Holy Spirit is that quiet voice we hear that helps us discern between “right and wrong” or “good and evil”. The Holy Spirit also delivers warnings, visions, understanding of the scriptures, spiritual knowledge, and wisdom. When I was young and spiritually immature, but a strong believer, I would have dreams that manifested into reality in my life. I would call it “Deja Vu”, but my mother was quick to correct me and explained what I was experiencing was the guidance of the Holy Spirit and it was not “DejaVu” but it is “God showed you.”
For some believers the presence of the Holy Spirit is an “audible voice” or “gut” feeling, even the feeling of a “physical presence” in the room. We live in a time when our minds are overloaded with worldly ideologies, the voices of cultural wickedness, and sin in every shape form and fashion. On top of that, we put on earbuds and lock out everything except music sound waves. We live in a society that is surrounding us with computer data, deceptive video, powerful visual effects, and artificial intelligence.
But there is one way to know for sure if the voice you hear is truly the Holy Spirit; and that is what is spoken in your spirit will always agree with God’s Word!
