This year Shavuot 2021 will begin in the evening of Sunday, May 16 and ends in the evening of Tuesday, May 18 based on most Hebrew calendars used today. On God’s biblical calendar the date is roughly the same, but the biblical name of the month is “Sivan” which is the third month on HIS calendar, and the date is Sivan 5th Pentecost Eve and Sivan 6th Pentecost Day.
In the world of Christendom, Shavuot / Pentecost generally is celebrated on a Sunday and not on the actual day of the historical event. This year many churches will observe Pentecost on Sunday, May 23, 2021 and celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit which they also call the birth of the church.
History of Shavuot
Shavuot, also known as The Feast of Weeks, is observed fifty days after Passover and originally commemorates God giving the Torah, GOD’s WORD, through Moses, which provided the Hebrews with instructions for living a holy lifestyle. The Torah made the Hebrew people into a nation consecrated to Adonai. No other nation on earth was like God’s people. The awesome power and might of this moment are recorded in Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10, and 2 Chronicles 8:13.
Shavuot is also known as The Feast of Weeks because God’s people were to count seven weeks (49 days) after Passover until the 50th Day for the observance of Shavuot. This season marks the beginning of the summer wheat harvest, when every Hebrew adult male brought in a portion of their wheat harvest as an offering to God at the Temple in Jerusalem. The measure of wheat was known as the “omer”; thus the “Counting of the Omer” name was attached to the seven weeks. Shavuot was one of the three commanded feasts:
Pesach (Passover / Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits),
Shavuot (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost),
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles, Tents or Booths)
At these three times of the year all Israelites were commanded by GOD to come to the Temple (make a pilgrimage trip) to Jerusalem for worship and celebration. Adult males were not to come empty handed; each man was to present an offering to Adonai, and everyone was to rejoice before the Lord. This celebration commemorated freedom from physical Egyptian bondage and freedom from pagan idolatry because Israel was given enlightenment through HIS WORD.
Yeshua / Jesus and Shavuot
GOD choose Shavuot as the time to implement a New Covenant with Israel that was established by Yeshua the Messiah. This New Covenant is
prophesied throughout scripture in the Old Testament and emphasized in the New Testament.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 Complete Jewish Bible:
31 (32) It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated my covenant, even though I, for my part, was a husband to them,” says Adonai 32 (33) “For this is the new covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Adonai: “I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 33 (34) No longer will any of them teach his fellow community member or his brother, ‘Know Adonai’; for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest; because I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”
Also read Hebrews 10:16, Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26, and Hebrews 8:10
In approximately 30 A.D., during the Feast of Shavuot, thousands of Jewish men and their families would have made the pilgrimage journey to Jerusalem for the feast. After His resurrection, the risen Messiah Yeshua walked on the earth for forty days, leading up to Shavuot. During this time Yeshua appeared to some 500 people at one time, taught his disciples about the kingdom and even ate with his disciples on several occasions. Yeshua/Jesus gave the disciples instructions to remain in Jerusalem until they had received anointing from On High. They would already be in Jerusalem for Shavuot Feast.
Acts 2: 1-4 Complete Jewish Bible “The festival of Shavuot had arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.” Simon Peter (Kefa) then rose to address the throng that had gathered, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:’ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” At the end of Peter’s speech, some 3,000 men trusted in the Lord Yeshua that day. On that Shavuot morning, God initiated a new covenant with Israel as He foretold: “Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel”
Also read Acts 1: 1-11; at verse 6 (CJB)
How Do We Celebrate Shavuot / Pentecost Today?
An Aappointment We Have with GOD!
We know from scripture that Shavuot and Pentecost are celebrations of thanksgiving to God for HIS WORD which lays the foundation for holy living. In ancient times it was not unusual for believers to stay up all night studying scripture and praying. Shavuot in Israel today is usually celebrated with an abundance of events including music festivals, exhibitions, and family-friendly activities.
For me personally, it is a time to take the focus off “ME” and this crazy world we live in; and place the focus fully on the word of God. Study it, teach it, share it and try harder to live it!
Shavuot is a time to gives thanks for all of God’s instructions- the Old and New Testaments because these are the instructions that literally created the world of faith that we live in. It is our moral compass and spiritual guide for daily living with God. Here in the United States, it is the foundation of our justice system. It teaches us how we are to treat one another, love one another, and live together in harmony.
Most holy convocations will focus on the Ten Commandments and other laws in a special service or ceremony. The important thing is to stop and observe this commanded Holy Feast. It is an appointment that we all have with GOD!
