Celebrating Shavuot: The Spiritual Birthday of Israel
Beginning the evening of June 11, celebrations for the biblical Feast of Shavuot will begin. The Hebrew word Shavuot literally means “weeks.” This feast is also called Pentecost, from the Greek word meaning “fifty,” as the feast occurs 50 days after Passover.
Traditionally, both Jews and Christians have thought of Shavuot as a “birthday.” For the traditional Jewish community, this feast was first celebrated around the time when God gave Israel the Torah at Mount Sinai, about 50 days after leaving Egypt (Ex. 19:1).
Therefore, Shavuot is considered “The Season of the Giving of the Law.” It is considered the spiritual birthday of Israel since the Torah brought 12 tribes together into one corporate people. From Shavuot’s fulfillment in Acts 2, we can also call it, “The Season of the Giving of the Spirit” since the Holy Spirit makes all believers, from many tribes, to be one family in Messiah. Happy birthday, body of Messiah!
Does the name “Shavuot” indicate that the feast would be celebrated for weeks on end? No! It is called “weeks” because of the special way we find out each year when it is to be celebrated. Unlike the other Feasts of Israel, the Feast of Shavuot is dateless! In order to celebrate Shavuot, one has to count “seven weeks” from “the day after the Sabbath” of the Passover, and the next day, the 50th day, would be Shavuot (Lev. 23:15-16).
Why don’t the Scriptures just give us the date for Shavuot? Many of us would have been inclined to say to Moses, “Forget counting 50 days; just give me the date and I’ll put it in my iPhone, so I can remember to show up and worship!” But no, God commanded everyone to count 50 days regardless of how busy their schedule may be. Why? Allow me to explain.
Can you imagine if your mother never told you the date of your birthday? Rather, she told you to celebrate it 50 days after the anniversary of your Uncle Murray’s death. When you were young, this might have been OK, but in high school, it would be embarrassing not to know the date of your birth!
“Hey Joel, when’s your birthday?” “Well it’s 50 days after my Uncle Murray died.” Eventually, you’d insist, “Mom, can’t you just tell me when my birthday is? Why do I have to count 50 days from the day Uncle Murray died?” Your mom’s reply would bring her purposes to light, “Because, your Uncle Murray left you his fortune, and I never want you to forget your Uncle Murray!”
In counting 50 days in order to celebrate Shavuot, Israel would be constantly reminded of Passover. God’s people were never to orient themselves around the giving of the Torah, but around the true foundation of their lives as a people at Passover.
Shavuot may have been the time when God made Israel one people in the Law, but Passover was when God redeemed them from bondage and destruction through the blood of the lamb. Passover was and is to be the foundation and head of the year. It celebrates Israel’s redemption from bondage, and redemption is the foundation of our salvation.
Thus, the foundation of Israel’s redemption was provided only in Passover, not Shavuot. Every year as Israel counted the weeks from Passover to Shavuot, they remembered that their redemption as a people was found in the Lamb of Passover.
In the same way, we are never to forget our Messiah who gave His life for us, and with that, the unspeakable riches of new birth in Him! Like Israel’s redemption from bondage, our foundation of faith as believers in Messiah Yeshua is forever tied to Passover and our redemption in the Lamb of God. We are not set apart to God just because we look to the Holy Spirit, but because we look to Yeshua as the true foundation for our spiritual lives. Through Him we are a first fruits offering (Lev. 23:16), for God’s use only.
Every Shavuot believer may thus remember Passover and the Passover Lamb, Yeshua. We must keep in mind that the Holy Spirit never points to Himself to glorify Himself, but rather points to and glorifies Yeshua, our foundation. For the work of the Spirit is to testify of Yeshua (John 15:26; 16:13-14).
Our security is experienced only when we look to Yeshua as our foundation of faith. Our confidence is in the Lord, and in Him alone. Place your faith in Messiah’s eternal atonement for your sins, and receive new life in Yeshua, the Author and Perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2). You are secure looking to Him! {eoa}
Dr. Sam Nadler is a Jewish believer in Jesus who has been in Messianic ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country, and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit: wordofmessiah.org.
