Posted on

Leviticus 23; Feast of Weeks / Shavuot / Pentecost

This is article #2 in The Feast of Yahwah series. Article #1 covered The Moedim or Appointments of Yahwah that includes the 7th Day Sabbath and those appointments known as Spring Feasts of “Passover, Unleavened Bread and First-Fruits.” If you haven’t read that, please do so prior to reading this article so that you are up to speed with terms and definitions that also apply to this article. May you be blessed as a “lover of Truth” as you enjoy!

This is a straight forward look at Leviticus 23. We are picking up the commentary on verses 15-21 as they reveal Yahwah’s 4th Feast known as the summer Feast of Pentecost / Weeks / Shavuot

Verses 15 – 21‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to Yahwah. Bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of two-tenths of an of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to Yahwah. And besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and one young bull and two rams. They are a burnt offering to Yahwah, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to Yahwah. And you shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as a peace offering. And the priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave offering before Yahwah, besides the two lambs. They are set-apart to Yahwah for the priest. And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

The beginning day of counting is critical.

And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days”

This reference to “the morrow after the Sabbath” cannot be referring to the weekly Sabbath (in the middle of Unleavened Bread observance), which occurred three days after The Messiah’s impalement on the fourth day of that week because of verse 14;

“And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

Otherwise there would contradiction of verse 6;

“And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to Yahwah – seven days you eat unleavened bread.”

So, this must be referring to the Sabbath AFTER the observance of the seven days of Unleavened Bread for us to begin counting seven completed Sabbaths (7X7 = 49 + 1 = 50 days).

Do you see why? In Leviticus 23:6 we are commanded for “seven days you eat unleavened bread.” In verse 14, we are commanded NOT to eat bread! Yahwah would not contradict Himself in His commands, so we must conclude that the day to begin counting, that we would also refer to as “First-Fruits”, has to be the first First Day after the conclusion of Unleavened Bread!

This also lines up with two other very important events!

In Leviticus 8-9:1 we see the anointing AND ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. (Pay particular attention to the length of time, (esp “8th day”), the anointing of the altar, the ordination of them into the priesthood and even them being “waved” as referenced in “First-Fruits!”

This event serves as an earthly “type” of what Yahusha, our Great High Priest actually did in “the true tabernacle” in heaven! Consider;

At the tomb after His resurrection in Joh 20:17 “Yahusha said to her, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My Elohim and your Elohim.’ ”

See also Joh 20:19-23 where Yahusha reveals Himself to His taught ones later that day…

Then eight days pass without Him being seen until Joh 20:26 And after eight days His taught ones were again inside, and T’oma with them. Yahusha came, the doors having been shut, and He stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

I believe that HE took His own blood and did in the “true tent” (Heb. 8:2) what Moshe did to Aaron and his sons for them to serve as types of The True!

Now back to Shavuot…

This Feast is known by several names; Pentecost, Feast of Weeks, Shavuot. Historically it was during this one day observance when Moshe received The Law / Torah of Yahwah and upon bringing them down from the mountain found the children of Yisrael worshiping and dancing before the golden calf. He subsequently threw the stone tablets containing the Commandments of Yahwah to the ground in disgust. The result; Commandments broken, 3000 people were slain for their rebellious idolatry. (Exodus 32)

For us in The New Covenant this Feast was the day when The Set-Apart Spirit was poured out upon the 120 taught ones in the upper room who were waiting obediently to The Master’s Command to “wait for the Promise of The Father” and having received the infilling of the Set-Apart Spirit, their testimony caused no small stir on the streets of Yerushalyim and as Peter spoke in answer to the crowd’s question as to what it meant for the 120 to be supernaturally speaking in numerous languages the wonders and blessings of Yahwah, subsequently 3000 people were added to HIS Kingdom!

Luk 24:49 “And see, I am sending the Promise of My Father upon you, but you are to remain in the city of Yerushalayim until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Joh 14:15-17 “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands. And I shall ask the Father, and He shall give you another Helper, to stay with you forever the Spirit of the Truth, whom the world is unable to receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, for He stays with you and shall be in you.” (See article on “Differences Between the Old and New Covenant”)

Joh 14:26 “But the Helper, the Set-apart Spirit, whom the Father shall send in My Name, He shall teach you all, and remind you of all that I said to you.”

Act 1:4 And meeting with them, He (Yahusha) commanded them not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,“which you have heard from Me…”

Act 2:1-8 “And when the Day of the Festival of Weeks had come, they were all with one mind in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them to speak. Now in Yerushalayim there were dwelling Yehudah dedicated men from every nation under the heaven. And when this sound came to be, the crowd came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to each other, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
And how do we hear, each one in our own language in which we were born?”

Act 2:41 Then those, indeed, who gladly received his word, were immersed. And on that day about three thousand beings were added to them.”

This day and culminating events are also significant because of The New Covenant that was promised in the following prophetic passages;

Yermiyah (Jeremiah) 31:31-37, Hezekiel (Ezekiel) 36:24-28

Lev 23:22 ‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am Yahwah your Elohim.’ ”

Again proving that Yahwah’s heart has always been that of “inclusion” and not “exclusion!” The poor and those who were not Yisra’el, but were of the nations and tender towards the things of Yahwah, HE will not exclude from His Kingdom any who are lovers of Truth and believe!

May you be a lover of Truth and may you be walking in belief! As Yahwah gives revelation, we plan to have the 3rd article on the Fall Feasts posted soon!

Posted on

The Sabbath and Spring Feasts of Yahwah

Leviticus 23

Verses 1-2 And Yahwah spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Speak to the children of Yisrael and say to them, ‘The appointed times of Yahwah, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these:

Clearly, these verses establish that these “moedim” (appointments) are not feasts of man but are Yahwah’s Feasts. They are Feasts that His people are to observe and proclaim through “set-apart” gatherings on the days and in the ways that He establishes.

Verses 3-4 “Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to Yahwah in all your dwellings. These are the appointed times of Yahwah, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.”

The weekly 7th day Sabbath is included as the beginning of the appointments that are commanded by Yahwah to observe and proclaim. (See article on “Catholic Quotes on changing the Sabbath”)

Verse 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to Yahwah.”

Under the Old Covenant, the Passover is to commemorate Yisrael’s deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, by the power of Yahwah (Exodus 12), and also serves prophetically as a look into the New Covenant and the future sacrifice of “The Lamb of Yahwah who takes away the sins of the world”, who’s blood is applied to the believer’s life by belief, thus being delivered from sin and death. (John 1:29, 36 & Rev. 5:12)

Verse 6-8 “And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to Yahwah – seven days you eat unleavened bread. On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. And you shall bring an offering made by fire to Yahwah for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.”

This Festival, under the Old Covenant, is to commemorate the day that Yisrael left Egypt. (Exodus 12:17) Leaven (in type) signifies sin. Thus, “unleavened” speaks of without sin. Having been delivered from the bondage of slavery and idolatry, Yisrael must now begin the process of removing the leaven (sin of unbelief) that permeates their lives.

And for us, in the New Covenant who believe in Messiah’s death and resurrection must allow the Set-apart Spirit to teach, guide, convict and change us from the influences of Adam, the “old man” into the image of Yah’s Son, Yahusha“the new man”.(Yohanan 14:15-26, Ephesians 4:22-24)

Verses 9-14 And Yahwah spoke to Mosheh saying, “Speak to the children of Yisrael and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahwah, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it. And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to Yahwah, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahwah, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine. And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

The verses seem pretty self explanatory for Yisrael under the Old Covenant. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging Yahwah FIRST in all that is received. It is the responsibility of the priest to acknowledge through the lifting and (literally) shaking the first of the first-fruits to Yahwah along with a perfect male lamb a year old offered on the alter along with the accompanying flour, oil, and wine offerings.

The relevance to us in the New Covenant is the acknowledging of Yahusha as typified by;

Sheaf of the first-fruits – 1Cor.15:20-23 “But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruit of those having fallen asleep. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a Man. For as all die in Adam so also all shall be made alive in Messiah. And each in his own order: Messiah the first-fruits, then those who are of Messiah at His coming…”

The Priest – Heb.4:14 “Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Yahusha the Son of Elohim, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was tried in all respects as we are, apart from sin.”

The Perfect Male Lamb – John 1:29 “On the next day Yohanan saw Yahusha coming toward him, and said, “See, the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world! “(1Pet.1:18-19; Rev.12:11)

The burnt offering (offered once to be consumed) to Yahwah – 1Pet.3:18 “Because even Messiah once suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to Elohim, having been put to death indeed in flesh but made alive in the Spirit…”

Grain / Fine Flour – Bread /Body / Wine /Blood – Lk. 22:19-20 And taking bread, giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the (new) covenant in My blood which is shed for you.(1Cor.11:23-29)

Oil / Anointing – Heb.1:8-9 But to the Son He says, “Your throne, O Elohim, is forever and ever, a scepter of straightness is the scepter of Your reign. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Because of this, Elohim, Your Elohim, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

These are just three of the seven Feasts of Yahwah according to the Scriptures. On this site we will be posting on going commentary on these and the Summer and Fall Feasts as Yahwah gives us revelation and opportunity! Our desire is that you, as a lover of Truth, will be encouraged and edified by these efforts!