The last of the four spring feasts is the Feast of Weeks. How many of you ever heard of this, studied this, or actually celebrated or commemorated this? After going to seminary, I can tell you I never studied it then nor did anyone indicate that I should. I found this information from my weekly Bible study that I lead.
Sadly, the ‘church’ is like the world in this matter. As mentioned in earlier posts, the feasts are one of God’s prophetic ways of highlighting His end times calendar. What is the Feast of Weeks? All seven feasts or appointed days of Jehovah are found in Leviticus 23.
Leviticus 23:15 "You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 23:16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.
This is one of the three feasts that all men are required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate.
Deuteronomy 16:16 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
There are three offerings with this feast; a grain/drink offering, a burnt offering, and a peace/wave/first fruits offering,
23:17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD.
23:18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
23:19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
23:21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
This feast which is another time of thanksgiving for Jehovah providing a bountiful harvest has a rather unique detail, that is to provide gleanings for the poor. Even the poor, who had to work to eat, were to be thankful for Jehovah’s provisions.
23:22 "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
So now we have the Feast of Weeks, 7 Sabbaths plus one day, which we know from the Greek as Pentecost, or fifty. That day back some 2000 years ago was the day the LORD sent His HOLY SPIRIT to indwell all true believers, just as HE promised.
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Joh 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 14:17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 16:4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
John 16:6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 16:10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 16:11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
So the LORD told HIS disciples that it would be better for HIM to leave and for the HOLY SPIRIT to come to indwell them. That is exactly what happened. So the last spring feast inaugurated the transformation of the world.
More later.