Today we remember the giving of the Holy Spirit to the first believers in the Messiah, Yeshua. It was not on any day that the Holy Spirit was given but on the day of Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) as recorded in Acts 2.
From the Jewish perspective, this holiday of the Feast of Weeks is the conclusion to Passover. God commanded the children of Israel to count seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath of Passover, which would always be the first day of the week or Sunday (Lev. 23:15-21). God commanded the Israelites to bring a grain offering of the first fruits of their grain harvest on this day so it is also called the Festival of First Fruits. This holiday is also called “Matan Torah” or Giving of the Torah because this is the same time that God gave the Torah to Moses (Ex. 19:1).
Today the Jewish people celebrate the feast of Shavuot with joy and stay up all night to study the Torah. The reason that Jews stay up all night studying the Torah is because it is believed that the Israelites over slept on that first day of Shavuot after they came out of Egypt to receive the Torah from God and did not make it up to the mountain. Instead only Moses went up and received the Torah.
It is no coincidence that God chose to give the Holy Spirit on this very same day that the Torah was given to the Israelites. God is gracious and merciful and desires to give good gifts to His children but we must be ready and willing to receive these gifts.
In this past week’s Torah Portion there is a very fitting connection to today’s celebration of the Feast of Weeks and the giving of the Holy Spirit. In Numbers 11 the Israelites are complaining again and Moses, being tired of all of their complaining, reaches the end of his patience. He tells God that he can’t take it anymore and he asks God to take his life. God’s response is truly amazing. He doesn’t argue with Moses or try to reason with him. God simply tells him to gather 70 elders from the people and bring them to the tent of meeting because He will take of the Holy Spirit that is upon Moses and also put it upon them and they will bear the burden of the people with Moses.
In essence, God tells Moses, “Yes, this is too much for you and I will help you. I will pour out my Spirit on 70 more elders and they will serve with you.”
The correlating Scripture from the prophets for this week’s Torah Portion is found in Zechariah 2:10-4:7. In these verses we read, “’Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
In our weakness let us turn to the LORD of hosts and ask Him to fill us afresh with His Holy Spirit!
Have a wonderful day of celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit!
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