True Shavuot: Christ, the New Torah
Shavuot, or what is known as the Festival of Weeks, began at sundown last night for Jews all over the world. Shavuot is a commemoration of the delivery of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, one of the pivotal events in all of Israel’s history.
During Shavuot, the Ten Commandments are read at synagogues and the readings often include the story of Ruth, who forsook pagan Moab for the one true God, his people, and his covenant.
Shavuot occurs fifty days after Passover and thus is the date for the original Pentecost of the early church in Acts 2. The Old Testament outlines Shavuot originally as the “Feast of Harvest” or “Festival of Weeks”, in which Israel spent time in thanksgiving to God for their first fruits (Leviticus 23:10,14).
The connection between the Jewish OT Shavuot and the Christian NT Pentecost is no accident. Christ, the divine orchestrater of all human events (Rev. 5), meant for us to see Pentecost as a new Shavuot event. Just as the external law descended on a mountain with fire in a shekinah glory-cloud with a roar producing fear and trembling (Exodus 19:16-20, 24:15-18), so too the Law written on the heart descended on an "Upper" room with fire in a shekinah glory-wind with a roar producing amazement and "fear" (Acts 2:1-12,33,37). Pentecost not only duplicated Sinai, but superceded Sinai bringing a greater, permanent glory than the one that was fading away (2 Cor. 3).
But Pentecost as Lawgiving occurred only because the Greatest Law and Lawgiver first had descended on a mountain with the radiance of light "like the sun" in a glory cloud with a voice producing fear and trembling (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3,7, Luke 9:29,34,35). Rather than hearing the commandments and indeed the entire Mosaic Covenant from Moses, the disciples are told to listen to Christ. It is Christ, not Moses, who is the new authority, the new Torah, for the new era that is about to dawn in the cross and resurrection.
Sinai. Transfiguration. Pentecost. The Jews commemorate shavuot because the veil remains (2 Cor. 3:15). They do not see grace and truth in the New Torah (John 1:18). Nor do they realize that to which the Feast of Weeks or the Day of First Fruits has already been made manifest in the One who *is* the First Fruits of a new creation (1 Cor. 15:20,23). May God lift the veil over their hearts to see that the law cannot bring life, nor the Feast of Weeks true sustenance and satisfaction.
That the shekinah morning star has risen in our hearts, shining a lamp in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19), is not of our own excellence, but of His own glory and excellence (2 Pet. 1:3). Pentecost has descended on us as "grace upon grace" (John 1:16, Acts 4:33, Romans 1:5); in giving us life descended from above, the Spirit unites us to Him who is the True Shavuot. -- crb
During Shavuot, the Ten Commandments are read at synagogues and the readings often include the story of Ruth, who forsook pagan Moab for the one true God, his people, and his covenant.
Shavuot occurs fifty days after Passover and thus is the date for the original Pentecost of the early church in Acts 2. The Old Testament outlines Shavuot originally as the “Feast of Harvest” or “Festival of Weeks”, in which Israel spent time in thanksgiving to God for their first fruits (Leviticus 23:10,14).
The connection between the Jewish OT Shavuot and the Christian NT Pentecost is no accident. Christ, the divine orchestrater of all human events (Rev. 5), meant for us to see Pentecost as a new Shavuot event. Just as the external law descended on a mountain with fire in a shekinah glory-cloud with a roar producing fear and trembling (Exodus 19:16-20, 24:15-18), so too the Law written on the heart descended on an "Upper" room with fire in a shekinah glory-wind with a roar producing amazement and "fear" (Acts 2:1-12,33,37). Pentecost not only duplicated Sinai, but superceded Sinai bringing a greater, permanent glory than the one that was fading away (2 Cor. 3).
But Pentecost as Lawgiving occurred only because the Greatest Law and Lawgiver first had descended on a mountain with the radiance of light "like the sun" in a glory cloud with a voice producing fear and trembling (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3,7, Luke 9:29,34,35). Rather than hearing the commandments and indeed the entire Mosaic Covenant from Moses, the disciples are told to listen to Christ. It is Christ, not Moses, who is the new authority, the new Torah, for the new era that is about to dawn in the cross and resurrection.
Sinai. Transfiguration. Pentecost. The Jews commemorate shavuot because the veil remains (2 Cor. 3:15). They do not see grace and truth in the New Torah (John 1:18). Nor do they realize that to which the Feast of Weeks or the Day of First Fruits has already been made manifest in the One who *is* the First Fruits of a new creation (1 Cor. 15:20,23). May God lift the veil over their hearts to see that the law cannot bring life, nor the Feast of Weeks true sustenance and satisfaction.
That the shekinah morning star has risen in our hearts, shining a lamp in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19), is not of our own excellence, but of His own glory and excellence (2 Pet. 1:3). Pentecost has descended on us as "grace upon grace" (John 1:16, Acts 4:33, Romans 1:5); in giving us life descended from above, the Spirit unites us to Him who is the True Shavuot. -- crb
posted by Chad Richard Bresson at 5/23/2007 07:43:00 AM
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