According to my best calculations and understanding of the relevant Scriptures, this Sunday (1st day of the week) 16 June 2019 will bring us to Shavuot (Pentecost).
Historically it can be stated with relative authority that the giving of The Torah by YHWH our Elohim at Mt. Sinai, and as recorded for us in Ex. 19 forward was at the time of Shavuot, and of course we have the well know and documented event that occurred in Yerusaliem 10 days after the Ascension of Yeshua (Acts 2).
It is not my intention to go into any deep and serious exegeses regarding this Moed (Lev. 23:15-22), but rather to look at the approach we as individuals should be attempting to achieve during this whole process of counting the 50 day Omar and leading up this Moed.
However we often get caught up in the hurly-burly affairs of this life with all it's trappings and religiosity and forget about the massive importance of Shavuot and the 50 day Counting of The Omar leading up to auspicious Moed.
Looking at Ex. 19:3-11 we are told that YHWH Elohim (The Creator) posed Covenant questions of betrothal to His People, Yisrael, and that they accepted these Covenant proposals and that this pleased YHWH.
We also see in this portion of Scripture that YHWH required that His people be set apart for three days (the third day being Shavuot), so that they, the People, could meet with YHWH - and here we see the deliverance of The Torah, The Written Instructions of YHWH.
Fast forward one and a half Millennia and we arrive at Acts 2 and here we have the outpouring of The Ruach HaKodesh (a visual aid to the fact that we cannot apply The Torah without The Ruach and we cannot have The Ruach without The Torah), but here is what I am wanting to address for this Shavuot if I may:
Shavuot is both a National as well as a personal commitment to YHWH and I think far to often we pass this Marriage Moed off as "something that happened to Yisrael a long time ago" and forego the massive importance that it plays in each of our lives on an individual level every day of our lives for eternity if we claim to be Children of The Most High redeemed through Messiah Yeshua.
Allow me to now refer to the writings penned by a person who was very prominent at this Acts event, an event which turned his entire life and personality upside down - Kephas also referred to as Peter - and for this I turn to 2 Peter 1:2-11. I arrived at this portion of Scripture whilst reading a blog forwarded to me by a Christian Pastor and I suppose that this blog that I am posting and which I shall send to him, is not only for those of the Hebraic persuasion celebrating the Torah understanding and application of The Moed of Shavuot but also a partial answer in reaction to the Christian Pastor's take of this portion of Scripture to which he referred.
We see that Kephas, obviously under the leading of The very Ruach which was poured out on him at the Acts Shavuot writes in his 2 epistle and in Chapter 1 verse 2
Verse 2 - May grace (unmerited favour) and shalom (peace, assurance, provisions, protection, restoration) be yours in full measure, as you come to a full knowledge (Hebraicly a Covenant intimacy - marriage relationship) of Elohim and Yeshua our Adonai.
Verse 3 - Elohim's power (dunamis - power, force (dynamite) has given us everything we need for life and goodness, through our knowing (Hebraicly a Covenant intimacy - marriage relationship) the One who called (kaleao - carries the meaning of both inviting and summoning) us to His own glory and goodness.
Verse 4 - By these (the grace, shalom) He has given us valuable and superlatively great promises (power and knowledge through Yeshua), so that through them you might come to share in Elohim's nature (begin in our own nature and lives to walk and live without sin - breaking Torah) and escape the corruption which evil desires have brought into the world.
Verse 5- For this very reason (having been given Grace and Shalom leading to Power and Knowledge), try your hardest to furnish (support and nourish) your faith (pisitis - Covenant Fidelity / Covenant (Torah) Application) with goodness (strength or valour, virtue and praise), goodness with knowledge (Hebraicly a Covenant intimacy - marriage relationship),
Verse 6 - knowledge with self-control (continual and masterful temperance), self-control with perseverance (patience, endurance), perseverance with godliness (devotion, dedication, sincerity, faithfully),
Verse 7 - godliness with brotherly affection (kindness, affection), brotherly affection with LOVE (G26 - Agape LOVE, Divine Love from YHWH Elohim).
Verse 8 - For if you have these qualities in abundance, they keep you from being barren and unfruitful (See Gal. 5:22-23) in the knowledge of our Messiah Yeshua. (Hebraicly a Covenant intimacy - marriage relationship)
Verse 9 - Indeed whoever lacks them (these fruit beginning with FAITH pisitis - Covenant Fidelity / Covenant (Torah) Application) is blind, so shortsighted that he forgets that his past sins have been washed away.
Verse 10 - Therefore, brothers, try even harder to make your being called and chosen a certainty. For if you keep doing this (applying verses 2-7 above in FAITH), YOU WILL NEVER STUMBLE.
Verse 11 - Thus you will be generously supplied with everything you need to enter The Eternal Kingdom (See Mat. 6:33) of our Master and Deliver, Yeshua the Messiah.
We see the development of a pattern in the verses above which begins with GRACE and end with G26 Divine Agape LOVE and in between we see certain fruit of The Ruach, but what is required from us initially is to attempt with all our heart, our soul and our might to bolster FAITH - the application and commitment to His Torah, Commandments (John 14:15-17).
The entire process is began with YHWH and ends with YHWH
Are we trying to really work our salvation out with fear and trembling?
Are we truly seeking Him with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our might as He leads us into our daily lives and their accompanying circumstances?
I cannot talk for anybody else, but I can certainly say that in my life I see the Leading of YHWH my Shepherd so very clearly every single day, and this leading has reached climaxes during these last 50 days that I for one would never have invited into my life, but which He has allowed in order to get me shedding much of myself off so that I, on this Shavuot, can stand before Him as He has led me in His Paths of Righteousness
So yes we are required to live this life as described above each and every day of our existence here in the world until Yeshua's return; but in His Love (G26) and especially now in these times of global uncertainty, moral and social decline, financial woes, wars and so on and so forth when the pressure is piled onto us more and more each day, YHWH in His Mercy and Grace through Yeshua makes special provisions with moedim such as Shavuot and the counting of The Omar to assist us in practicing these applications given by HIM through Yeshua through the ordination of these special times/appointments, appointments and times in which HE COMES TO VISIT AND EMPOWER HIS OWN. So let us welcome Him and not forget His Covenant promises to us, on this His Covenant Day and let us seek our stability, peace and joy in Him as nothing in our normal lives and society will protect and fulfill us in the coming and ever worsening times.
Let us look intently into The Word of YHWH as our Shabbat and Shavuot approach and not forget what we have seen!
May you have a blessed Shavuot and Shabbat Shalom.
Bo'az
