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First Pentecost

In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.  When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.  Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:  ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself.  Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” 

Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.   All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh.  Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.  Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready against the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.  

You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”  Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.  He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”  On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.  

Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.  All of Mount Sinai smoked, because Yahweh descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.  When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.  Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.  Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.  Let the priests also, who come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, lest Yahweh break out on them.”  Moses said to Yahweh, “The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.’”  Yahweh said to him, “Go down! You shall bring Aaron up with you, but don’t let the priests and the people break through to come up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.”  So Moses went down to the people, and told them. Exodus 19:1-25

“‘You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed: even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh.  You shall bring out of your habitations two loaves of bread for a wave offering made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They shall be baked with yeast, for first fruits to Yahweh.  You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet aroma to Yahweh.  You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings.  The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before Yahweh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest.  You shall make proclamation on the same day: there shall be a holy convocation to you; you shall do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.  “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.’”  Leviticus 23:15-22

Feast of Weeks 

Feast of the Fiftieth Day

Fiftieth

Feast of Harvest

Shavout

Feast of the Conclusions

The Season of the Giving of our Law

Feast of the Revelation

Abraham’s renewal of the covenant

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.  Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. 

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.  When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.  They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?  How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?  Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”   

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.  For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.  But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:  ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.  I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.  It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 

For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.  Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; because you will not leave my soul in Hades,neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.  You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

“Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades, and his flesh didn’t see decay.  This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.  For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’  “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”  With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.  Acts 2:1-41

“Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. Acts 3:17-21

“Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in Yahweh, your God; for he gives you the former rain in just measure, and he causes the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain, as before.  The threshing floors will be full of wheat, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.  I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you.  You will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied, and will praise the name of Yahweh, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people will never again be disappointed.  You will know that I am among Israel, and that I am Yahweh, your God, and there is no one else; and my people will never again be disappointed. “It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.  And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.   I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.  It will happen that whoever will call on Yahweh’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.  Joel 2:23-32

Let’s acknowledge Yahweh. Let’s press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”  Hosea 6:3

Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.  Then justice will dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places.  Isaiah 32:15-17a 6:3