What Is the Feast of Weeks and Should We Still Celebrate it Today?
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What is the Feast of Weeks? What is its history and does it have relevance for Christians today? Is the Feast of Weeks only for Jews or is there a message in this celebration for those who follow Jesus? And what is the relationship between the Feast of Weeks and Pentecost?
Where Is the Feast of Weeks Mentioned in the Bible?
We don’t make enough of the fact that the God we follow wove rest, celebration, and feasts into the lives of His people. Some people report hearing unpleasant rumors about God in the Old Testament. Let me assure you, God is recognizable from the Old Testament to the New. When we read the Law and the Prophets, we see the God we know, full of love and compassion. That is especially displayed in the feasts He ordained for the Israelites to observe. He instructs His people to rest, gather, feast, and celebrate at least three times a year.
In Exodus 34:21-24 ESV, God told Moses, “'Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.’”
So, the Feast of Weeks was one of the three times all males were to gather in Jerusalem. Here in Exodus, God promises to protect their land while they gather so they can celebrate in peace.
According to Leviticus 23:16, the feast was to occur 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. Since it occurs 50 days later, it is also known as Pentecost. According to Dr. Ray Pritchard, “It is mentioned in five places in the first five books — in Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16. 'Pentecost', the Greek name of this event, is also used to refer to the events in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit intervened following Jesus' ascension to heaven.”
What Were the Rituals and Traditions of the Feast?
The initial ritual for the Feast of Weeks is the counting of the days, which, according to Chosen People Ministries, is called “In Judaism, the period of 'counting the days' from Passover until Shavuot according to the Lord’s command (Leviticus 23:15) is called 'Counting the Omer.' It comes from the ancient practice of offering an omer (about two dry quarts) of barley to the Lord on the second day of Passover.”
Other traditions include wave offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, drink offerings, and a food offering “with a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:18 ESV). Further offerings included the sin offering and peace offerings waved with the bread of the firstfruits and a freewill offering. During the Feast of Weeks, the people were also to rest.
Jews and Christians alike traditionally read the book of Ruth at the Feast of Weeks. It is in association with this feast that God issued instructions about gleaning. “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” (Leviticus 23:22). Ruth’s story occurred at harvest, and gleaning is central to her beginning her relationship with Boaz and is the opening act to a story of redemption and rest, so it has become linked with this feast.
What Are Other Names for the Feast of Weeks?
Many Jews know this feast as Shavuot, which is the Hebrew word for weeks. Other names by which this feast is known in Scripture are the day of first fruits (Numbers 28:26 “On the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a grain offering of new grain to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work”) and the Feast of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16, “You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field.”). And, as previously mentioned, it also became known as Pentecost.
How Did Pentecost Fulfill the Purpose of the Feast of Weeks?
Jesus’s death and resurrection were associated with Passover, and the birth of the church, initiated by the arrival of the Holy Spirit, occurred on Pentecost. This is a beautiful connection because this was the first harvest of believers who were the “first fruits” of the new church.
The apostles waited with other followers in the upper room as Jesus had instructed. The Holy Spirit fell upon them and the sound of their voices is described in Acts 2:4-6 ESV, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
Peter then delivered a powerful sermon and many of those who heard his words were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). Peter told them to “‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ With many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation’” (Acts 2:38-40). Three thousand souls were baptized and added to the number of followers of Jesus Christ that day. It was, indeed, a rich harvest that didn’t end there and continues to this day.
Should Christians Celebrate the Feast of Weeks Today?
Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets so we are free to follow Him alone. We are not obligated to engage in the feasts and traditions of the Old Testament, although we are wise to study them and understand what God reveals about Himself through them.
Most Christians pause yearly to observe Pentecost and thank God for sending His Holy Spirit to us. While this historical event took place nearly 2,000 years ago now, the Holy Spirit continues to be active in countless ways in the world (convicting of sin) and in the life of the church (empowering believers, providing comfort, guidance, and distributing spiritual gifts).
The day of Pentecost brought the first fruits, but the harvest continues. In concert with the Holy Spirit, we can honor Pentecost daily by boldly proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ, praying for unsaved hearts to become fertile soil for the Word of God planted in them, and for God to continue to draw people to Jesus Christ.
God is love and He has been love from the beginning. Rather than listen to rumors or misunderstandings of the Old Testament, we would be wise to read it for ourselves. Are there challenging passages? Yes. But there are also many wise teachers available to us who can help us understand their significance.
Let the Feast of Weeks be a reminder that our God, from the Old Testament to the New, desires a relationship with us and wants to provide us with rest from our labors. He calls us to a wonderful feast at His own table. Jesus proclaimed, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).
The next time someone tells you the “God of the Old Testament” was harsh or somehow different than Jesus, tell them He is the God of love who wove rest, celebration, and the joy of feasts into the lives of His people.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Andrey Iudin
