Shalom! Today we are celebrating Shavuot; the Remembrance of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, during the Old Covenant, and the Remembrance of the Giving of the Spirit, (Ha Ruach) at Pentecost, during the Renewed Covenant, (The New Testament).
In the Old Testament, The Torah was given to the Israelites after the Exodus from Egypt and the land of sin and slavery. G-d made a covenant with his people, there at Mount Sinai, through His prophet, Moshe, (Moses).
The Ten Commandments also known as the Decalogue, were spoken to the people from the mouth of G-d and written on tablets of stones by His own finger, infering the Divinity, Sovereignty and Infinite Nature of the Laws. (Exodus 19-20)
Later in History, Y'shua, the Son of G-d, (YHVH) came to Earth to bridge a gap between a Holy G-d and sinful man. Y'shua died on the stake as the righteous sacrifice for anyone who would confess that they have sinned and fallen short of G-d's perfect standards, and accept the acquital through Y'shua's death and resurrection, the Way back to G-d. (Yochanan/John 3:16)
Y'shua promised that after He completed the work the Father gave Him, He would return to Heaven, but would not leave us alone; that He would send another Comforter; Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit. And He did just that. (John 14:15-26 and 16:7-15)
Y'shua ascended to Heaven 40 days after His Resurrection. He told the Apostles to wait in the upper room for 10 days, and He would send Ruach Ha Kodesh. On the day of Shavuot, the Holy Spirit ascended upon the Apostles while in Jerusalem and they all spoke in different languages. 3,000 people were saved and believed the Gospel. (Acts 2)
Today, the Holy Spirit is with all believers in Y'shua as He was with the Apostles. He is the Comforter, Who will never leave you alone. To learn more about Ruach Ha Kodesh, visit
Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit
Another key point of today is that Shavuot is based on G-d's Holy Calendar, a lunar calendar, which has been entrusted to the Jewish people, (Israel). Today, the Gregorian Calendar, which is a solar calendar, is widely used amongst the nations. So how do we know when to celebrated G-d's Holy Days?
Gen 1:14 ¶ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. Gen 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Gen 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Here we can see a few things: 1. On the fourth day of creation, G-d created the sun and the moon and the stars. 2.G-d created these lights for signs, seasons, days and years. Thus G-d was giving us our calendar.
3.We can also see that G-d's day does not start at 6am or 12am; rather it begins from sunset to sunset. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day....shows that the beginning of the day is the evening, not the morning.
The Jewish Lunar Calendar is the most accurate calendar that represents G-d's appointed days. The moon was given to govern the new month. Here are some scriptures that point to this fact.
Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Psa 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Eze 46:1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon, (new month), it shall be opened.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
Since most calendars follow the solar Gregorian Calendar, in order to observe the Feast Days of G-d, you will need a converter.
For a Messianic Jewish/ G-d's Calendar, click
here
Calendar is from the
Messianic World Site
As you spend this Shavuot with our Blessed L-rd and Creator, may He richly bless you with His Presence, Goodness and Favor. May you come to know Him, love Him and honor Him as He so much deserves.
Shalom B'Shem Adoneinu Y'shua Ha Moshiach, (Peace unto you in the Name of our L-rd Y'shua Messiah)
Bo Ruach Elohim, Come, Holy Spirit of G-d
Today's Lesson: Deborah is mentioned in the Book of Judges (Judges 4&5). She was just one of the few prophetess mentioned in the Scriptures. She also held the office of judge. During the time of Israel's captivity by the Caananites, Deborah was raised up by G-d, for Israel's deliverance. She had strong faith in G-d. Where no man was willing to go, she was. She, along with Barak, gathered an army to fight against the Caananites and won victory for Israel. But Deborah received the recognition for the victory, not Barak. She was known as the real leader of Israel, because of her great faith in G-d
