Topical Bible: The Feast of Pentecost: All Males to Attend

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Feast of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish calendar, alongside Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Sabbath of Passover week, marking the conclusion of the grain harvest and commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The term "Pentecost" derives from the Greek word "Pentēkostē," meaning "fiftieth."

Biblical Foundation

The command for all males to attend the Feast of Pentecost is rooted in the Torah. In Deuteronomy 16:16 , it is written: "Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles." This directive underscores the importance of communal worship and the acknowledgment of God's providence and law.

Historical and Agricultural Significance

Pentecost is intrinsically linked to the agricultural cycle of ancient Israel. It marks the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. Leviticus 23:15-17 provides instructions for the celebration: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the LORD."

Spiritual and Theological Dimensions

The Feast of Pentecost holds profound spiritual significance. It is a time of thanksgiving for the harvest and a celebration of God's provision. Moreover, it commemorates the giving of the Law at Sinai, a pivotal moment in Israel's history when the Israelites entered into a covenant relationship with God. This dual aspect of thanksgiving and covenant renewal is central to the feast's observance.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Pentecost takes on additional significance with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, as recorded in Acts 2:1-4 : "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

This event marks the birth of the Christian Church and the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, as foretold by the prophets and by Jesus Himself. The gathering of Jews from various nations in Jerusalem for the feast provided a unique opportunity for the apostles to proclaim the gospel, resulting in the conversion of about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).

Cultural and Communal Aspects

The requirement for all males to attend the Feast of Pentecost fostered a sense of unity and shared identity among the Israelites. It was a time for families and communities to come together in Jerusalem, offering sacrifices and participating in communal worship. This pilgrimage reinforced the centrality of the Temple and the priesthood in the religious life of Israel.

Contemporary Observance

While the Temple no longer stands, the Feast of Pentecost continues to be observed by Jewish communities worldwide as Shavuot. It remains a time of study, prayer, and reflection on the Torah. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is celebrated as a commemoration of the Holy Spirit's descent and the Church's mission to spread the gospel to all nations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 23:16,17
And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Jesus Living at Nazareth and visiting Jerusalem in his Twelfth ...
... John 2:5.] 41 And his parents [Males were required to ... on the night that he slew all
the firstborn ... The second feast, Pentecost, occurred fifty days later, and ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xvi jesus living at nazareth.htm