Three Thousand Reasons to Believe: From Sinai to Pentecost
The Feast of Weeks, Shavuot (referred to as Pentecost by Christians), is seven Sabbaths plus one day after the Feast of Firstfruits, which is the day many biblical scholars believe Jesus rose from the dead. The term Pentecost comes from the Greek word meaning “fifty.”
In addition to being an agricultural holiday, Shavuot is one of the three biblical feasts of pilgrimage – a feast in which the men of Israel were commanded to go up to Jerusalem to observe.[1]
Traditionally in Judaism, it is taught and believed that the Law was given to Moses on this day. I, myself, had also believed this, but later learned there are conflicting views on this subject.[2]
Even if the Law of Moses was, in fact, not given on the same day as Shavuot, some beautiful truths can still be gleaned from this holiday. We know according to the Scriptures that shortly after Moses was given the Law and the people of Israel affirmed their covenant with God, Moses was called up the mountain to meet with God and receive the commandments written on tablets of stone. After Moses was with the LORD for some time, the LORD told him to go down, for the people of Israel had corrupted themselves and already turned away from His commands. This grave sin – the fashioning of a golden calf and their idolatrous worship of it – resulted in Moses sending the sons of Levi through the camp to kill those involved. The text in Exodus tells us about three thousand men of the people fell that day (33:28).
The Law was a conditional covenant with Israel, promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Paul the Apostle, a former Pharisee, himself, declared the Law to be a tutor to lead us to Messiah that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:23–25). Yes, indeed the Law is holy, but it was never intended to be the means of gaining salvation by our own righteousness. Because of our sinful human condition, the Law exposed our need for a work of grace from God. Scripture speaks of God sprinkling clean water on His people and taking their hearts of stone and replacing them with hearts of flesh, putting His Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:24–27).
The prophet Jeremiah referred to this as a new covenant in Jeremiah 31. The prophet Isaiah declared a special Servant would be given as this new covenant, one who would bring salvation to both the people of Israel and all the nations.[3] This covenant (as with the Law) would come through the sprinkling of sacrificial blood the blood of the Messiah – God’s special Servant (Isaiah chapters 52–53).
God had informed the people of Israel through Moses to circumcise their hearts and obey Him (Deuteronomy 10:16). And yet, knowing they would fail in doing so, He spoke of a future time when He would perform a circumcision of their hearts (Deuteronomy 30:6). Later in a letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul further explains this circumcision is not physical, but spiritual, and is received through faith in the Messiah Jesus (Colossians 2:8–14).
This promise of God’s Law being put in a person’s heart through a new covenant – and His Spirit dwelling in people – first happened on Shavuot in Jerusalem fifty days after many biblical scholars believe that Jesus rose from the dead. On that day, God sent His Spirit in a miraculous way, and the disciples of Jesus began speaking in the languages of the people gathered there – languages they had not previously known! This miracle captured the people’s attention, and Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, then delivered this message to the crowd: the righteousness needed comes through repentance and belief in Jesus. And on that very day, 3,000 people believed and were baptized. These 3,000 people now had new life – in striking contrast to the 3,000 from Israel who died after sinning against the Law given through Moses.
Whether, the Law was given on the exact day of Shavuot as Jewish tradition says, I do not know. But I do know this: on that day, God fulfilled His promise of a New Covenant by pouring out His Spirit and bringing life through the Messiah Jesus. In this, there are 3,000 reasons to believe.
Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah Staff Member
How does the contrast between the 3,000 who died at Sinai and the 3,000 who received life in Acts 2 deepen our understanding of grace?
What does it mean for you personally that God writes His law on hearts rather than stone?
In what ways can believers today live out the reality of having God’s Spirit and a “new heart”?
Endnotes:
[1] To learn more about Shavuot, click HERE. Also see Exodus 23:14-19 and 34:22-24; Leviticus 23:33-43.
[3] Isaiah 49:1-8; 42:1-8.