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by
Doug Ward |
The Bible introduces the Day of Pentecost as a harvest festival. At the start
of the spring barley harvest in Israel, a sheaf of the firstfruits of that
harvest was waved before God "on the day after the Sabbath," thanking
God for the harvest and dedicating it to him (Lev 23:9-14). Pentecost, also
known as the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest, came seven weeks later at the
beginning of the wheat harvest (Lev 23:15-17; Ex 23:16; 34:22).
Pentecost
falls early in the third month of the biblical calendar, and it came to be
associated with the events that occurred at Mount Sinai during the Exodus,
including the revelation of the Decalogue and the ratification of the Mosaic
covenant. One reason for this association is the reference in Exodus 19:1 to
Israel's arrival at Sinai in the third month. Another is a play on words
between Shavuot, the Hebrew word for Pentecost, and shevuot,
a word for "oath." Israel made covenant oaths at around the time of
Pentecost.1
Covenant
oaths were also made during the fifteenth year of King Asa of Judah (c. 896
BC). Asa had determined to remove idolatry from the land, and he convened an assembly
in the third month for the purpose of rededicating the nation to God. The
people made an oath to seek God in a renewal of the covenant (2 Ch 15:8-15).
Pentecost
is portrayed as a time of divine revelation and covenant renewal in the Book of
Jubilees, a Jewish work from the second century BC. In retelling the narrative
from the books of Genesis and Exodus, Jubilees places the making of the
covenants with Moses, Noah and Abraham (chapters 1, 6, 15) at the time of
Pentecost. It also claims that the material in the book was revealed to Moses
at Sinai.
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Pentecost
Readings |
The themes of thanksgiving for the harvest, divine power and revelation, making
and renewal of covenants, and forsaking idolatry are prominent in the Scripture
readings that became associated with the season of Pentecost. These readings
include the book of Ruth, which is set during a grain harvest; Exodus 19-20,
which describes the great theophany and revelation of the Decalogue at Mount
Sinai; and the prayer of Habakkuk 3, where the prophet recalls God's powerful
presence at Sinai.
Habakkuk's
prayer, in particular, was a source of solace for Jews who suffered under the
domination of pagan empires. When God told Habakkuk that he was sending the
cruel Babylonians to punish the kingdom of Judah, Habakkuk was chagrined. But
when Habakkuk reflected on God's mighty works on behalf of Israel, he saw these
miracles as a basis for firm faith in the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He
concluded, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the
vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields
yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the
stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my
salvation" (Hab 3:17-18).
A
later Targum (Aramaic paraphrase) on this passage expands upon Habakkuk's
affirmation, adding: "For the kingdom of Babel will not endure; it will
not exercise its power over Israel. The kings of the Medes will be killed; the
powerful rulers of Greece will not prosper; the Romans will be destroyed; they
will not gather the remaining bits of Jerusalem."2
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A
Great Harvest |
The imagery and themes of Pentecost figure prominently in the visions described
by the apostle John in the book of Revelation. The day of Pentecost comes at
the end of a count of seven seven-day weeks, and Revelation is full of sevens (Rev 1:4,11,12,13,16,20; 5:1,5,6; 8:2,6; 10:3-4;
12:3; 13:1; 15:1,6-8; 17:1,3,7,9-11; 21:9). The theme of harvest is featured,
with the 144,000 who follow the Lamb described as "firstfruits for God and
the Lamb" (Rev 14:4), while a "harvest of the earth" is imminent
(vv 14-20).
In
describing the salvation and judgment of mankind in terms of a harvest, John is
consistent with other New Testament writers. Jesus, of course, spoke of the
mission field of the world in this way (Mt 9:37-38; 13:30, 39; Jn 4:35). The
resurrection of Jesus, "the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep" (1 Co 15:20), is foreshadowed by the wavesheaf offering of
Leviticus 23:9-14, while Christians belong to a category of firstfruits (Ro
8:23; 11:16; 2 Th 2:13; Jas 1:18) analogous to the offerings of Pentecost (Lev
23:15-21).
John's
visions have many points of contact with the events at Mount Sinai related in
Exodus 19-20. Thunder, lightning, fire, and smoke appear frequently in these
visions (Rev 4:5; 6:1; 8;5; 9:2; 11:19; 14:2; 16:18; 19:6) as they did at Sinai
(Ex 19:19; 20:18). Christians are a kingdom of priests (Rev 1:6; 5:10) with
garments washed white (7:14), in analogy with the Israelites at Sinai (Ex
19:5-6, 14).
The
Pentecost imagery in the Book of Revelation encourages Christians to stand
strong in faith, even in the face of persecution. Washed in the blood of the
Lamb (Rev 7:14) and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), we are called to
walk in covenant faithfulness. We serve the great Creator and Ruler of the
Universe, the one whose voice thundered at Sinai.
As
Habakkuk understood, God is more powerful than any human empire, and we can
place our trust in him. There is nothing to fear from the Beast, and there is a
wonderful reward ahead for those who do not follow this false god (Rev 20:4).
Jesus, "the firstborn of the dead" (Rev 1:5), is the firstfruits of a
tremendous harvest. God, who blessed the harvests of Israel, surely will bring
this harvest to a glorious completion.
1See Daniel F. Stramara, Jr., God's Timetable: The Book of Revelation
and the Feast of Seven Weeks, Pickwick Publications, 2011, Chapter 3.
2Stramara,
chapter 4.
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translated from TEX by TTH,
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On 24 Apr 2023, 12:59.
