Banquet With The King: PENTECOST

Prayer ~ May the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts and fill us anew with His holiness just like at that first Pentecost.

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are--Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, "They're just drunk, that's all!" Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o'clock in the morning is much too early for that. ... The sun will become dark, and the moon will name of the LORD will be saved.' ... "God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. Acts 2:1-15, 20-21, 32-33

Meditate on Pentecost.

The people who were gathered together were Jews from all over the world—there in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. ... So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. Acts 2:5, 41.

This festival or feast is based the scripture in Leviticus 23 that describes the Jewish Feasts as given to Moses by God.

You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 'Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 'You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. Leviticus 23:16-19.

Pentecost, also known as Shavuot or Feast of Weeks, is fifty days after Passover. It is a spring festival at the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. This was one of the three festivals or feasts that all Jewish males had to appear before the Lord.

Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Deuteronomy 16:16.

Harvest Time in Israel

So, it isn’t harvest time here in the United States—but it is harvest time in Israel. When we visited Israel in 2007 and 2010 we actually saw modern combines harvesting grain. Since I grew up on a farm, that was very interesting to me. This reaping and gathering the crops was not exactly like in the book of Ruth as she was gleaning in Boaz field. Boaz probably took grain from the first of his harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem. That was the custom of the day.

In this passage today there was no harvest—except a harvest of souls. The Holy Spirit was given to three thousand people when they believed in Jesus as the risen Savior. Peter shared the truth about Jesus—and souls were saved. Have you shared the truth about Jesus with anyone recently? Look for an opportunity—and see if Holy Spirit gives you the words to say…like He did for Peter. You might not reach 3,000 people—but even one will make one more to experience eternal life with God …and with you in Heaven. Hallelujah!

Verse of Salvation ~ Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations. My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm. Isaiah 51:4-5

[God was speaking to the Israelites. He is still promising them salvation.]

Revised, recycled, and reused from the “Banquet With The King” Blog, May 24, 2015.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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PENTECOST

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