The Festivals of God - Pt 4

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4 ESV). Pentecost was known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Harvest. It was a name that reflected the fact that this day marked the end of the spring grain harvests in the Holy Land. Though this was the end of the barley and wheat harvests, farmers still looked ahead to the large fall harvests. “Pentecost” is a name related to how this festival was counted. Instead of being on a fixed day on the Hebrew calendar each year as the other festivals are, it is counted starting with the Sunday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven weeks were counted to the 50th day, another Sunday. This explains the names "Feast of Weeks," or "Pentecost," which is from a Greek word for 50th. The key to understanding the fulfillment of this feast in Christ is in the word “first-fruit.” The spring harvests were always a sign of things to come. They signaled the beginning of the long harvest season. As is true for us today, we harvest in spring, summer, and fall. By celebrating at the beginning of the harvest season they were signaling their faith in a good harvest at the end of the season also. We ought to connect the “first-fruit” of Jesus’ resurrection with the coming of the Holy Spirit as he is our guarantee for our own resurrection. This is the source of our hope for this life. Here’s Matthew Henry’s explanation: All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life. And if all their hopes in Christ lie within the compass of this life, they are in a much worse condition than the rest of humanity, especially at that time and under those conditions in which the apostles wrote, for then they were hated and persecuted by all people. Preachers and believers therefore have a hard lot if in this life only they have hope in Christ. Better to be anything than a Christian under these terms! It is a gross absurdity in a Christian to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst in the world. Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are tasteless to him in a great degree, and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are those which he pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better! Early, God was teaching through this feast in the Old Covenant. This life was never intended to be the final word. Our final word came through the resurrection of Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit a small taste of the glory of that great day!