Praise יהוה this wonderful day of Shaḇu’ot/ Feast of Weeks/ Pentecost – also known as the ‘Bread Feast’! This is His Feast, which we are commanded to celebrate, and it carries with it great joy and celebration of His Appointed Times and revealed plans for us His people, His Betrothed, aměn! We are, as discussed on erev Shabbat, to REMEMBER THAT WE WERE SLAVES IN MITSRAYIM AND GUARD TO DO ALL HIS TORAH, and we are to REJOICE IN THE FACE OF יהוה!
As we gather here today, a proclaimed set-apart time of worship, let us enjoy this wonderful day together with Him. This is truly a time to celebrate His provision in our lives. As mentioned on our evening Shabbat gathering, Shaḇu’ot means ‘weeks’, and having counted our 7 completed Sabbaths, and now are gathered here on the morrow after the 7th Sabbath, we come to bring a great offering of praise before our Elohim. It is on this day that we are commanded to bring a new grain offering – which is the Hebrew word – מִנְחָה minḥah – Strong’s H4503 and means, ‘a gift, tribute, meal offering, present’:
Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:16 “Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה.”
This ‘minḥah’ does not always require blood, and is most frequently referred to as the ‘grain offering’ which represents the gift being offered, that was prepared by the hands of the one bringing the gift, and given to the High Priest, to present before יהוה, and a remembrance portion was taken from the offering and offered up to יהוה, and the rest was set-apart for the priests only.
At Shaḇu’ot we wave two loaves of bread as the ‘wave offering’ – and this offering of bread is baked with leaven – and this is the ‘Bikkurim’ to יהוה!!! However, no portion of this offering is burnt on the slaughter place for a remembrance offering, for no leaven is burnt in an offering unto יהוה, and this leaven that is in the bread being waved is a picture of the ‘good leaven’ of the Kingdom that has permeated the whole body of Messiah, as the old leaven of sin has been cleansed and washed away!
Luqas/Luke 13:20-21 “And again He said, “To what shall I compare the reign of Elohim? 21 “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.”
This parable teaches us that these three (3) measures of flour that leaven has been hidden in, until all is leavened, is a great picture of the three (3) times a year all men were to go up to Yerushalayim to celebrate the Feasts of יהוה, which collectively would cover all seven (7) Feasts; and this wave offering of the ‘Leavened bread’ at Shaḇu’ot is a clear picture of the establishment of a ‘renewed’ Covenant, sealed in the Blood of Messiah and confirmed by the outpouring of His Spirit, so that the 3 witness together – that is the water, blood and spirit – which can also represent the 3 measures of flour:
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 5: 6-8 “This is the One that came by water and blood: יהושע Messiah, not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the Truth. 7 Because there are three who bear witness: 8 the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. And the three are in agreement.”
In the ancient Hebrew script the word מִנְחָה minḥah is pictured as:
The letters are, from right to left, ‘mem, nun, ḥet, hey’:
The ‘mem’ מִ – is pictured as water;
The ‘nun’ נְ – is pictured as a sprouting seed;
The ‘ḥet’ חָ – is pictured as a tent wall;
They ‘hey’ ה – is pictured as a man with his arms raised.
As we look at this word in the understanding of a gift offering or tribute, we can see how this can represent our joy in bringing our lives daily before our Master and Redeemer, as a daily living sacrifice; for here in the ancient script we can see by this Word the Truth of how:
We, who are immersed in Messiah, and having died to self, are raised to new life in Him to become a part of His body, that is His Tabernacle as pictured by the tent wall, in order to offer up the daily praise due to His Name!!!
The minḥah clearly pictures for us today how we are to be a ‘daily living offering’ and with it being a ‘new’ minḥah, we also recognise that from the Hebrew word for ‘new’ being חָדָשׁ ḥadash – Strong’s H2319 which means, ‘new, new thing, something new’ and in its primitive root form means, ‘to renew, repair, restore’, how we are to be continually reminded, as Sha’ul teaches us in Romiyim/Romans 12:1-2, to offer our lives as a daily living offering and be transformed by the ‘renewing of our minds’.
The word used for ‘wave offering’ is תְּנוּפָה tenuphah – Strong’s H8573 and means, ‘wave offering’, or the offering that was lifted up and waved and presented before יהוה, in a figurative way of giving it or releasing it fully to יהוה; and this carries great significance for us as we too need to realise that our lives are to be lifted up as a wave offering before יהוה; and that includes everything we have, as we lift up our hands in the declaration that all we have is presented to יהוה; and that we now belong to Him, having been bought at a price and betrothed by the Blood of the Lamb; and have been sealed with His Set-Apart Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession!
Qorintiyim Bet/2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “But He who establishes us with you in Messiah and has anointed us is Elohim, 22 who also sealed us, and gave the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
The two loaves of Bread symbolically represent the two Houses of Yehuḏah and Yisra’ĕl being brought together as one in the Hands of our Redeemer, High Priest and King, and it is also symbolic of the two tablets of the witness of the Ten Words, that the entire nation of Yisra’ĕl heard in the Wilderness, which then were written on stone as a witness. With the first two stones having been broken by Mosheh when he came down and saw the perverted worship in the camp, he was required to make two new stones like the first, upon which יהוה would write the 10 Words again. This was a powerful shadow picture of the renewal that we celebrate today, here at Shaḇu’ot! With Yisra’ĕl, a called out, chosen and betrothed Bride, who broke her marriage vows and covenant with יהוה; יהוה was already declaring His promised provision, by Mosheh having to make two stones like the first that יהוה had made and upon which יהוה would once again write His 10 words; prophetically declaring that the very Word of Elohim would be made flesh and come down to be broken for us, taking on the form of the flesh in order to redeem us from the sinful nature, and ‘make new’ the true witness of His Covenant seal and pledge over us, as His called out and chosen Bride in Messiah, who has now made it possible for His Torah to be written upon the fleshly tablets of our hearts by His Spirit through the Blood of Messiah!
This ‘wave offering’ celebrates the promise of renewal or rather the making of a renewed covenant, and the Hebrew word תְּנוּפָה tenuphah in the ancient pictographic script looks like this:
From right to left we have a taw, nun, waw, pey, hey:
The ‘taw’ – תְּ – is pictured as two sticks crossed, and can represent for us ‘seal, covenant, mark or sign’
The ‘nun’ – נ – is pictured as a sprouting seed, and speaks of ‘new life or renewal, rebirth’
The ‘waw’ – וּ – is pictured as a tent peg, which carries the meaning ‘to add, secure, hook’
The ‘pey’ – פָ – is pictured as an open mouth, pictures for us that which is spoken – ‘word’
They ‘hey’ ה – is pictured as a man with his arms raised, and can mean, ‘to reveal, behold, what comes from’.
Therefore we can see that this wave offering of the two loaves is a proclaiming of that which has been renewed, made new, and by these pictures we can see that it declares to us:
“Behold the seal of the covenant that is renewed and secured by the Word who was lifted up and who is to be praised!”
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:31-33 “See, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Yisra’ĕl and with the house of Yehuḏah, 32 not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares יהוה. 33 “For this is the covenant I shall make with the house of Yisra’ĕl after those days, declares יהוה: I shall put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts. And I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.”
These verses are quoted in Iḇ’rim/Hebrew 8, and what we celebrate today is this very promise that has been given by יהוה, our Mighty Elohim – His Torah now on our hearts. At Mount Sinai 3000 died as a result of rebellion and on this day at Mount Tsiyon, and the renewal of the Covenant, sealed by the outpouring of the Spirit, 3000 were added to the number of the body that day – a complete restoration of death to life, that His Word proclaims for us who call upon His Name and guard to do His commands!
This day celebrates our Marriage/Betrothal with our Kinsman Redeemer – יהושע Messiah, and the account of Ruth and Boaz is a very powerful and great shadow picture of us being redeemed and betrothed to the King!
It was around the Feast of Shaḇu’ot that Ruth lay herself at Bo‘az’s feet to ask for his protection, and in the same way we come to the feet of the Messiah, the very Bread of Life, and receive His protection. Bo‘az gave her enough food for her and Na‘omi to see them through until he returned from making arrangements to redeem them together.
This is very symbolic for us, as through יהושע Messiah, Our Redeemer, we are given His Spirit and Word to see us through while He is away making final arrangements for our complete redemption.
Many read the story of Ruth on this day, and I thought that it would be fitting to show you a chart that shows us how Ruth fits into the redemption story:
As we consider the genealogy of Abraham to Dawiḏ, we are able to see the picture of a full redemption, with Ruth coming in and being an integral part of the line of our Master, יהושע Messiah, our Beloved King! There are some similarities between Aḇraham and Ruth, as both left their families to follow יהוה:
Berěshith/Genesis 12:1 “And יהוה said to Aḇram, “Go yourself out of your land, from your relatives and from your father’s house, to a land which I show you.”
Berěshith/Genesis 12:4 “So Aḇram left, as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Aḇram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.”
Ruth 2:11-12 “And Bo’az answered and said to her, “I have been told all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 “יהוה repay your work, and your reward is complete from יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
Both were promised a great reward for their faithful obedience and kindness and so too is it with us, as we remember that we were slaves and have been redeemed to serve, and despite the opposition we may face, we have the full assurance of complete protection and provision in the Master.
Luqas/Luke 18:29-30 “And He said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the reign of Elohim, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come everlasting life.”
As we consider the powerful events that took place on this day – the first Shaḇu’ot after the ascension of Messiah, where the Spirit of Elohim was poured out on those who were gathered for the celebration of Shaḇu’ot and were all with one mind in one place, and they saw tongues of fire and there was a mighty sound from heaven, and the pouring out of His Spirit of promise was made evident by what was witnessed by all who were gathered and as a result.
As a I mentioned earlier, 3000 were added to the body that day, as Kěpha declared to those who asked what they needed to do – to which he responded: “repent and be immersed in the Name of יהושע Messiah for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Set-Apart Spirit” – this promise is to as many as יהוה our Elohim shall call!
This day marks the celebration of this gift that we are able to receive by faith, through the Blood of Messiah, being made one in Him.
Our responsibility as a called out and chosen Bride, is to walk steadfast in being a daily living offering, and offer up our lives as a voluntary sacrifice, giving Him, who has redeemed us, our all in all!
As we enjoy this Bread Feast of Weeks together, may we be reminded of the sure and promised hope of His soon return and hold fast to that which we have been brought near to….!
May we be faithful as a Bride who makes Herself ready – for all of us here have said the ‘I do’ – therefore let us remember our ‘Marriage vows’ and live accordingly as we walk by His Torah/Marriage covenant now written upon the fleshly tablets of our heart, sealed by His very breath – His very Set-apart Spirit.
Waving of the Bread – wave offering!!!
Let us blow the shofar and let us celebrate our marriage with our Messiah, amen!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and give you favour; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you peace!