Warm hellos to you dear brethren, co-workers, and spiritual family on the Coast of the Gulf of Mexico and scattered children of God, from our offices here in Spanish Fort.

My wife sends me quotes every so often that I often find to be thought provoking and appreciate. One such quote recently brought some thoughts to mind.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” –Socrates

In addition to that quote, I can’t help but think about how quickly the Feast of Unleavened Bread has come and gone! We are now in the countdown to Pentecost. While most of the citizens of the United States are focusing on or counting down when the “stay at home orders” will be lifted, I hope more importantly we are looking forward to the upcoming Day of Pentecost and what God revealed about its significance.

That countdown to me every year, as we continue on with God’s plan, is energizing and encouraging! We need God’s Spirit to be able to successfully build and become a “new creation, or creature”. Yes, we must continue to acknowledge our sins and repent of them, but we must look forward on what Christ is doing IN us.

The name Pentecost is found three times in the Greek Scriptures translated from pentekoste meaning “the fiftieth day” according to the Online Bible Greek Lexicon. The Hebrew Scriptures label this day as the “Feast of Weeks” in five different passages beginning with Exodus 34:22.

Most of us realize that there is much controversy concerning how to properly count the days and weeks to arrive at the correct date for Pentecost. Most of the Jewish community observes the Feast of Weeks on a fixed day of the Hebrew calendar month, Sivan 6. The Rabbinical method of counting begins with day after Nisan 15, the first annual Sabbath. The first day of the count for them is a fixed day of the first month, Nisan 16. Because the length of Nisan is fixed at 30 days, the second month Iyar is fixed at 29 days and Sivan is fixed at 30 days, Pentecost always falls on the same day of the third month or on Sivan 6. The Jewish Karaites begin the count with the first day of the week as day one of the count to 50.

So, let’s examine the instructions in the Pentateuch. The count is related to determining when what is termed the “wave sheaf” was offered. “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.  He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Le 23:10-11)

There’s no mention above of the month or day of the month when this ceremony was to take place. What is stated is that the wave sheaf ceremony could not be done until Israel entered the land of Canaan. The Hebrew word translated “Sabbath” in verse 11 is shabbath (Strong’s 07676). This word shabbath is introduced at the beginning of the chapter. “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. . .” (Lev 23:3) The first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are described as holy convocations (v.7-8) but the word “Sabbath” is not specifically applied to them. This makes it clear that the word “Sabbath” should be interpreted consistently from Leviticus 1-22 as the seventh day of the week or as the weekly Sabbath.

Therefore the day of the week on which the “sheaf of the first fruits” was offered is the day after the weekly Sabbath, or the first day of the week that we name Sunday on the Roman calendar.

The next question that often arises is how does one determine when this Sunday takes place on the Hebrew calendar? There’s no month or day of the month mentioned in connection with this ceremony. I hope to visit and explore this next week in our study and discussion of God’s Word…

Well, as I closed last Friday in my letter, “Let us live each day, removing sin, by and allowing Christ to live in us, which must continue to be our focus, and in spite of all we see in this world right now, we must not take our mind or thoughts off of God and His plan and promises!”

Arms up friends! Our prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Please do pray for us as well.