It is almost Shavuot again! How blessed are we to be able to celebrate YHVH’s appointed times? YHVH has a purpose with these days, a very special purpose. These appointed times are prophetic and this one, Shavuot, has been fulfilled twice. It is most likely that on this day, many years ago, YHVH gave us His instructions, His Torah at mount Sinai. (According to Ex 19:1, the Torah was given in the third month). Furthermore, on this day, many years after that, He gave His Spirit to indwell us (Acts2:1.)
We have learned, with the previous cycle, that this day is also called the day of proclamation. If you want to learn more about this proclamation, you can read the preceding post, “What are you proclaiming on Shavuot.“ We made our proclamation in Jerusalem last year, near the place where we believe the Temple once stood. You can read more about it at “Trip report – Shavuot- our proclamation.” It was a glorious day to be together with many believers, representing almost every continent on earth. On that day, we repented of our sin and the sins of our fathers. We proclaimed repentance…
So what are we proclaiming this year? We believe that we need to continue in repentance as our ways are not perfect before Him. However, we also need to re-commit ourselves to follow YHVH’s ways. Just like the Israelites did whenever they returned to YHVH. We are to make a commitment to follow YHVH, wherever He might lead us, without compromise.
“All that YHVH has spoken we will do!”
Let us take a step back to the time just before YHVH made a covenant with His people. YHVH led His people out from slavery in Egypt. They traveled and came to Sinai; it was the third month. This is what YHVH spoke to them through Moses:
Exodus 19:4-6
4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings, and brought you to Myself. 5 Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.
How did the Israelites answer to this?
Exodus 19:8
8 All the people answered together and said, All that YHVH has spoken we will do! And Moses brought back the words of the people to YHVH.
Henceforth, YHVH spoke the ten words; the people were afraid and asked that He speaks through Moses instead. He then gave Moses His ordinances and after the words of YHVH were recounted to the people, this was what they said:
Exodus 24:3
3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of YHVH and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words which YHVH has spoken we will do!
Thereafter, Moses wrote down all these words and read it to the people and this was their response:
Exodus 24:7
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, All that YHVH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!
Burnt offerings and peace offerings were made, and the people were sprinkled with the blood. The covenant between YHVH and His people was established. During this process, the Israelites committed, three times, to do all that YHVH has spoken.
On this day YHVH made an oath with Israel
We see Israel making a commitment to be obedient to YHVH. On this day, YHVH swore an oath to the people. He swore that He will establish Israel as holy (set apart) people to Himself IF they keep the commandments and walk in His ways.
Deuteronomy 28:9
9 YHVH will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of YHVH your Elohim and walk in His ways.
YHVH also confirmed the oath He swore to Abraham:
Jeremiah 11:3-5
3 and say to them, Thus says YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your Elohim, 5 in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then I said, Amen, O YHVH.
An oath forms part of a covenant. We see this statement confirmed in the covenant YHVH made with both Noah (Gen 9:11; Isa 54:9) and Abraham (Luk 1:72-73; Heb 6:13.)
Why is this significant?
Israel committed to do all that YHVH has spoken. There are consequences for breaking this commitment and we learn more about this in Leviticus 26. YHVH will not break His oath, it is us that are unfaithful. We, as Israel, His people, did not keep our commitment to do all that YHVH has spoken…It is time for us to return to Him and serve Him only.
Weeks and oaths
Do you know the Hebrew word for “weeks” “sabua” shares the same verbal root with the word used for “oaths” “sebuah?” Due to this fact, there might be a connection between the words. Shavuot is known as the Feast of Weeks (Ex 34:22); “hag sabuot” in Hebrew, and we are commanded to count seven weeks or “sabua.” We are to count from the Feast of First fruits, which takes place during the Feast of Unleavened bread, for seven weeks. The next day, the fiftieth day, is Shavuot (Deut 16:9-10.)
The Hebrew word for “weeks” is “sabua”
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8651 שָׁבוּעַ (šā·ḇûaʿ): n.masc.; ≡ Str 7620; TWOT 2318d—
1. LN 67.177 week, i.e., a time period of seven days (Ge 29:27, 28; Lev 12:5; Dt 16:9; Jer 5:24; Da 10:2, 3+);
2. LN 51 unit: [XAG]שָׁבוּעַ (šā·ḇûaʿ) Feast of Weeks, i.e., a festival celebrating firstfruits of the harvest as a holy convocation (Ex 34:22; Nu 28:26; Dt 16:10, 16; 2Ch 8:13+);
3. LN 60.75–60.78 heptad, i.e., a period of seven units of time (Da 9:24, 25,26, 27+), note: Eze 45:21, read as 86791
This word, with a hey added is the word for oath in Hebrew,
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8652 שְׁבוּעָה (šeḇû·ʿā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 7621; TWOT 2319a—
1. LN 33.286–33.290 sworn oath, vow, i.e., a contractual promise to fulfill an agreement between two parties, with sanctions for unfulfillment, the agreement is of course assumed to be in conformity to truth, yet the oath itself has no particular focus on the truth or falsity of a statement (Ge 24:8; 26:3; Lev 5:4; Dt 30:3[EB 2],11[EB 10],14[EB 13]; Dt 7:8; Jos 2:17, 20; 9:20; Jdg 21:5; 1Sa 14:26; 2Sa 21:7; 1Ki 2:43; 1Ch 16:16; 2Ch 15:15; Ne 6:18; 10:30[EB 29]; Ps 105:9; Ecc 8:2; 9:2; Jer 11:5; Eze 21:28[EB 23]b; Da 9:11+), note: for qal pass. in Eze 21:28[EB 23]a, see 8678;
2. LN 33.463–33.469 swearing truth, i.e., the act. of affirming the truth of a statement, with sanctions for perjury, and a definite focus on the truth or falsity of a statement (Ex 22:10[EB 11]; Zec 8:17+);
3. LN 33.470–33.475 curse, denunciation, i.e., the content of the binding and invoking of divine harm (Nu 5:21; Isa 65:15+), note: for niv text at Hab 3:9, see 86791
Quite interesting, what do you think? Is there a connection there?
It does connect beautifully with the commandment to make a proclamation on this day.
Leviticus 23:21
21 On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
What are we to proclaim?
So what are we to proclaim on this day? We can proclaim just like Israel have All that YHVH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient! With this proclamation, we are to commit or re-commit ourselves to serve YHVH only and to be obedient to Him.
However, we are not to make an oath, as we are taught by Y’shua not to make an oath, but that our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no.
Matthew 5:34-37
34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of Elohim, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, Yes, yes or No, no; anything beyond these is of evil.
James also quoted Y’shua, but take heed of his warning:
James 5:12
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
We are to commit our lives and return to the ancient paths for we have inherited lies, and our foundation is falsehood. This prophecy is being fulfilled in our time:
Jeremiah 16:19
19 O YHVH, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit.
That which we have been taught is proven to be false in many regards. We have been taught to dishonor the Sabbath, changing it to the first day of the week. We also were taught to disregard YHVH’s feast days, instead we keep Christianized feasts inherited from other cultures. Some other practices have also already crept in since we learned this truth like new age, yoga and meditation to give you a few examples. These are the lies we have inherited.
Ezekiel could also be describing the time we are in:
Ezekiel 22:26
26 Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
What are we to do?
We find an answer in Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 44:23-24
23 Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 In a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My sabbaths.
This is a call to every believer in YHVH: Return to YHVH, commit yourself to Him and you will be restored and will fulfill the purpose He has for you!
Jeremiah 15:19-20
19 Therefore, thus says YHVH, If you return, then I will restore you Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. 20 Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you, declares YHVH.
How are we to do this?
We find an example in the book of Kings:
2 Kings 23:2-3
2 The king went up to the house of YHVH and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of YHVH. 3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before YHVH, to walk after YHVH, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
We are not advocating anybody to make a covenant, but we can make the same commitment to YHVH to “to walk after YHVH, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book”
Hereafter followed a process of cleaning out anything connected with idolatry. We can do the same…and we should do the same physically and spiritually.
Be obedient to His instructions and be filled with His Spirit
Furthermore, on Shavuot, the believers received the Holy Spirit. What are the prerequisites for receiving the Spirit of YHVH?
Acts 2:38
38 Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Y’shua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What do you need to repent of? Sin, and sin is the transgression of YHVH’s commandments (1 John 3:4). Do you then return to sinning after that? No, you keep the commandments!
This is confirmed by Acts 5:32
Acts 5:32
32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom Elohim has given to those who obey Him.
Do you want to be filled with YHVH’s Spirit? Repent, turn your back on sin and start walking in His ways. May YHVH fill us anew with His Spirit on this day as we re-commit ourselves to Him to walk in obedience to Him.
What if we won’t?
If we choose the ancient paths, we will find rest for our souls. What are the ancient paths? The ancient paths are the paths that the righteous before us walked, YHVH’s ways. These are the paths Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others walked. They followed the voice and the Word of YHVH. They were obedient. They were fallible human beings, but every time they fell; they went back to the ancient paths.
The ancient paths were also followed by Y’shua. He showed us how to walk it perfectly. Y’shua was our perfect example.
If we choose against it, this is what will happen:
Jeremiah 6:16-19
16 Thus says YHVH, Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it. 17 And I set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen. 18 Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. 19 Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also.
If you still doubt, read this:
Jeremiah 11:2-17
2 Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, Thus says YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your Elohim, 5 in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then I said, Amen, O YHVH.6 And YHVH said to me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your fathers in the day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning persistently, saying, Listen to My voice. 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.
9 Then YHVH said to me, A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.
11 Therefore thus says YHVH, Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
14 Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster. 15 What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice? 16 YHVH called your name, A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form; With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are worthless. 17YHVH of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me by offering up sacrifices to Baal.
This warning was given to YHVH’s people, Israel. We as believers in YHVH are part of His people. This warning is for us too…
We still have time
We still have time, we are to use this time wisely. What are you going to do about this? Are you going to read this and say, no this is not for me, or are you going to heed His call to commit yourself to serve Him?
Y’shua said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”
Matthew 9:37-38
37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech YHVH of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
Conclusion
On Shavuot, we are to make a proclamation. YHVH has called us, are we going to heed His call? What will our answer be? “Hineni,” here I am? Or are we going to think that it is for someone else? Are we prepared to proclaim: All that YHVH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient! Will you? Without compromise?
Here is the prayer of Asaryah, the friend of Daniel, as recorded in the apocryphal additions to the book of Daniel. He prayed this while in the furnace. He and his friends were totally committed to YHVH, unto death and He saved them from the furnace
Maybe we can learn from this?
Song of Three Youths 1-22
1 They walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to Elohim and blessing YHVH. 2 Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud: 3 Blessed are you, O YHVH, Elohim of our ancestors, and worthy of praise; and glorious is your name forever! 4 For you are just in all you have done; all your works are true and your ways right, and all your judgments are true. 5 You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors; by a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. 6 For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you; in all matters we have sinned grievously. 7 We have not obeyed your commandments, we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good. 8 So all that you have brought upon us, and all that you have done to us, you have done by a true judgment. 9 You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. 10 And now we cannot open our mouths; we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach. 11 For your name’s sake do not give us up forever, and do not annul your covenant. 12 Do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham your beloved and for the sake of your servant Isaac and Israel your holy one, 13 to whom you promised to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the shore of the sea. 14 For we, O YHVH, have become fewer than any other nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. 15 In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy. 16 Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted, 17 as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls, or with tens of thousands of fat lambs; such may our sacrifice be in your sight today, and may we unreservedly follow you, for no shame will come to those who trust in you. 18 And now with all our heart we follow you; we fear you and seek your presence. 19 Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your patience and in your abundant mercy. 20 Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works, and bring glory to your name, O YHVH. 21 Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame; let them be disgraced and deprived of all power, and let their strength be broken. 22 Let them know that you alone are YHVH Elohim, glorious over the whole world.2
References
- Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Song Thr 1–37). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers
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