The Day of PentecostThe Hour of Our Blessing!
May 1, 2007
A Holy Appointment
The barley wave offering marks the beginning of a seven week count to Pentecost, forty nine days of counting the Omer beginning with the day after Passover and ending with Pentecost. It ushers in a concentrated period of joyful anticipation of a visitation by God. Jewish tradition says it took seven weeks for the Israelites to reach Mount Sinai. The Israelites departed Egypt on the fifteenth of Nissan (the first day of Passover); on the sixth of Sivan, which most Jews have celebrated ever since as the feast of Weeks (Heb. Shavuot), they assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai and received The Commandments from God. It is customary during this time to count the Omer i.e. to verbally number the forty nine days from the waving of the sheaf unto the fiftieth day (Grk. Pentecost). This is done by reciting: “Today is one day to the Omer” “Today is two days to the Omer” “Today is day three to the Omer” and so on, until ̶Today is forty-nine days, which are seven weeks to the Omer”.
Most of what you hear and read about God's holy festivals will opine about what God has done in the past or what God will do for his people in the future. God forbid that I should trivialize any of his mighty deeds past, present or future. God gave each of his holy convocations to teach his people about him and his relationship to them. Yet there is a greater significance to these special times of which none exemplifies this significance more vividly than Pentecost. It is important to note at this juncture that the word feasts or festivals are in Hebrew “Moedim” (plural of Moed, Strong's H4150) which means appointment or appointed time. God's festivals are set times rather yet appointments that God has calendared to meet with His people.
As though it were not enough simply to celebrate the mighty acts of God, there is something deeper in all of this. If we look at the book of Job we see where the Sons of God were to present themselves before God and give an account of their actions.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”(Job 1:6-7KJV) “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” (Job 2:1-2KJV)
We see twice in The Book of Job where God has a heavenly convocation with his sons. I don't believe I am taking too great a liberty to say that as it is with God's sons in heaven so it is with his sons on earth. One can help but notice the striking similarity in the call for all males to appear before him three times in the year.
“Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” (Exodus 23:14-17KJV) “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:” (Deut. 16:16KJV)
You can rest assure that anything God does is not for himself, our God is not a narcissist nor does he need anything from any of his creation. Everything God does is for the benefit of his people.
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” (Deut. 10:12-14KJV) “The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1KJV) “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” (Psalms 50:7-12KJV)
So then all that God demands and require of his people has deeper implications then many of our ritualistic approaches suggest. His holy festivals are no exception. There is no doubt Gods holy appointments are to teach us to remember the many things that God has done for his people in the past and his plan for saving as many as would be saved in the future. However, there are a couple of things going on with Gods holy appointments one procedural and the other spiritual. These are not simply memorials whose sole purpose is to satisfy some narcissistic craving of God to be worshipped. “Were talking spiritual here”, for these things are spiritually discerned. Gods holy festivals, the weekly Sabbath included, are appointments with God; set by God for his people to meet him at the place he has chosen. This meeting takes place at the altar of God which is before the throne of grace.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.” (Exd. 20:22-24KJV)
“Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.” (2 Chr. 8:12-13KJV)
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb.4:16KJV)
Why has God called this holy assembly? Why gather his people in such a fashion? The answer is a simple one. God wants to bless you with His own hand. What a wonderful thought! Think about that for a moment. You have an appointment with the God of all creation ... the God Who sits on the heavenly throne ... the God Who has all power and authority in the universe ... the God Who is Perfect and Holy! Wouldnt you like to have God's blessing upon everything you do? It is safe to say any God fearing person wants to be blessed by God. What then must I do to receive Gods blessing? Again the answer is a simple one. Keep your appointment with him! Think about it, when we arrange an appointment with our doctor, our mechanic or anyone for that matter who specializes in the particular help we are seeking at the time, we are anxious to keep our appointments. God specializes in all we could ask or think and wants to anoint you with the oil of heaven and speak prosperity, good health, peace and well being upon your life.
Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the one hundred and twenty gathered in the upper room. It is a vivid expression and example of what God uses his holydays for, days of blessings and anointing. It was no coincidence that the disciples were blessed with the Holy Spirit on Shavuot. God simply pulled back the veil from our eyes and let us see the true design for his holydays; days set apart to bless his people. The one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father which is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They were not to do anything until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We too aught not do anything until we receive the blessing that God evokes upon us during holyday. So then with great anticipation we as Christians count the days to the Omer. With great anticipation we count the days to our appointment with God. A day of blessings a day to spend time with The God of the Universe! We rejoice and thank him for the many wondrous and great things he has done in our lives as we anxiously await his appearance in the assembly. The hour of our blessing!