Stay Salty | The Beauty of Shavuot

What does the Book of Ruth have to do with this Weekend?

Starting this Sunday night, June 1, 2025 is the beginning of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, commanded by God in Leviticus 23:15-22. Shavuot or Pentecost always starts fifty days from Passover.

It is the time when Moses first received the Word of God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-18) and 1500 years later, on the same day, when the Holy Spirit was poured upon the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) recounted in Acts 2:1-38. The Holy Word and the Holy Spirit together is powerful. It is the fulfillment of Romans 8:2 - "For the Law of the Spirit of life has made me free from the Law of sin and death." We are now participants with the Law of God guided by His Holy Spirit. We can live out His Word because it is now written on our hearts by His Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 31:31-33, "Behold the days come, says Yahovah, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt (Passover) which covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the LORD Yahovah. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; after those days, says the LORD I will put My LAW in their mind and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people."

This promise of writing the Law, the Word of God on our hearts, so we know it and continue to want to know more and more is also repeated in Ezekiel 36:25-30 and Hebrews 8:10-13.

Without the Holy Spirit outpour, no one can keep God's Word. We fail without being changed by His Holy Spirit and being made completely brand new, even to our DNA, rewritten (2 Corinthians 5:17). After Pentecost, Shavuot, the Jewish disciples of Jesus (Yeshua) were made brand new and then God commanded to Peter through a vision in Acts 10:1-27) to take the message to the Gentiles (all of the other nations).

Cornelius and his family are the first Gentiles to receive the Holy Spirit after Peter (a Jewish disciple) obeys and takes the message to them (Acts 10:28-48). Thus begins the next 2000 years to bring in the harvest of the Gentiles through the obedience of our Jewish brothers and sisters. So harvest of barley (Jews) and harvest of wheat (Gentiles). The past 2000 years were so we can be together as One (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Passover in the spring is the Engagement proposal.. Shavuot in the late spring/early summer is the Wedding. And the Feasts of Tabernacles in the fall symbolizes the Wedding Reception/Feast. All of these feasts are given in Leviticus 23 to tell a story. Truly, the Word of God is a Love Story (sadly that needs to be defended through bitter War).

Stay salty - we should always be learning new things from the Word of God. In our humility, the Holy Spirit will teach us more and more, together.

Happy Shavuot friends!

Something you can do to celebrate Sunday night, Monday, Tuesday: Read the Book of Ruth. All around the world at this time, the Book of Ruth is read together in families, congregations, or in time alone with God. Ruth harvested barley and wheat - the great harvest of Jews and Gentiles together, as the Bride of Yeshua! There is Much more - but this is a good beginning...

Stay salty!

We are brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17)!

(Picture of Salt Sea in Israel). We floated in this Sea two times on our trips to Israel in 2018 and 2022! So fun to float upon the water.