The Feast of weeks (Pentecost)
✅ Introduction
📖 Leviticus 23:15-22 (KJV) And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. 17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. 18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. 19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
The Feast of Weeks was to be counted from the Sabbath following the firstfruits offering—seven full Sabbaths, or forty-nine days, plus one more day, making fifty in total (Leviticus 23:15–16). On that fiftieth day, which was to be a holy convocation, no work was permitted, for it was a Sabbath of rest. The very name Pentecost comes from the Greek pentēkostē, meaning “fiftieth.” On this feast, Israel was commanded to present two loaves of leavened bread along with the sacrifice of two lambs (Leviticus 23:17–20). Many see in this a picture of the two peoples Jews and Gentiles being united in Christ.
📖 Ephesians 2:13-18 (KJV) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Unlike other feasts with fixed calendar dates, Pentecost had no set day; rather, it was determined by counting the seven Sabbaths after Passover.
✅ Significance of the feast
The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, is celebrated 50 days after Passover, while the Year of Jubilee came every 50 years. Both share the theme of freedom, restoration, and new beginnings. At Jubilee, debts were forgiven, slaves set free, and land restored (Leviticus 25:10–13).
📖 Leviticus 25:10-13 (KJV) And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.
Like that of the Jubilee, the meaning of Pentecost was to give a new beginning to Israel first then to the rest of us as the prophet foretold in Jeremiah…
📖 Jeremiah 31:31-34 (KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This is speaking about a new covenant given to Israel since they couldn’t keep the first covenant which made them in bondage.
📖 Galatians 4:21-26 (KJV) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Although this covenant was given to Israel to begin with, it was really about God using Israel to reach the rest of the world through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If you think about it, the New Testament Church started with the Jews, and from them came the outreach to the Gentiles. So don’t get confused about this prophecy.
✅ Fulfillment at Pentecost
At the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, this is during the feast of weeks because this happens 50 days after Jesus arose from the grave. During this event the Holy Spirit was poured upon all the disciples
📖 Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
📌 Jesus had spoken about the pouring of the Spirit.
📖 Acts 1:4-8 (KJV) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
📖 John 16:7 (KJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
This was the start to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, through this they were also empowered by the Spirit to do miracles to win people to Christ, as we saw in Acts 2:41
📖 Acts 2:41 (KJV) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
✅ Spiritual Lessons for Today
God had brought the Israelites back to there rightful mission to reach the world with the Gospel, through the help of the Holy Spirit, and to this day we still have that same goal, as we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for the reason to reach the lost.
📖 Matthew 9:37-38 (KJV) Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
We need to believe that we have this duty in order for the Holy Spirit to use us as mentioned in Acts 1:8…
📖 Acts 1:8 (KJV) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Also this day of Pentecost freed us from the Law…
📖 Romans 7:6 (KJV) But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
This does not mean the Law has no place in the New Testament, for the moral commands of God remain relevant and binding as a reflection of His holiness. What has changed is the physical priesthood of the Levites, which has now been fulfilled spiritually in Christ, our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 7:11–12). Along with this change, the temple ordinances, sacrifices, and feast days have all been fulfilled in Him, serving as shadows that pointed to the substance Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:16–17; Hebrews 10:1).
✅ Conclusion
The Feast of Weeks points us to Christ’s gift of the Spirit, the birth of the Church, and the harvest of souls.
God’s calendar shows us the order of redemption:
Christ crucified (Passover).
Buried & sin removed (Unleavened Bread).
Raised (Firstfruits).
Spirit given (Pentecost).
Application: Just as Pentecost empowered the early Church, so must we live daily filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), ready for the final harvest.
