The Jewish holiday of Shavuot—the Feast of Weeks—is also known in Greek as Pentecost. It’s a holiday celebrated with Bible study.

Deuteronomy 26:1–2
When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.

Exodus 23:16
Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your crops from your fields.

Shavuot, meaning “weeks” in Hebrew, marks seven weeks since the holiday of Passover. It also commemorates the day that the Torah—the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)—was given to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai.

The highlight of Shavuot was the bringing of the “firstfruits” as an offering to God of the produce of the land, being the first and best of the crops, given in thankful acknowledgment of God’s abundant blessings. It’s a time to celebrate how God provides physical sustenance in the harvest and spiritual salvation in his revelation — the Bible.

Ponder what it means to be thankful for God’s provision for you when you sign up to receive the brief 5-day free email devotional by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, The Feast of Weeks. Also included in each day’s devotional is a different Hebrew word-of-the-day; a fun way to learn five new Hebrew concepts.

Cover image: International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

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