Throughout the Old Testament, we find several Jewish holidays which included solemn feasts that all Jewish males were required to attend each year in Jerusalem. The one we’re interested in in this study is the ‘Feast of Weeks’, which was the second of these events, Exodus 34:22-23.
The Festival of Weeks, Exodus 34:22, took place seven full weeks, or the fiftieth day, following the Feast of First Fruits and it was also known as Pentecost, meaning fifty, Leviticus 23:15. It would also take place on the first day of the week, Leviticus 23:16. The Feast of Weeks commemorated the first fruits of the wheat harvest, which was basically a celebration of God’s provision.
As one of the harvest feasts, God’s people were instructed to present grain offerings to the Lord, Leviticus 23:1-19. Several offerings were to be made on this day, a grain offering of two loaves of bread, but these loaves were to be baked with leaven Leviticus 23:16-17. A burnt offering of seven lambs of the first year, a bull, two rams, Leviticus 23:18-19 / Numbers 28:27-30.
The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits and they are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest, Leviticus 23:20. Note the drink offering also is to be made, Leviticus 23:18 / Leviticus 23:13 / Leviticus 23:37 / Exodus 29:40. We also see God’s care for the poor and the foreigners during this period, Leviticus 23:22.
Its distinguishing feature was the offering of ‘two leavened loaves’ made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering.
The feast of weeks is the feast of harvest, whilst the feast of firstfruits begins at the start of the harvest, the feast of weeks begins at the end of the harvest. This feast was a time of celebration as they thanked God for providing the harvest in the first place.
Israel was to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work, Leviticus 23:21 / Leviticus 23:7-8 / Leviticus 23:25 / Leviticus 23:35-36, and this was to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever they live, Leviticus 25:21.
Notice again that God always takes care of the poor, and anyone travelling through the land, was to leave the grain which stood in the corners of the fields for those people, Leviticus 25:22 / Leviticus 19:9-10. However, if anyone who was poor received any food, they had to do work in return for that food.
The day of Pentecost is important for Christians as this is the day the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Acts 2:1-4. It was also the day the church was established when Peter preached the first Gospel message, Acts 2:14-41. The only other times the day is mentioned in the New Testament are in Acts 20:16 and 1 Corinthians 16:8.