Can I pray for you in any
way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian
Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend
requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of
The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites
and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap
its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is
to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the
priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.”
“‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you
brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off
fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an
offering of new grain to the Lord.’”
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in
one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be
tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit
enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from
every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in
bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly
amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is
it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and
Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia
and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both
Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the
wonders of God in our own tongues!”
But Christ has
indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. For since death
came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all
will be made alive. But
each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to
Him.
Leviticus
23:9-11 and 15-16, Acts 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 15:20-23
This ends this
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In a response to a certain sinful
movie hitting the theaters today, I felt it appropriate to call attention to a
more divine and blessed use of the word “fifty” straight from God’s word, a
reference to the word “fifty” that speaks of holiness and divine devotion instead
of bondage and oppression or sexual lust and immorality.
In our scripture today, we see an
awesome and amazing connection between the Old and New Testaments with the
number 50 central to what happened and Jesus as the bridge.
It starts back in the earliest days
of the people of Israel when God established laws they were to follow. These
laws sometimes included celebration and festivals the people were to adhere to,
not on a whim but rather at a set time. Obedience to God meant observing these
special events just as He commanded.
One such festival was referred to
as the Feast of Weeks, the second of three important feasts that the Israelites
were to hold in accordance with the law. The festival was to be held seven full
weeks, or 50 days, after the Feast of First Fruits where God commanded His
people to “bring
to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest” (or first fruits) after
which the priest was to “wave the sheaf before the Lord” on the behalf of the
Israelites so it would be accepted. Because the Feast of Weeks came fifty days
after the priest’s wave offering of the first fruits, the festival was also
referred to as Pentecost.
Here’s where it gets very interesting.
For Jesus, our Savior, was crucified and died on
the day the Passover lambs were killed and prepared, the Lamb of God who had
come to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) had accomplished what He
was sent by the Father to do.
But the story was not over, not by a long shot.
For three days later, Jesus was resurrected,
conquering death and the grave. In rising from death to life, He became the
first fruit of those who had fallen asleep, the first who would ascend to be
with God forever. Thus, it’s of no surprise that this resurrection miracle
would coincide with the wave offering required by the law of God, celebrating
the first fruits. Paul confirms this in his words from 2 Corinthians:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the
dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead
comes also through a man. For
as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits;
then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. 2 Corinthians 15:20-23
Friends, do you see the good news here? Jesus is
going to return and when He does, He, the first fruit, will bring all those who
placed their faith, hope, and trust in Him (i.e. those who belong to Him) as He
ascends once more to live with God the Father on the new earth and under the
new heavens that will be created (Revelation 21).
This would be awesome just by itself but there’s
one more thing here that needs covered, something that provides us all the help
we need to live as Jesus lived as we go through this earthly life full of sin
and temptation.
For when we look 50 days after Christ’s
resurrection, we find ourselves at Pentecost where Jesus sent the Holy Spirit
upon the earth to lead, guide, and counsel His people toward obedient living in
accordance with His will and way. Our scripture from Acts documents this
incredible event that took place on the Israelite’s celebration of the Feast of
Weeks, the day when all males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend the
feast and offer sacrifices:
When the day of
Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where
they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated
and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were
staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they
heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard
their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these
who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our
native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of
Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own
tongues!” Acts 2:1-12
It was quite a gathering as Jews from “every
nation under heaven” were gathered together as they would do on each occasion
of the traditional festival. But this year would be different. For the sound of
violent wind blowing down from heaven bringing tongues of fire that rested on
each of them had to be frightening and astonishing both at the same time as
each person was filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in different tongues. The
miracle was so astounding that those present heard the wonders of God
proclaimed in their own language by people who had never spoke it before. It
was surely one of the greatest indications of how the new covenant through
Jesus, had opened up the wonders of God, to include Him bringing salvation, to
all mankind whether Jew or Gentile. Through the Holy Spirit, there was a unity
and oneness unlike any other these people had ever experienced.
Friends, when we look at the word “fifty” in the
Bible, amazing revelations come our way, far more thrilling and exciting than
any sexual interlude or fantasy. We find ourselves fed and enlightened in a
tangible and edifying way, a way that draws us to an even greater appreciation
for what God has done and what He continues to do in our lives through His Son
Jesus who He gave as a living sacrifice and first fruit so we one day might be
harvested and brought into His presence by Jesus forever.
Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son, the
Holy Spirit sent to guide us, and the truth we find of both through His
precious and divine word.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment