Originally an agricultural festival to celebrate the early harvest, but then rapidly developed into a symbolic feast remembering all of God's goodness and blessings in our lives – including the giving of His Word, and later His Spirit.

Known variously as: Chag Ha-Bikkurim (Festival of First Fruits, start of period); Chag HaKatzir (Feast of Harvest); Shavu'ot (Weeks, end of period) and then Pentecost (Gk. "fiftieth" – NT only).

These feasts carry a strong Biblical mandate and divinely appointed timing:

"These are the Lord's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times."

~ Leviticus 23:4

There are seven main Biblical festivals. The first four refer to the paschal sacrifice, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of the First Fruits, and Shavuot ('weeks' or Pentecost). The other three all occur in the sacred seventh month of Tishrei – Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

The key themes of Shavuot are simple, including:

• Thanksgiving
• Giving of the Word at Sinai (Torah, teaching of God)
• Giving of the Spirit in Jerusalem (see Acts 2, and note context)
• All God's provision for our lives...

This study takes a look at an overview of Shavu'ot before looking at the strong links in the New Testament:

"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 Ruach HaKodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

~ Acts 2: 1-4 ~