Jesus in the Old Testament 034:
The Feast of Shavuot
Exodus 19-20; Acts 2
Thesis: God’s invitation to the Jew and the Gentile has always been an open doorway called “obedience.” This invitation was given at Sinai and received in part, but the “obedience” was left up to the power of the people. In Acts 2, the invitation is given again, but this time it is dependent upon the completed obedience of Christ.
Shavuot:
Exodus 19
Timing: They leave Egypt on the 15th day of Nissan (the first month) and they arrive at Sinai on the first day of Sivan, about 40 days later.
An invitation to intimacy accepted (vs 4-9)
Predicated upon God’s rescue of them from Egypt.
Dependent upon their obedience.
A promise:
Treasured possession
A kingdom of priests, not a kingdom with priests
A holy nation, completely redeemed.
The people respond that they will do as requested. Reliance upon their own goodness.
God says, “Good. I’m coming over. See you soon.”
The guarding of holiness (vs 10-20)
People are to keep back off of the mountain for three days of consecration.
Then, on day 3, God will speak to them so that they can hear, and then they may come up the mountain. Vs 13. Permissive imperfect.
God plans on demonstrating his holiness with various manifestations of his glory, including smoke, lightning, thunder, fire, and “voices.”
Thunder: “voices” 550 times in OT. Here, without a clear speaker, the English has assigned it as the noise or voice of the lightning, which would be thunder, but that isn’t dictated by the text.
At least four other words used in the OT to reference thunder, but this specifically looks at a voice.
When God shows up, he repeatedly reinforces the boundary. Only Moses and Aaron (and Joshua?) are allowed on the mountain for the recitation of the law.
Exodus 20 The terms of the covenant and the creation of distance.
With Moses and Aaron (and maybe Joshua) on the mountain and all the people around the base, God recites the 10 commandments (vs 1-17).
When the people were set to be admitted into the presence of God after the recitation of the law on day 3, they instead chose distance (vs 18-21).
Exodus 24: Confirmation of the covenant.
After receiving many verbal laws with Moses closer to the theophany than the people dared to go, Moses ceremonially binds them with blood to the rules of the covenant.
Again, the people commit to doing all that God requires on their own strength. Vs 7
Vs 9. The intimacy that was offered to the people of Israel was experienced only by a few representatives Vs 9-11
Moses and Joshua head up the mountain to get the tablets of stone (vs 12-18), but they spend seven days waiting to enter the cloud while more glory is on display.
They enter the cloud 10 days after arriving at the base of the mountain (vs 16).
Moses enters the cloud 50 days after leaving Egypt. This is why Shavuot is commemorating the giving of the law.
Keeping the law on their own didn’t work, and the relationship is broken
Ex 31:18-32:6. Immediate failure
32:7-10. God threatens to break the relationship completely.
32:11-29 Moses Intercedes and punishes the people. Levites are ordained for service as priests. The kingdom of priests is forfeit.
32:30-33:6, God humbles the people.
Eventually (Ex 34), The tablets and the covenant are restored, but there is no more talk of a holy national priesthood.
The people cannot obey on their own. The relationship is marred and incomplete.
Jeremiah 31:31-34.
There is a need for a “Greater Shavuot.”
God will make a new covenant with them that is unlike what happened at Sinai.
Law is written on their hearts, not on stone.
Universal intimacy. Not representational.
Forgiven sin, not rolled back.
The power to obey, not just the mandate.
Fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4
On the day of Pentecost, the Greek name for this holiday, meaning “50.” 50 days after the Sabbath included in Passover.
Don’t read that too quickly. They were gathered in one place because, 10 days earlier, Jesus had ascended and told them to wait, but also because, being good Jews, they were in Jerusalem for Shavuot.
The instructions had been delivered at Sinai, but the people rejected the intimacy with God that would have empowered its living. Here, the Spirit-filled believers and equipped them to live a life of Godliness.
Parallels:
Both events happened on a mountain that is called the “Mountain of God.” Exodus 24:13 & Isaiah 2:3
Both events happened to newly-redeemed people.
Both events happened on the same day.
At Sinai, the law is given, written on tablets of stone. In Acts, the law of God is written on the hearts of men.
At Sinai, the people said that they would obey on their own strength, now Christ allows us to walk in his perfect obedience and righteousness.
At Sinai, the people arrived at the mountain after 40 days. Moses went alone into the cloud on day 50. Jesus ascended on day 40, and the Holy Spirit entered into all believers on day 50.
At Sinai, the fire was high and away on the top of the mountain. God is great and mighty. Powerful and distant. In Acts, the fire is divided and upon each Apostle. God is still mighty and powerful, but intimate and close by.
At Sinai, the voices are described as thunder, abstract power. In Acts, the voices come from the Apostles and declare the mighty works of God.
At Sinai, the covenant was broken and 3,000 people died. In Acts, the covenant is renewed and 3,000 people are given new life.
1 Peter 2:9. God has restored his plan for a holy nation of priests, but it is not limited only to one ethnic group. The church carries the fulfillment of that plan in the modern age.
Application
We, NT Gentiles, are not bound to celebrate the details of the law, and observing Shavuot is not a command we carry. However, we are enriched when we understand the length to which God has gone to prepare for himself a holy nation of priests through whom He can bless the world.
Don’t live like Sinai Jews, who desired to obey but immediately demonstrated that they can’t. Live in the power of the Holy Spirit in the wake of Christ’s fulfillment of the law. You are free and powerful. Do you live this way?
