It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over

It’s been over five weeks since Passover. In fact, it’s been exactly forty days, which is five weeks and five days since Passover.

“So what” you say? So, it ain’t over. Passover starts with the selecting the lamb and doesn’t end until Shavuot. You see, the time between Passover and Shavuot is a walk of faith. The two are connected.

Let me explain. In Exodus 3 we see Moses asking God for a sign that He is with him. God told Moses that the sign is they will be on the mountain worshiping Him. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I ask for a sign I want one before I undertake an endeavor, not after it’s over. But that is exactly what God promised – the proof that He is with them, is that they will be brought to Mt Sinai. So the entire time between the exodus from Egypt to the receiving of the Torah at Mt Sinai is a walk of faith – belief that God is with them.

You see, God didn’t set the Israelites free just for the sake of setting them free. Rather, He wanted to have relationship with them. And that relationship requires faith. Isn’t that, after all, what the first commandment says? “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2) We are to have faith that God is who He says He is, and does what He says He will do.

So their faith started when they selected the lamb, sacrificed it, and placed its blood on the doorpost. And that faith was rewarded. They were still alive while so many Egyptians were not. But their walk of faith didn’t end there. It continued as they followed the cloud, passed through the waters on dry land, and culminated at the foot of Mt Sinai. Being there was the proof that God was with them.

It was at the foot of Mt Sinai that God instructed the Israelites on how to have a relationship with Him – how to be His people, His bride. You see, it was at the foot of the mountain that God entered into a marriage covenant with Israel. It was there that He gave them His Torah.

Within His Torah God instructed His bride to count seven full weeks from Passover, which is forty-nine days. On the 50^th day (Pentecost in Greek) they would have a holy convocation. It was on the anniversary of this day – the giving of the Torah – where we read in Acts 2 that the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples of Yeshua.

Now all these disciples were Israelites celebrating God’s Shavuot, rejoicing in the giving of the Torah. And what happened? That which was promised by God through the prophet Joel – the gift of the Spirit was given.

Peter tells us in Acts 10 that the gift of the Spirit is proof of our relationship with God. And Paul reminds us that we are firmly in union with the Messiah, with that union sealed by the gift of the Spirit. So we too, are in a marriage covenant with God. We too, are part of His bride. We too, should celebrate our freedom and our marriage.

So what began at Passover – selecting the Lamb, placing His blood on our heart – doesn’t end until Shavuot, when we enter into relationship with God.