Compelling Love

Many Jews are coming to realize that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Jewish Messiah through a careful reading of the New Testament comparing it with the many Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, such as in Isaiah 53. The gospel is God’s good news for both Jew and Gentile, as Jesus declared in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The church was born on the day of Pentecost slightly less than 2,000 years ago, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples gathered in one accord in Jerusalem, fulfilling the promise of Ezekiel 36:27, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes,…”. The following article recently published on YouTube by author Amir Tsarfati reveals the promise of this event for both Jews and Gentiles “united by His Spirit into one body while maintaining our unique identities. What an incredible picture of God’s wisdom and love.”

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

What if I told you that God planted a 2,000-year-old prophecy about the church in the most unlikely place? A bread recipe.

Today, I want to talk about something that’s absolutely mind-blowing when you understand it. God’s perfect timing through the Feast of Weeks or in Hebrew, Shavuot, what many of us also call Pentecost. You know, many people look at the biblical feasts and think, “Oh, those are just Jewish traditions.” But I want to tell you, friends, these aren’t just random celebrations. They’re divine prophecies planted throughout history. And Pentecost? It’s one of the most incredible examples of God’s perfect planning.

Let’s start with what Pentecost actually is. In Leviticus 23:15–16, God instructed Israel, “ ¹⁵ ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. ¹⁶ Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.’” This feast celebrates two things for the Jewish people, the wheat harvest and the giving of the law, the Torah at Mount Sinai. But here’s where God brings the cherry on the top. Remember what happened exactly on this day nearly 2,000 years ago?

Acts 2:1–4 tells us, “ ¹ When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Do you see the incredible connection? On the very same day that Israel celebrated receiving the Law written on tablets of stone, God sent His Spirit to write His Law on human hearts. This wasn’t a coincidence, but a divine appointment set thousands of years in advance. Think about it this way. If God were a filmmaker, He would win every award for foreshadowing. The shadow appears in the Old Testament, but the substance—the reality—is found in Christ. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:16–17, “ ¹⁶ So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

Here’s another powerful thing. At Mount Sinai, when the law was given, Exodus 32, verse 28 tells us that about 3,000 people died that day because of sin. Fast forward to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:41, “ ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” The exact same number. Where the law brought death, the Spirit brought life. That’s not a coincidence. That’s God showing off His amazing plan.
Are you ready to go deeper? In Leviticus 23:17, God gave specific instructions for Pentecost that seemed strange at first glance. “ ¹⁷ ‘You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD.’”

Did you catch that? These loaves contain leaven. That’s extraordinary because throughout Scripture, leaven typically symbolizes sin. During Passover, all leaven had to be removed from homes. Every other grain offering in Leviticus had to be made without leaven. But here, God specifically commands leaven to be included. Why would God want an offering with leaven? Because these two loaves perfectly picture the body of Christ. One loaf representing the Jews, one representing the Gentiles, both containing leaven. Because, and I hope you’re not hearing this for the first time from me, we all have sin in our lives. Yet despite our imperfections, God accepts us as His. And notice, there are two loaves, not one, not three, but two. This isn’t random. This is a picture of Jews and Gentiles being brought together as one in Messiah yet maintaining their distinct identities. God wasn’t surprised when Gentiles came to faith. He planned it from the very beginning.

And when did the Holy Spirit create this united body of Jews and Gentile believers? On Pentecost, the very day these two leaven loaves were to be presented. The miracle of Shavuot isn’t just a historical event. It’s a living reality for us today. Think about it. Just as God took two separate loaves with leaven and presented them together before Him, He is doing the same with us. Jews and Gentiles, both imperfect, yet both accepted in His sight through Messiah. Pentecost shows us something profound about God’s heart. He doesn’t demand perfection before accepting us. He takes us with our leaven, our imperfections, and transforms us by His Spirit. The same Spirit that came down with power on that Shavuot morning nearly 2,000 years ago lives in you and me.

And here’s something to consider. At Mount Sinai, the people said “ ⁸ … ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do.’” Exodus 19:8. But they failed because they tried in their own strengths. At Pentecost, God said, “ ²⁷ ‘I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes,…’” Ezekiel 36:27. What they couldn’t do under the law, God does through His Spirit. This is why Shavuot matters so much. It’s the day when God’s presence moved from dwelling in a temple made with hands to dwelling in human hearts. It’s the day when the harvest of souls began, a harvest that continues to this very moment as more people come to faith in Yeshua, our Messiah. When we understand Shavuot, we understand God’s perfect timing, His perfect plan, and His incredible love for both Jew and Gentile. As we celebrate this feast, let’s remember we are those two loaves presented together before the Lord, united by His Spirit into one body while maintaining our unique identities. What an incredible picture of God’s wisdom and love.

For all ways to connect with Behold Israel, including media, updates, videos, and teachings:
https://linktr.ee/beholdisrael