Shavuot 2025

Faithfulness to a Marriage Covenant

Shavuot is upon us! It was the day when God gave the Torah to his people on Mount Sinai, then later poured his Holy Spirit out on his people. One Shavuot has a physical focus, the other a spiritual one.  Shavuot connects us to an incredible event where a covenant was made with the Creator to follow his word. The sages affirm that Torah was not just given to the generation at Mt Sinai, but that each successive generation of people should understand that they also personally received it and are responsible for it as well.

Shavuot is thought of as being a wedding ceremony where the cloud was a chuppah (wedding tent) and the Torah was the ketubah (marriage document). In this thinking, Passover and the deliverance from Egypt was the courtship where Israel (the bride) was eventually taken and brought to Sinai, then entered into covenant with God. Some do not look at their relationship with God as a type of marriage, but it is (Eph 5:23-32). The symbolism of the wind, fire, and tongues in Acts 2 were all reminiscent of the original Shavuot. We can honestly say that we too have a share in this biblical and historical event.

Shavuot emphasizes our role in being faithful to the covenant. Obedience and submission to God are a part of our relationship with him and the Holy Spirit helps us in this process. The giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 has several purposes in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit guides (Jn 16:13), comforts (Jn 14:26), convicts (Jn 16:8-11, Acts 24:25), transforms (Ezek 36:26-27, Rom 8:26), empowers to be witnesses (Acts 1:8), and seals us (Eph 1:13).

The primary purpose of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is linked to helping us obey the scriptures, draw close to God, and help others draw close to God. In the Tanakh, God dwelled with his people and the focus of living for God was on behavior. In the Brit Chadeshah, God dwelled in his people and the focus of living for God was on uniting the heart and behavior in faith. This is one reason that this holiday is linked so closely with the word of God (see Ps 119:9-18, the word of God, cleansing, and righteousness are inseparable). Also, note that the believer is compared to a Temple (2 Cor 6:16-18) that the Spirit of God and will of God reside in.

The Spirit of God transforms us and helps our obedience in several ways. When we struggle with sin issues we don’t always know how to pray because we don’t know how to fix ourselves. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes for us through our prayers (Rom 8:26). When we are God-minded and our focus is to be God-pleasing, we walk in the spirit and are less focused on the lusts of our flesh (Gal 5:16-17, Rom 8:1-17). Being God-minded is powerful because God strengthens our inner man (Eph 3:16) and helps us. This simple act of focus keeps a lot of temptation away.

Being God-minded begins as we first wake up and dedicate our first conscious moments to glorify God for our restoration. We can also add scriptures like Ps 119 (a Torah Psalm) to orient our hearts and sanctify our minds. Sometimes personal or scriptural affirmations like Deut 28 can help to edify and encourage our faith and reinforce what God has called us to be. Having a morning worship routine is like spiritually getting dressed. It prepares us and arms us with purpose and intention for the day. Ending the day in prayer helps us unwind from the challenges of the day and let go of unforgiveness and grudge-holding. The Bedtime Shema (especially one set to music), a dramatized Psalm, or simple prayer is a great way to end the day and unload the bad baggage so that we can find peace in our rest and commit ourselves to God before retiring. Morning and evening prayer can help us avoid temptation by maintaining a strong spiritual foundation.

Temptations have to be endured but can be a source of joy because of what those temptations lead us to in terms of strong character (James 1:2-5). Much of our sanctification is based on how we make choices and stay focused while being tempted. Temptation is not sin. Satisfying carnal desires in an ungodly way is. Being godly is a continual choice between the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We always get to choose what fruit we consume.

Sometimes to avoid temptation we have to be alert to its presence (Mark 14:37-38). Many times, we do not see strong emotions like anger, depression, or fear as being temptations. We tend to look at emotions like lust and envy in a different light. The enemy uses our emotions as a lure to our weaknesses (James 1:12-16). The Spirit of God helps us identify and take authority over this type of oppression of the mind so that we are not in bondage to it. Avoiding temptation is often a matter of following the leading of God in our daily activities (Matt 6:9-15, Rom 8:12-15). Avoidance may come in the form of abstaining from something for a period of time. It may also come when we change habits and choose to respond to things differently. Sometimes avoiding temptation is a matter of learning, discipline, and being mature enough in the word to continue dealing with our weaknesses and thus build strength. Some of our greatest spiritual advances come on the heels of recovering from a failure (Prov 24:16).

Scripture has other admonitions to help us. In 1 Cor 6:18-20, we are commanded to flee fornication (run from it). In James 4:7, we are commanded to resist the devil. Through it all God orchestrates our relationship with him and will only allow the temptations he has ordained for our growth (1Cor 10:13). Because Yeshua endured temptation and did not sin, we can come boldly before God and find strength, forgiveness, and grace (Heb 4:13-16).

Transformation (a change in emotions, thinking, desire, and behavior) is a work of the Spirit. Struggles with sin are commonplace in the life of the believer. When we stop fighting our carnal desires with our carnal man we can make progress through the Spirit. We are reliant on God for our sanctification and long-term change. When we learn to partner with him in faith, we will have the grace we need to walk in righteousness (Matt 5:6) and be the bride he created his people to be.

Traditions on Shavuot that can be done in the home:

1. Consume dairy and cheese (SoS 4:11). This is a great time to have an ice cream/cheese cake party, build pillow and blanket forts. Find a Ten Commandments worship song on YouTube, break out the worship flags and work off some of that sugar.

2. Make challot in the shape of the Ten Commandments. Some place a braided ladder on the bread to represent the seven heavens Moses passed through to receive the Torah.

3. Stay up all night, or most of it to study Torah and pray (Tikkun Leil Shavuot). Some Jews dedicate this night to studying the Ten Commandments, reading Torah Psalms, and other scriptures. This is also a good time to begin the children's study of God's word (if they are in the 3-5 year range). If there are children in your home, this is a good time water their interest in scripture.

4. Read the Book of Ruth (or better, make a play out if it).

5. If you cannot attend a synagogue personally, find a Shavuot service online.

6. The second day of Shavuot, many memorialize their departed loved ones (Yizkor memorial prayer and visiting graves).

Rav Calev

Apostolic Messianic International