The Day of the Gift

 

1 Cor 1:22

it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfilment of His promise of eternal life].

We recently celebrated Pentecost, the joyous celebration of the giving of Holy Spirit to the 120 believers waiting in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.

Many of us do not know that this was another way in which Jesus fulfilled a Jewish Feast, and that Jews throughout the centuries had faithfully been keeping this Feast without realizing what the spiritual meaning of their actions would eventually be.

Their Feast is called the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Pentecost, and begins when the Feast of Firstfruits (the actual day on which Jesus was resurrected, making Him the Firstfruit of us believers who will likewise be raised from the dead) is over, and Jews then start counting 50 days and celebrate the giving of the Law to Moses on that 50^th day (Pentecost means fifty).

And on this 50^th day centuries ago, God poured out His Spirit on His followers, writing the Law on their hearts!

There is another beautiful hidden meaning here. Jews also refer to this Feast as the Day of the Mattan, or the Day of the Gift. In their reference, the Law was a gift from God to them, but in ancient times the Mattan was the special gift from the bridegroom to the bride to encourage her in the days that they were still living apart while he was preparing a place for her. It was meant to be a sign of his love for her, the guarantee of his faithfulness to her, his pledge that the promises he made will be kept.

On this Day of the Gift, God gave the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit is the Mattan from the Bridegroom to His bride, His pledge that everything He has promised us will be fulfilled! We can be assured that even though He ascended to Heaven, He will never forget us, nor forsake us, nor leave us destitute – His Spirit dwells in us continually. His Mattan is the sign of His love for us, the down payment of things still to come.

Pearls to ponder:

Are you preparing for your Wedding Day with Jesus your Bridegroom? Practise living in the power of the Spirit, move in His flow and leading, so that you will be strong and beautiful and ready when that day arrives!

Wedding Day