How does Leviticus 23:15 instruct us to count the days for Pentecost? Setting in the Festival Calendar • Leviticus 23 lays out Israel’s annual appointments with the LORD. • Passover and Unleavened Bread come first (vv. 4-8). • “Firstfruits” falls on “the day after the Sabbath” during that week (v. 11). • Pentecost (also called the Feast of Weeks) is next; its timing is fixed by counting from Firstfruits. Exact Wording (Leviticus 23:15) “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks.” Key Observations • “From the day after the Sabbath” – the count begins the very next day after the weekly Sabbath that occurs during Unleavened Bread. • “The day you brought the sheaf” – that same day is also the Firstfruits offering (cf. Leviticus 23:11). • “Seven full weeks” – literally “seven Sabbaths, complete,” totaling forty-nine days (7 × 7). • Verse 16 (immediately following) adds, “You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath,” confirming that Pentecost itself is the fiftieth day. How to Count the Days 1. Identify the weekly Sabbath that falls during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 2. The next morning (the “day after the Sabbath”) is Day 1 of the count and the day the Firstfruits sheaf is waved. 3. Continue counting each successive day. 4. When you reach seven complete Sabbaths (Day 49), stop counting weeks. 5. The very next day (Day 50) is Pentecost. Practical Example • If the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread is a Saturday, the count begins on Sunday. • Sunday = Day 1 • The seventh Saturday = Day 49 • The following Sunday = Pentecost (Day 50) Supporting Scriptures • Leviticus 23:16 – solidifies the fifty-day total. • Deuteronomy 16:9 – “You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain.” • Acts 2:1 – “When the Day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place,” showing the New Testament believers kept the same timetable. Why the Count Matters • It ties the spring harvest (Firstfruits) to the early-summer harvest (Pentecost), illustrating spiritual progression from resurrection life (1 Corinthians 15:20) to Spirit-empowered witness (Acts 2). • Counting each day builds anticipation and mindfulness of God’s provision. |
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