Feasting in the Land of Promise

The Feast of Harvest

"Count off seven weeks from the time

you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.

Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God

by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings

the LORD your God has given you."

(Deuteronomy 16:9-10)

Dear Friend, Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tonight, at sundown, marks the beginning of the Feast of Harvest (also known as "Shavout", the "Feast of Weeks). This Jewish celebration commemorates the fifty days from Passover, when the Israelites were freed from enslavement in Egypt, to Shavout, when the Israelite community arrived at Sinai and received the Law, marking the birth of the nation (reference Exodus 19). For the Christian community these fifty days commemorate the journey from Passover, when we were set free from the bondage of sin and death by Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, to Pentecost (meaning "50"), when the community of believers received the Holy Spirit, marking the birth of the Church (reference Acts 2:1-4).

The Feast of Harvest is one of three annual pilgrimages the Israelites would observe by journeying to Jerusalem to bring their offerings to the Lord (reference Exodus 23:14-19). "Weeks" marks the end of the harvest season, which began at Passover with the barley harvest and concludes at Shavout with the grain harvest. These seven weeks are a time of gladness and celebration with the "firstfruits" offering of the grain given to God in gratitude for His provision in the field and His protection throughout history.

As believers, we have so much to celebrate and to be thankful for, even though at the present hour we may seeing an entirely different (or distorted) picture as the world around us becomes increasingly more immoral and corrupt. But we need only to look to the Lord to realize how truly blessed we are. As His children, we are the "firstfruits" of the Lord's harvest, being waved as a sheaf offering to the world of His goodness and grace (reference James 1:18). Because of His covenant promise to His chosen nation Israel we have been given freedom and blessings the world does not know, and it's time we bring our offering of praise and gratitude to the Lord (reference Jeremiah 2:3a).

There is no better offering we can give our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father than our time. The time we devote to seeking Him in His Word, and inquiring and trusting Him in prayer, is a sacrifice that brings the Lord great pleasure; for He desires to spend time with His children. There is no better way to show our gratitude to God's chosen people, through whom He has worked in and throughout history to bring to us His plan of salvation, than to not take for granted the Scriptures they so faithfully recorded and preserved so we could "believe" (reference John 20:31), and to pray that they, too, would see and know the One they have been waiting for (reference Zechariah 12:10-14).

As we enter this time of celebrating the Feast of Harvest, the Lord is providing us an opportunity to offer up a firstfruits offering of the best of our crop - the greatest and most powerful resource we have been given - PRAYER! We are being called to offer a "tithe" of our time to focused and fervent prayer for the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, and the beloved Holy City, Jerusalem. During our 40-day HARVEST journey we walked with Jesus as He taught His disciples and prepared them for His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. He led them to Jerusalem, instructing them to wait until the Promised One came, and then ascended to the Father from the Mount of Olives (reference Acts 1:1-11). In our current 10-day devotional "Journey to the Holy Land" we have travelled throughout the Holy Land and have now come to Jerusalem, the place where the Lord established a name for Himself and the place where He will return to establish His Kingdom (reference 2 Chronicles 6:6; Matthew 16:27-28). We have made it in time for the Festival of Weeks and now have a divine opportunity to present our offering of thanksgiving to the Lord. "I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and call on the name of the LORD" (Psalm 116:17).

We have been entrusted with 10 days of Praying for Peace for Jerusalem, June 1st through June 10th. During this time we will revist the original marriage covenant between the Lord and Israel at Mount Sinai; the place where the original Bride (the Jewish people) were presented to their Bridegroom (God) under the Chuppah (Mount Sinai) (reference Exodus 19). During our HARVEST journey we read about the Bride-price that was given by God for His Bride: "I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD" (Hosea 2:19-20). The Lord will return soon for His Bride, the Church, and then He will turn His attention to His beloved people Israel (reference Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). May we not be found holding up the line, but, instead, be found faithfully using the time we have been given to fervently pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done (reference Matthew 6:10).

Praying for Peace

June 1st through June 10th

Join our online Prayer Team to receive a

daily devotional email to

guide you through these 10 days

of focused prayer for Israel

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the LORD give yourselves no rest,

and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem

and makes her the praise of the earth."

(Isaiah 62:7)

If you have not yet had the opportunity to join us for the 10-day Journey to the Holy Land pilgrimage, consider beginning your journey on June 1st and include it as part of your "firstfruits" offering to the Lord as you spend time in His Word and pray for Israel. Prayerfully consider taking this journey by following Daniel's fast as given in Daniel 1:12 - "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink...at the end of the ten days they looked heathier and better nourished than any of hte young men who ate the royal food...to these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning" (v. 12,15,17a).

It wasn't until I had my first plate of vegetables after completing the 40 day HARVEST journey on liquids-only that I understood why the Lord had called us to the 10 day Daniel fast. As soon as I tasted the fresh vegetables I was immediately transported back to my time in Israel last June, "this tastes just like Israel!" Every night was a feast of fresh, wonderful food from that fertile region. I realized that the Lord had intended for us to experience the wonderful blessings of the Land of Promise, enlisting all of our senses, that we might experience fully what it means to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 24:8). The Holy Land of Israel overflows with the goodness of the Lord, from the beginning of time until the end of the age, it is here that all His promises have been fulfilled and will finally be brought to completion when He returns to establish His Kingdom. While we faithfully wait, may we never cease to grow in the knowledge of Him, experiencing all the blessings found in living a life of whole-hearted devotion to Him, and sharing His wonderful blessings with the world around us. "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen" (2 Peter 3:17).

For His Kingdom,

Traci Alexander

Trumpet and Torch Ministries

www.trumpetandtorch.org

Psalm 27:4, 13-14

____________

Additional Opportunities for PRAYER:

Global Day of Prayer

This Sunday, May 31st

Unite with the world in prayer

visit www.globaldayofprayer.com for more information

and to find an event in your area.