In a nutshell, the Feast of Shavuot is the day that God gave the Torah to the Israelites over 3,300 years ago in Exodus 19-20; and it is the same day that God gave His Spirit to Yeshua’s followers in Acts 2, ten days after He ascended into heaven.
Shavuot is a feast filled with many deep and powerful themes, such as: God’s intense desire for intimacy with us as illustrated through the beautiful symbolism of the marriage covenant, the power of thanksgiving and praise as a spiritual weapon of warfare, the confidence we have to trust in His provision, the hope we have for our future, and the guarantee of the fulfillment of all of His promises. However, as I began to explore these various themes, His Spirit kept leading me to yet another – that of how Shavuot is a picture of Yeshua’s heart and mission to reverse the curse and to redeem and restore what has been lost and stolen from us by the enemy.
- So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten (Joel 2:25)
- So that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil (Heb 2:14)
- For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
In Exodus 32:28, we learn that there were 3,000 souls “lost” at the first Shavuot 3,300 years ago – “And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.” Then 1,300 years later in the book of Acts, we find that 3,000 souls were “found” as stated in Acts 2:41 – “So those who received his (Peter’s) message were immersed, and that day about three thousand souls were added.”
This illustration of restoration at Shavuot brings comfort and healing to the wounds of my past, and great hope and excitement for my future. It reminds me that what the enemy intends for evil — to bring death, destruction, restriction, bondage and loss into our lives — God will use for good, when we allow Him to. I have continually experienced in my own life that it’s in those very places where I’ve been wounded the deepest that I now experience God’s love and intimacy the most.
Every time I feel fearful, hurt or rejected, angry, bad, inferior, insignificant, that I don’t have a voice, etc., and I make the choice to use my weapons of warfare (confess, forgive, cancel Satan’s authority, ask God to show me His truth), Yeshua continues His process of restoring what was lost, healing and filling up those stronghold holes in my heart. When He speaks His truth about the situation into my heart in a very personal way — such as: the picture of Him freeing me from the Garden Tomb not having to take in anything of death, the picture of the Temple and how nothing to do with death could enter, yet He took on death just for me, that I’m a daughter of the King, the picture of Him rejoicing over me with singing even when I’ve messed up, etc. — all fear, rejection, and insecurity melts away, those holes are filled up with His truth and love, Satan loses ground and power in my life, and Yeshua is Lord of more and more of my heart. The curse of the old false stronghold messages is reversed and what was lost through all of the years of believing those lies, is restored.
You too have the choice, every minute of the day, whether you will allow the enemy to continue to rob you of life: by believing and acting upon old false messages about yourself and about God; and by holding onto and acting out of fear/stress, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, resentment, blame, self-condemnation, rejection and performance.
When you choose to live in bitterness and blame the people or circumstances that brought about your wounding, feel ripped off in comparison to others who “didn’t have to go through what you did,” live as a victim with no hope of ever changing because that’s “just the way you are,” or blame God for not protecting you or not being there when you were wounded, you are giving Satan a handle and authority to continue to bring death, destruction and loss into your life.
Make the choice this Shavuot to allow Yeshua to redeem and restore what the enemy has stolen in your life. Use your weapons of warfare to reverse the curse of the stronghold lies and heal the wounds of your heart. Experience intimacy with the Lord in those areas of deepest pain and loss. It’s time to let go of the past, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord has for you today!
