Shavuot is a festival commanded by YAH in Scripture (Way/Lev. 23; Bem/Num. 28; Deb/Deut. 16). Scripture says it’s the time to bring the first-fruits of the grain harvest. From Shavuot to Sukkot in the fall, all of Israel would bring in the first-fruits of their harvests—the first-fruits of grain, oil, wine, honey, fleece (wool), and more. They would bring their offering to the Set-Apart Place where the priests would offer it to YAHUAH. It was a time of great celebration and joy.

YAH commanded us to observe Shavuot and bring the first-fruits on the day that He met with the Hebrew people at Sinai and gave them His Torah. Matan Torah—the Giving of the Torah—was a three-day process. The people had to cleanse themselves and set themselves apart in preparation to come before the Presence of YAH. On the third day, YAH descended on the mountain and gave His Laws, Commands, Right-rulings, and Witnesses.

His Torah is His Covenant of love between Himself and His people. The Hebrew people stood before the Presence of Elohim and entered into covenant with the Most High El. Their part was to obey His Laws. In reward for their obedience, YAH would make them a reign of priests and a set-apart nation—His treasured possession above all peoples. That day when they entered the Covenant, the Hebrew people became the nation of Yisra’el, children of YAHUAH the Most High El. They became His people, and He became their Elohim. Yisra’el was “set-apart to YAHUAH, the first-fruits of His increase” (Yirm/Jer. 2:3).

Many YAHUDIM would come after those who stood at Sinai, but they were His first-fruits. They were the ones whom He brought out of Mitsrayim—the ones who cleansed themselves and set themselves apart—the ones who accepted His Torah to do and obey all that He commanded. They were set-apart to Him, His portion. They belonged to Elohim.

YAH is preparing us as His first-fruits. In these latter days, many more will be added to the Assembly of Yahushuah. A great multitude will come to follow Him at the time of the Great Distress, but we are the first-fruits of this harvest of souls. Yahushuah is laboring to prepare us so that He might present us to the Father—“a splendid assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any of this sort, but that it might be set-apart and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). Yahushuah is the High Priest who presents us as first-fruits to YAHUAH.

However, there is a process that must take place before we can be presented to Elohim. First, we have to come out of Mitsrayim. We commit ourselves to YAH to follow Him, and He delivers us from all sin, falsehood, and idolatry. [This is the Passover.] Next, we must go through cleansing and setting ourselves apart. We must be immersed to cleanse our flesh of all our sinful deeds (mikvah). We must cleanse our spirit through the washing of water by the Word—daily reading and studying Scriptures (Eph. 5:26). We pray for YAH to sprinkle clean water upon us from heaven to cleanse us completely. We also must go through circumcision—cutting away the foreskins of our hearts by removing all sin, transgression, and idolatry from our lives. We must cut away the skin—our cloak of flesh that causes us to sin and yield to lust. We set ourselves apart by abstaining from the ways of the world to live in obedience to the Commands of Elohim. [This is the Omer Count.] At Shavuot, we come before YAH, cleansed and set-apart, and enter into His Covenant. We promise to obey Him and walk in His ways. We become His people, and He becomes our Elohim.

We must observe this Shavuot with a seriousness of heart, understanding that we are the first-fruits who belong to YAH. We have to be cleansed and set-apart and commit to staying clean and set-apart. We have to commit to righteousness; commit to living in peace and humility; commit to living a sinless life; commit to doing works of kindness; commit to walking in love. Yahushuah will present us to the Father, and YAHUAH our Elohim will make us His treasured possession above all peoples. He will make us a reign of priests and a set-apart nation to reign on the earth in righteousness, accomplishing all of His will. We are the first-fruits of His harvest, the first-fruits of His Spirit, the first-fruits of His Power on the earth.