The Mountain Speaks Again--Sinai fulfilled in Pentecost

Last time, I talked about how Jesus promised to send his followers the Holy Spirit from the Father.   The Holy Spirit would dwell in them, empowering them to carry on with the work of Christ.   Now I want to look more closely at what happened on the day of Pentecost.


Acts 2
 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
 (KJV)

Here was a room of people who were earnestly waiting for the Holy Spirit, a Helper promised by Jesus and sent from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Surrounding this room of Jesus' disciples was a whole city celebrating the holiday of Pentecost. What is Pentecost?

The day of Pentecost marked 50 days from the holiday of Passover.  Whereas Passover remembered the Israelite's deliverance from Egypt, Pentecost celebrated two things, the first harvest of the year and the day that Moses was given God's Law on mount Sinai.


Pilgrims came to celebrate this feast from all over the known world.  Often they came early enough for the Passover feast and stayed on for Pentecost, a month and a half later.   Luke tells us that these pilgrims were devoted to God.  This would suggest that they were well acquainted with story of giving the law on mount Sinai.

The giving of the Law, was the defining moment in making the Israelites more than a gang of refugees.  It set them up as God's peculiar treasure, His favored nation.   If you read the passage in Exodus, look miraculous presence of God. Here's how the first Pentecost looked:



 Ex 19:16 ¶ And when morning came on the third day, there were thunders and flames and a thick cloud on the mountain, and a horn sounding very loud; and all the people in the tents were shaking with fear.
 Ex 19:17 And Moses made the people come out of their tents and take their places before God; and they came to the foot of the mountain,
 Ex 19:18 And all the mountain of Sinai was smoking, for the Lord had come down on it in fire: and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a great burning; and all the mountain was shaking.
 Ex 19:19 And when the sound of the horn became louder and louder, Moses' words were answered by the voice of God.

So in the original Pentecost we have these elements:

When the disciples were in the upper room, look what happened --we had a rushing wind/trumpet blast, cloves of fire and people speaking the words of God. (Acts: 2:11)

No wonder so many people came running to see this phenomena --it was like a mini-Sinai all over again. 

Plus, if these Jews and Jewish proselytes knew the prophetic writings very well, they would have heard the story of Jesus' crucifixion and matched it with the passages of Isaiah 53.  They would also be looking for the promise of Jeremiah 31:

  Jer 31:33 But this is the agreement which I will make with the people of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my law in their inner parts, writing it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

And this promise in Ezekiel:  

 Eze 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

 Eze 36:27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

 Eze 36:28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

They were looking for the Day that God's Law would be put in men's hearts by His Spirit.  

So as the crowds of onlookers gathered to see the spectacle of this they expected to see something about the giving of the Law and God's Spirit!.

The writer of Hebrews compared the first Pentecost with the one in Acts: 

 Heb 12:18 ¶ You have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire, and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind,

 Heb 12:19 And to the sound of a horn, and the voice of words, the hearers of which made request that not a word more might be said to them:

 Heb 12:22 But you have come to the mountain of Zion, to the place of the living God, to the Jerusalem which is in heaven, and to an army of angels which may not be numbered,

 Heb 12:23 To the great meeting and church of the first of those who are named in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of good men made complete,

 Heb 12:24 And to Jesus by whom the new agreement has been made between God and man, and to the sign of the blood which says better things than Abel's blood.

The difference is clear, this event in Acts signals a new way of knowing God, and having His Spirit make the law come alive in our hearts.  Because of Jesus' payment for sin, God can now dwell within men.  

Next time I want to share more about how people reacted to this "New Sinai" and what Peter told the crowd to do to gain this experience for yourself.   I will leave you will the urging of the writer of Hebrews--Listen to God! 

 Heb 12:25 See that you give ear to his voice which comes to you. For if those whose ears were shut to the voice which came to them on earth did not go free from punishment, what chance have we of going free if we give no attention to him whose voice comes from heaven?