05/24/2026
Happy Shavu’ot! It’s Pentecost Sunday. The Text this week takes us back to Exodus and the Three Pilgrimage Festivals - Pesach (Passover), Shavu’ot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Booths/Tabernacles). Reading about Shavu’ot in Exodus, Ruth, and Acts reveals a beautiful mosaic of God’s redemptive plan. The word that connects it all is the Hebrew word “Chesed.” “Chesed” is usually translated as "loving-kindness," "steadfast love," "mercy," or "covenant loyalty." There is no single English word that fully captures its meaning.
In the Hebrew Bible, “Chesed” describes the enduring, unbreakable commitment between God and humanity. It signifies an intentional, faithful bond.
In Acts 2:5, we read that on Pentecost/Shavu’ot “there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearingJews from every nation under heaven” (NIV). God-fearing is also translated as devout. Devout is “Chesid” in Hebrew. Those who gathered in Jerusalem were devout followers of God who practiced “Chesed.”
God’s “Chesed” endures forever.