Shavuot - Pentecost

By Marjorie Kinnee
(Editorial)

Text: Psalm 8:4 - "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him?"

The difference between man and animal is potential. A tadpole can never hope to be anything more than a frog. It's in the genes of the tadpole. No matter that he looks much different than a frog right now, the only change he can make is the process of becoming a frog. Environment or the lack thereof make absolutely no difference, neither does desire. This is true of all the animal kingdom. Once born, it's inevitable; an animal can only be what it is.

But man, now that's a different story altogether. From birth, man's potential is unlimited. He may be born into the lowliest of circumstances and receive none of the benefits of education and wealth, Even so, he is still able to move past the negativity into greatness. Consider Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Helen Keller; their sorry circumstances early in life did not hold them back from becoming notable examples of the power of potential.

What advantage does man have? First, he is a living soul with unlimited potential. His outcome is not inevitable. Whether given five, two, or one talent - man is capable of investing the time and energy required to bring forth fruit. He is like the fertile soil of Jesus' parable of the sower. However, man's capacity (potential) is two-pronged; for good or for evil. It's a matter of choice. Moses pled with the Children of Israel, "Choose life!" Remember, God's law of the harvest (you reap what you sow,) is always in force.

To the Jew, Shavuot (OT) commemorates the giving of the law. At Sinai, God met with man and gave him His law, which included the Ten Commandments, upon which our entire civilization is built. But it was written on tables of stone. They could be read, interpreted, and obeyed by rote, but obedience was an onerous task, one even the most religious had a hard time following. They could carry it with them, but it was always external, a bunch of letters and words. They needed help - someone to explain the sense, meaning, and purpose.

Pentecost (NT) brought God's law home - right into where His treasure lay. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a Man hath found, He hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that He hath, and buyeth that field." (Matthew 13:44 [emphasis mine]- See also Hebrews 12:2.) Into the fleshy tables of man's heart, (internal,) where God's Spirit could do His holy work of maximizing man's potential for eternal good. "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

For further reference see:
Deuteronomy 29:10-15, 29; 30:20; Isaiah 12:2-3; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:21-28, 36, 38; Joel 2:28-29; John 4:10, 13-14,23-24; 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-4, 38-39; Ephesians 2:10-22.