This pattern of seven sevens shows up again in the counting of the Jubilee:
These verses show that the Jubilee and the Feast of Weeks use the same procedure to arrive at their respective endpoints. With the Jubilee, there is a span of years that indicates perfect perfection, and then the next year is a blessing for the entire nation. It was a national reset of debts and land ownership, as well as a land sabbath—the second in a row when the nation would be able to eat from the land without having to sow. It was a year of liberty and providence that came after a perfect span of appointed years.
The Feast of Weeks, then, is like a mini-Jubilee. Both are dependent on seven sevens, whether literal Sabbaths or Sabbaths of years. And in both cases, the cycles of seven remain unbroken. Just as Pentecost is both the 50th day and it is also the first day of the week, so the Jubilee is both the 50th year and also the first year of the next Sabbatical cycle. Pentecost is a day that fits within and begins the weekly cycle, and the Jubilee is a year that fits within and begins the Sabbatical cycle. So, the cycle of seven, of divine perfection, is never interrupted.
When we remember our former enslavement, we have cause to celebrate our freedom in the present, and this leads into a second element in this passage. As we know, the count to Pentecost consists of seven weeks—seven sevens—and then the next day is the Feast. It is the same pattern as the Jubilee, except that the Jubilee consists of seven weeks of seven years instead of seven days. But Pentecost and the Jubilee use the same procedure to arrive at their respective endpoints.
So, God says here to remember the former slavery, which then reminds us of the liberty we have now. Similarly, at the beginning of the Jubilee year, liberty was proclaimed throughout the land for all its inhabitants (Leviticus 25:10). It was a consecrated and holy year, even as Pentecost is a holy day. So, Pentecost is like a mini-Jubilee.
