Seeing Jesus In The Seven Feasts Of Israe-l "Seeing Jesus In The Feast Of Firstfruits”

 "Seeing Jesus In The Feast Of First Fruits”

 

Scripture: Leviticus 23:9-14

Summary: The Feast of First fruits points to the resurrection of Jesus.

Series: Seeing Jesus In The Seven Feasts Of Israel 

Date: 23 June 2019

 Introduction

We come now to the third feast celebrated in the Jewish religious calendar, the Feast of First fruits.The Feast of Pentecost represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as seen in Acts 2:1-4 when the disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues on the day of Pentecost: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The children of Israel were commanded to count fifty days after the sheaf of the wave offering had been offered. They were then to offer a new meal offering unto the Lord. When we examine the meal offerings, we will find that there is a distinct difference between this meal offering and the one that was to be offered in accordance with the instructions listed in Leviticus 2.

The latter was an offering of a voluntary nature; this, however, was a command. Furthermore, we read in Leviticus 2:11, “No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.”

Scripture Reading 

Let us rise to our feet and together read Leviticus 23:9-14 from King James Version (KJV)

⁹ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
¹⁰ Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
¹² And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
¹³ And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
¹⁴ And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text in our hearing this morning.... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

sermon

Firstfruits marked the start of the grain harvests in Israel. Barley was the 1st to ripen of the grains sown in the winter months. For Firstfruits, a sheaf of barley was brought to the Temple as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord. It was representative of the barley harvest as a whole and served as a guarantee or pledge that the remainder of the harvest would be gathered in the days that followed. 

Three things about Firstfruits:

1) The regulations are outlined in our text. 

A sheaf (Hebrew - "omer," meaning "measure") was to be brought to the priest at the Temple who would wave it before the Lord for acceptance. There were also to be accompanying sacrifices: an unblemished male lamb of the first year, a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering of the barley flour mixed with olive oil. The people were forbidden to use any of the harvest in any way until after the firstfruits were offered to the Lord.

2) The ritual is detailed in Deuteronomy 26:1-11. 

The order of the ceremony, even the actual wording of the thanksgiving prayer to God, were carefully recorded in that text.

3) The relationship to the next feast. 

 

Firstfruits also started the countdown to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), which was the fourth of Israel's annual feasts. Beginning with Firstfruits, forty-nine days (or seven sevens) were counted, and on the fiftieth day, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was celebrated. 

The Lord commanded: “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath (1st day of Unleavened Bread), from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15-16).

As a result, this was, and still is, known as “the Counting of the Omer” because of the ritual of counting the days from First fruits to the Feast of Weeks.

On the evening of Nisan 16 (6 PM on Saturday), three priests would leave the Temple, accompanied by a crowd of observers. They would go to a barley field for the First fruits reaping ceremony. With sickles in hand and baskets under their arms, the three priests would stand before the pre selected bundles of barley. Then they would each ask the crowd a series of questions: “Has the sun set?” “With this sickle?” “Into this basket?” “On this Sabbath?” “Shall I reap now?”

After receiving affirmative responses, the selected sheaves were reaped until one ephah of barley (approximately two-thirds of a bushel) was gleaned. This was then taken to the Temple and the next morning, it was offered to the Lord in the prescribed manner.

First fruits wasn’t just a national observance. Families observed it, too. They’d select a sheaf of barley to offer, and on the morning of Nisan 16 (Sunday) they’d go to the Temple and present their offering. 

Today, without the Temple, the only surviving ritual is the counting of the omer, the days from First fruits to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).

1. The practical significance of this feast for Israel.

 

A. God is the owner and provider of all things. God claimed...

1) The first fruits of all produce (Exodus 22:29; 23:19; 34:26; Deuteronomy 18:4; 26:2);

2) The first fruits of the bread dough (Numbers 15:20-21);

3) The firstborn male animals (Exodus 22:30; Leviticus 27:26);

4) The firstborn male children (Exodus 13:2, 12-15; 34:19-20; Numbers 3:13; 18:15-16).

This served as a reminder of the principle declared by David:

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” - 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)

B. God has the power to keep His promises.

 

When presenting the offering to the priest, they quoted Deuteronomy 26:3, 5-10: “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us. My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me.”

2. The prophetic significance of this feast for Christians.

We said that the Firstfruits offering was representative of the barley harvest as a whole and served as a guarantee or pledge the remainder of the harvest would be gathered in the days that followed. 

With this in mind, firstfruits is applied in the New Testament in three ways:

A. The resurrection of Christ.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” - 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)

We’ve observed that the Firstfruits fell on the Nisan 16, which would have been the day of our Lord’s resurrection. He was crucified on Nisan 14, the Feast of Passover, laid in the tomb, and His body remained there on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then in the early morning of Nisan 16, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits, our Lord was resurrected. Our Lord’s resurrection is a guarantee to all who would believe that through faith in Christ, they can have their lives changed today as well as eternally.

“The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then Christ is God and the Christian faith is absolute truth.” - Dr. Henry Morris

B. The gift of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a “refreshing.” It can cause the weary to find rest in their souls. It enables believers to express in another language the conflicts that are in their hearts and minds, and find release from them. Yet, many believers are taught to refuse the very remedy God has provided for their soul.

“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” - Romans 8:23 (NIV)

When I trust Christ as my Savior, He dwells within me by His Spirit; and the presence of the Holy Spirit is a guarantee to the believer that my life can be made new daily; and will be made new for all eternity.

Because the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, speaking in tongues has been termed the “Pentecostal experience.” Since the beginning of the twentieth century there has been a renewal of speaking in other tongues called the “Pentecostal movement.”

Speaking in other tongues is a tremendous sign. It is the out rushing of the Spirit of God through the believer. All the manifestations of the Spirit (such as prophecy, healing, and miracles) were demonstrated in the Old Testament in one form or another, except speaking in other tongues.

The Lord reserved this phenomena for the outpouring of the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost to serve as an unmistakable sign that confirms that a person has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What happened on the day of Pentecost had never happened before; God was doing a new thing.

There are basically three aspects of the manifestation of tongues: 

(1) speaking in other tongues as the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit; 

(2) speaking in tongues in our prayer life and worship; and (3) the gift of tongues for the edification of the Church.

When we speak in tongues, we are: 

(1) speaking unto God and speaking the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 14:2); 

(2) declaring the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11); 

(3) magnifying the Lord (Acts 10:46); and 

(4) edifying our spirits and strengthening our inner man (1 Cor. 14:4, Rom. 8:26-27).

Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but there is also the human element involved. We have to do the speaking with our vocal chords. This is our part. However, the words are given by the Spirit. 

Acts 2:4 says, “They began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

 
The Holy Spirit wants to come into us and flow out through us. It is a good idea to start by praising the Lord and worshiping Him in our native language. Then by faith we yield our vocal chords unto the Lord and begin speaking in a new language. We do not have to think about what we say, or formulate the words in our minds because it is a language that we cannot understand. The Holy Spirit bypasses our minds and intellect and speaks through us. We should not try
to make up the words or copy someone else’s tongues. It is as we speak by faith, that the Holy Spirit will give us the
words.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation. It is for the Church of Christ today. We must not compromise on this issue. People cannot scripturally say that
speaking in other tongues is not for today. Peter said in Acts 2:38-39: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise [referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit] is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Peter clearly stated that speaking in other tongues was for his generation and for their children, and that it was also for all those “afar off.” Then he states that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for “as many as the Lord shall call.” This means
that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation. Christ declared in Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” Therefore, you should be assured that this experience is for you as well!

C. The promise of a new creation.

The Lord Himself declared after His resurrection in Mark 16:17 that there are certain experiences that should follow a person’s conversion: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” After we are born-again, we should
be filled with the Holy Spirit, and then continue to speak in other tongues on a regular basis. This is something the Lord has provided for every believer. Therefore, to reject it is to cut ourselves short of everything that God has ordained and purposed for our lives!

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation. It is for the Church of Christ today. We must not compromise on this issue. People cannot scripturally say that speaking in other tongues is not for today. Peter said in Acts 2:38-39: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise [referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit] is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Peter clearly stated that speaking in other tongues was for his generation and for their children, and that it was also for all those “afar off.” Then he states that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for “as many as the Lord shall call.” This means that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation. Christ declared in Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” Therefore, you should be assured that this experience is for you as well!

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” - James 1:18 (NIV)

Those belonging to Christ will be the first of all creation to be made new when He returns. In fact, the work He’ll complete in us upon His return, He has already begun the moment we believed on Him.

“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10 (Easy to Read)

“Do you have any idea how many good works God has prepared for you? They are waiting for you to enter into as you walk in faith and trust and dependence upon Christ. As you do so, you become a vivid display of the greatness and the glory of God.” - Ray Stedman

3. The personal significance of this feast for me.

A. If I am an unbeliever - 

This feast reminded the Jews that God fulfills His promises. Prophetically, this feast points to the resurrection of Jesus, by which He was shown to keep His word. 

When the angel appeared to the women on that Sunday morning, He declared . . .

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” - Matthew 28:5-6 (NIV)

So today, take Christ at His Word and trust in Him as your Savior. He’ll come into your life to start making you new today and just as surely as He led Israel into the promised land, our risen Savior will take you to be with Him for all eternity.

I might promise to meet you, but have a flat tire one the way that prevents me from doing so. Or I might get sick. Or I might forget. But God doesn’t get flat tires or get sick, and he will never forget!

B. If I am a believer - 

In between the instructions concerning the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets is the Lord’s compassionate plea to remember the poor and strangers by not completely gathering all the harvest. Gleanings were left for the less fortunate to harvest so they would have food to eat.

This compassion was also present in the Early Church. We see a touching and beautiful example of this in Galatians 2:9-10: “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me [Paul] they gave to me [Paul] and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.”

God wants us to have a bountiful eye to see the needs of the poor. Proverbs 22:9 says, “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” James 2:15-17 says: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Faith without works is dead. Thus our Pentecostal experience must also help us to reach out to the poor with the compassion of Jesus.

This feast illustrates how I need to acknowledge God as my absolute source for everything in life. He is the supreme owner and provider of all things to me. And since this is true, just as the Israelites acknowledged that by giving an offering that reflected their best, we should also give the best of who we are and what we have to honor our God and Savior.

“In the Feast of Firstfruits God is saying to us, ‘Bring Me the best. Bring Me the first of everything. I must get first place in your life.’ Are you giving Him the firstfruits? Or do you give Him the leftovers? How many people there are who burn the candle of their lives and then blow the smoke in God’s face. How many there are who use their money, time, energy and resources for their own selfish pleasure, and then if there’s something left over, they give it to the Lord. This is not what Firstfruits is saying to us. This feast declares, ‘God gets the first. He gets the best. Put Him first, and He will bless you.’” - Warren Wiersbe, Be God’s Guest - Feasts of Leviticus 23

“Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart; Give Him first place in your service; Consecrate every part.”