The Feast of Firstfruits
Lev 3:9-14 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted.
On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Now pardon me if there seems to be some confusion presented in the next statement.
Don't kill the messenger, I am reporting what I've found. We'll look for the answer in a moment. According to the
Bible-Truth website, "First Fruits is held on the Sunday following Unleaven Beard. 21st of Nisan. (Lev 23:10-11) Passover begins in 14th, Feast of the Unleaven Bread on 15th, and the Feast of the First Fruits on 21st. They are referred to as one feast. There are remaining the feasts are Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles, Lights and Purim for a total of seven feasts." [sic]
The question becomes, when does the Feast of Unleavened Bread begin? Was it held on 14 Nissan or did it "drift"? But before we consider this, it will serve our clarification purpose to look at the date given in the Bible for the Wave Offering (of the Feast of Firstfruits). In Lev 23:10-11 we see, "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.
The "Wave Offering" is on the morrow, after the Sabbath. The "Bible-Truth" website author goes on to cite Scripture. I like that. Here we are then, "The scriptural notices of these rites are to be found in Ex 29:24,28; Le 7:30,34; 8:27; 9:21; 10:14,15; 23:10,15,20; Nu 6:20; 18:11,18,26-29 etc. In conjecturing the meaning of this rite, regard must be had that it was the accompaniment of peace offerings, which were witnesses to a ratified covenant --an established communion between God and man.”
- Since the feast of the Unleaven beard was seven days long, it would have one Sunday and that Sunday would be First Fruits each year. [sic]
The Feast was a thanksgiving offering to God for His goodness in providing food from the land for the Israelites. There was a national offering (Lev. 23:10-17) and individual offerings (Exod. 23:19, Deut. 26:1-11). The First Fruit offerings went to support the priests.
Wave Offering: It was initiated at the consecration of Aaron and the beginning of the Aaronic priesthood (Exod. 29:24-28). It was associated with the peace offering that symbolized a right spiritual relationship with God. In the peace offering a worshiper would bring a bullock, a lamb or a goat, male of female and the this offering followed the Sin Offering.
The wave and heave offering were a part of the peace offering.
Leviticus 23:14 mentions the start of a seven (7) Sabbath (or 49 day) countdown. This is seen in the New testament when Jesus commanded, "Wait for the Promise of the Father." The disciples waited. They were filled with the Holy Ghost when the time came as they clustered together in that upper room. Notice also the joy (wine) of the Nazarite mentioned in Numbers 6:20.
Read more at: BibleTruth.org, a website hosted by a self-described Independent Fundamental Baptist.
Okay, we've gleaned several truths from this. Here we see that another feast is celebrated and that it is directly associated with the First (Spring) Harvest as well as the Priesthood. This is a week long celebration that begins "on the morrow, after the Sabbath". Within the Feast of Firstfruits, we see a wave offering (to be consumed by the people) and a heave offering (to be consumed by the Priests). We also see this as the start of a 49 day countdown to what we know call Pentecost and also called "the fiftieth day" and celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai when it was written on stone. This feast is still celebrated as Shavuot. This is the day that we know from the Prophecy of Joel, quoted by Peter, that mentions the Promise of the Father that is given to you and to your children and for all who are far off --for all whom the Lord our God will call (see Acts 2:39).
So when does the Feast of Unleavened Bread begin? For this, we turn to the book of Leviticus and chapter 23
Leviticus 23 (NKJV [& GWF]) said:
The Feasts of the LORD
1 And the LORD [YHVH] spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them:
‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
these are My feasts.
The Sabbath
3 'Six days shall work be done,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation.
You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
4 'These are the feasts of the LORD,
holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.
5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month
is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD;
seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation;
you shall do no customary work on it.
8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days.
The seventh day shall be a holy convocation;
you shall do no customary work on it.'"
See also Exodus 12:18-19
[Exodus 12:18-19] “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses…”
- Does "until" include or exclude the 21st day? Is this a seven or eight day period?
[Leviticus 23:4-6] "These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”
- Leviticus (Nisan 15) seems to contradict Exodus (Nisan 14). When does The Feast of Unleavened Bread begin?
Answers found presented in next post.