That was the day when, once they were in the land, the nation waited until God was acknowledged with an offering of firstfruits before they started harvesting the barley. Deference to God came first. In the New Testament, Jesus is identified as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Once He was raised and accepted by the Father, then the spiritual work could begin. But He had to go first. And here we find a parallel with God going first. He went before Israel so they could make this journey of seven weeks.
