Leviticus 23:17 - Forerunner Commentary

Leviticus 23:17

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Leviticus 23:17:

Leviticus 23:15-17
Excerpted from: The Appointed Weeks of Pentecost

So, there is a specific sequence. First there is a weekly Sabbath, which we understand to be within Unleavened Bread. On the next day, there is an offering of a sheaf of barley that is waved before God for acceptance. That day marks the beginning of the harvest, as well as the beginning of a span of seven weeks. The day after the seven weeks are complete is a feast day when another wave offering is made, this time from the wheat harvest. So, the count begins with a wave offering, and then there is another wave offering after the appointed time is fulfilled. The seven weeks are basically bookended by wave offerings.

The waving of an offering involved holding it up and then passing it back and forth. It was as though God was examining every part of it. In addition to the wave offering acknowledging God, it also reminded the people of God’s examination of what was being held up to Him, as well as, hopefully, His acceptance.

The two wave loaves that are baked with leaven fit into this. Verse 17 says they are the firstfruits to the LORD. That means they are a representative portion of the earliest and typically best part of the harvest. They are presented to God, but they are given to the priest for his use. The presence of leaven means they could not be put on His altar.

As we know, the word “firstfruits” is used in several ways. Jesus twice is called “the firstfruits” (I Corinthians 15:20-23). A second usage is that Christians have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:23). A third usage is that Christians themselves are firstfruits (James 1:18). A fourth usage is found in Romans 11:16, which says that “If the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy.” The context suggests that it is talking about Abraham. He was the early part of God’s work anciently. Along similar lines, a fifth usage is that the nation of Israel was also the firstfruits of what God was doing then (Jeremiah 2:3; Hosea 9:10).

Because there is a variety of uses, we must evaluate carefully before plugging one into the ritual here. In fact, when we look at all the instructions here, none of those symbolic uses of firstfruits provides a seamless fit. Most of them don’t fit at all. A major difficulty is the fact that the two loaves are baked with leavening, which is a consistent symbol for corruption throughout the Scriptures. That immediately rules out both Christ and the Spirit from being in view here.

But the leavening also poses a significant problem for identifying the church as the wave loaves. The New Testament teaches that when we are in Christ, we are unleavened. Paul says in I Corinthians 5:7, “You truly are unleavened.” He is very clear. We are unleavened because of Passover and the covenantal relationship it pictures. It is a state of imputed righteousness because we are in Christ, who is completely unleavened. So, it would introduce a contradiction to say that the two loaves represent the church in general.

However, there is a way out of the dilemma if we remember what God says these two loaves are. We need to further refine what is really in view here. Verse 16 says they are a grain offering. They consist of fine flour made from the first part of the wheat harvest, but they are specifically identified as a grain offering, which is a highly significant detail. In terms of symbolism of this ceremony, it changes everything.

As a review, the grain offering pictures the fruit of one's labors out of what God has given for the benefit of others. Back in Exodus 23, we read that God calls this Feast, “the firstfruits of your labors.” The grain offering typifies dedication to fellow man through making use of what God has given, and this service toward fellow man is then an offering to God. Unlike the burnt offering or the sin offering, the grain offering is not substitutionary. That means it does not represent an individual or a group. Instead, it pictures the individual's labors from God's bounty. It pictures devotion to others, including … . . .

Leviticus 23:9-21
Excerpted from: Let the Saints be Joyful in Glory!

Leviticus 23:9-21 outlines God's instructions for the wave sheaf offering, the seven-week count, the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. And when we understand the purpose of God's holy days and how they outline God's plan of salvation, we see that this entire period focuses on what the first of the firstfruits has made possible by preparing the saints for God's spiritual harvest. Now the full impact of the wave sheaf offering on God's people becomes clear when we recognize the importance of the counting required for observing Pentecost.

So the wave sheaf consisted of an omer of barley still on the stalk and cut at the start of the spring harvest. Now because it came from the very beginning of the firstfruits, it is called the first of the firstfruits. So each Israelite with a harvest was required to offer an offering. Then a priest would lift and wave each sheaf before God for acceptance. Now in the Old Testament, the wave sheaf offering represented a thankful acknowledgment to God as the Giver of the harvest. In this way, it was sanctified or dedicated to Him.

Now in the New Testament, the spiritual purpose of this offering is revealed. The Old Testament places God's festivals within the agricultural harvest. But in the New Testament, these agricultural harvests become types of God's spiritual harvest of people into His Kingdom. So this period begins with the offering of the barley sheaf symbolizing Christ and then ends 50 days later with two leavened loaves representing God's people, imperfect yet accepted into His Kingdom. Together, these elements illustrate the full scope of God's work with His firstfruits, from Christ's perfect sacrifice to inclusion of His followers in His Family.

The Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths of the Hebrews
The Sabbath During the Day of Temptation

Articles

Prepare to Meet Your God (Part Five): Religion and Holiness
The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Three): The Meal Offering

Bible Studies

Holy Days: Pentecost

Booklets

Prepare to Meet Your God! (The Book of Amos) (Part Two)

Essays

Do Not Confuse the Lessons (Part One)
Pentecost and Symbolism (Part One)  (2)
Pentecost and Symbolism (Part Two)
Pentecost's Two Leavened Loaves (Part One)
Pentecost's Two Leavened Loaves (Part Two)
The Blessing of Firstfruits
The New Testament Day of the Wavesheaf (Part One)
The Work of the Firstfruits
The Work of the Firstfruits

Sermons

Psalms: Book Two (Part One)
Offerings (Part Three)
God's Spiritual Harvest
Who Are You?
Patience With Growth
The Church, One Body
By Every Word of God
God's Holy Days — Our Shared Vision Of Hope
How Much Leaven Can God Take?
Pentecost and Hope
Why Count Fifty Days?
The Sacrifices of Leviticus (Part 5)
Psalms: Book Two (Part Three)
Patience With Growth
Boaz and Pentecost
Principled Living (Part Six): Becoming Holy
Spiritual Maturity
God's Spiritual Harvest
Jesus in the Feasts (Part Two): Firstfruits
How to Count to Pentecost in 2025
Firstfruits to God
God Expects a Return on His Investment (Part One)
Our Affinity to Christ
Pentecost and Hope
Boaz and Pentecost
Letters to Seven Churches (Part Ten): The Church
Are God's Holy Days To Be Kept Today?
Do You Recognize This Man? (Part 4)
The Spirit and the Way
Patience With Growth
Psalms: Book Two (Part Three)
Faithful, Following Firstfruits
Made His Wonderful Works to Be Remembered (Part Two)
Themes of Ruth (Part Three): Redemption

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