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 … . . .