Lev 23:19 | KingComments | STEP | The feast of the sheaf of the first fruits is for the dwelling places ( ). It refers to our being busy at home with the risen Lord. This being busy is a preparation, a spiritual exercise, for the next feast that follows after fifty days. To this feast another holy convocation is linked. Fifty days after the sheaf of the first fruits, another first fruits is brought ( ). The sheaf of the first fruits is of barley. The first fruits of the Feast of Weeks is of wheat. This is also called “a new grain offering” ( ). The sheaf of the first fruits comes directly from the field and is offered directly to the LORD. The first fruits of the Feast of Weeks undergoes a process of grinding and baking to make the wave breads of it. This new grain offering contains leaven. It comes before the LORD, but not on the altar ( ). This points to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which takes place fifty days after the Lord has risen, on Pentecost on a first day of the week ( ). As a result, the church comes into existence. The sheaf of the first fruits represents the Lord Jesus. The wave breads do not represent the Lord Jesus, but the church. The church consists of people who are sinners by nature. But the working of the leaven (sin) is brought to a halt by the judgment that the Lord Jesus has borne. This we see in the picture of the bread that is baked in the fire by which the leaven is deprived of its working. The bread has to be prepared at home in the time between the first fruits and the Feast of Weeks. That is a time of preparation. It is brought along from the dwelling places. About the fifty days that lie between the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and Pentecost, something is said in the beginning of the book of Acts ( ). In those days the Lord spoke with His disciples “of the things concerning the kingdom of God” ( ), that is about God’s testimony on earth during the absence of the Lord Jesus. The number “two” in the “two [loaves] of bread” indicates that the church consists of believers from two groups of people: Jews and Gentiles ( ). The number ‘two’ also indicates an adequate testimony ( ). The two loaves speak of the testimony of God that is given on earth by the church as a result of the work of the Lord Jesus and is founded upon it. The breads are breads of wheat. The church has the same life as the Lord Jesus. He is the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died, and produced much fruit ( ). The church bears witness to what the Lord Jesus has been on earth. The members of the church show the new nature, that is the nature of Him Who is now in heaven. The church is presented here in the first fruits. Thus the New Testament also speaks of the believers as first fruits ( ; ; ). Many offerings are brought with the wave breads. This is in accordance with the rich fruit of the work of the Lord Jesus. We see this rich fruit in the church. There is now also a sin offering included in the offerings ( ). This is necessary to provide for the failure of our testimony before God on earth. This sin offering is missing with the sheaf of the first fruits, which is a picture of the Lord Jesus. There is also a peace offering, the offering that represents the fellowship between God and His people and between the members of the people themselves. The priest waves the loaves before the LORD. The priest may also eat from it. As priests we may, as God’s witness on earth as “pillar and support of the truth” ( ), wave the truth of the church back and forth before God. We may tell Him how great that is for Him and us. That is also food for us. It gives strength to put this truth into practice. We must remember, however, that it is about Him Who is the truth and Who is presented in the following verse as the mystery of the fear of God: “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” ( ). To the waving of the loaves another holy convocation is linked. The Lord does not want our meetings to be experienced by us as a kind of service work. He wants us to have our services as feasts for Him . Otherwise, “the feasts of the LORD” become “feasts of the Jews” ( ) or a feast of brothers and sisters, which means a great degradation of these feasts.

‏ Leviticus 23:19

The Two Wave Breads

The feast of the sheaf of the first fruits is for the dwelling places (Lev 23:14). It refers to our being busy at home with the risen Lord. This being busy is a preparation, a spiritual exercise, for the next feast that follows after fifty days. To this feast another holy convocation is linked.

Fifty days after the sheaf of the first fruits, another first fruits is brought (Lev 23:17). The sheaf of the first fruits is of barley. The first fruits of the Feast of Weeks is of wheat. This is also called “a new grain offering” (Lev 23:16). The sheaf of the first fruits comes directly from the field and is offered directly to the LORD. The first fruits of the Feast of Weeks undergoes a process of grinding and baking to make the wave breads of it. This new grain offering contains leaven. It comes before the LORD, but not on the altar (Lev 2:12).

This points to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which takes place fifty days after the Lord has risen, on Pentecost on a first day of the week (Acts 2:1-4). As a result, the church comes into existence. The sheaf of the first fruits represents the Lord Jesus. The wave breads do not represent the Lord Jesus, but the church. The church consists of people who are sinners by nature. But the working of the leaven (sin) is brought to a halt by the judgment that the Lord Jesus has borne. This we see in the picture of the bread that is baked in the fire by which the leaven is deprived of its working.

The bread has to be prepared at home in the time between the first fruits and the Feast of Weeks. That is a time of preparation. It is brought along from the dwelling places. About the fifty days that lie between the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and Pentecost, something is said in the beginning of the book of Acts (Acts 1:1-5). In those days the Lord spoke with His disciples “of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3), that is about God’s testimony on earth during the absence of the Lord Jesus.

The number “two” in the “two [loaves] of bread” indicates that the church consists of believers from two groups of people: Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:14-16). The number ‘two’ also indicates an adequate testimony (2Cor 13:1). The two loaves speak of the testimony of God that is given on earth by the church as a result of the work of the Lord Jesus and is founded upon it.

The breads are breads of wheat. The church has the same life as the Lord Jesus. He is the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died, and produced much fruit (Jn 12:24). The church bears witness to what the Lord Jesus has been on earth. The members of the church show the new nature, that is the nature of Him Who is now in heaven.

The church is presented here in the first fruits. Thus the New Testament also speaks of the believers as first fruits (Jam 1:18; Rom 8:23; Heb 12:23).

Many offerings are brought with the wave breads. This is in accordance with the rich fruit of the work of the Lord Jesus. We see this rich fruit in the church. There is now also a sin offering included in the offerings (Lev 23:19). This is necessary to provide for the failure of our testimony before God on earth. This sin offering is missing with the sheaf of the first fruits, which is a picture of the Lord Jesus. There is also a peace offering, the offering that represents the fellowship between God and His people and between the members of the people themselves.

The priest waves the loaves before the LORD. The priest may also eat from it. As priests we may, as God’s witness on earth as “pillar and support of the truth” (1Tim 3:15), wave the truth of the church back and forth before God. We may tell Him how great that is for Him and us. That is also food for us. It gives strength to put this truth into practice. We must remember, however, that it is about Him Who is the truth and Who is presented in the following verse as the mystery of the fear of God: “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1Tim 3:16).

To the waving of the loaves another holy convocation is linked. The Lord does not want our meetings to be experienced by us as a kind of service work. He wants us to have our services as feasts for Him. Otherwise, “the feasts of the LORD” become “feasts of the Jews” (Jn 6:4 ; Jn 5:1 ; Jn 7:2) or a feast of brothers and sisters, which means a great degradation of these feasts.