LEVITICUS 54
We will begin in Leviticus 23:14 "And ye shall eat neither bread,
nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have
brought an offering unto your God: [it shall be] a statute for ever
throughout your generations in all your dwellings."
We talked about the importance of the first fruits offering in
the previous lesson. It was very important not to eat of the harvest
before this offering was made. The entire crop was blessed by the
first of the foodstuff being offered to God. This firstfruits offering
of the sheaf of corn and other early crops was symbolic of the
resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the
first fruits feast when He rose from the grave. Jesus was the first
to rise from the dead. Jesus actually purified all the human race for
resurrection when He rose from the grave. I Corinthians 15:20 "But now
is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them
that slept." I Corinthians 15:21 "For since by man [came] death, by
man [came] also the resurrection of the dead." I Corinthians 15:22
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
I Corinthians 15:23 "But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Jesus'
resurrection is a surety that we believers, also, will rise.
Leviticus 23:15 "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow
after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave
offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:" Leviticus 23:16 "Even
unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days;
and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD."
Fifty days later, is the feast of pentecost mentioned above. The
feast of pentecost was fulfilled by the Spirit of God baptizing the
120 with the baptism of the Holy Ghost or fire. This is the
fulfillment of Jesus telling the disciples, He would send the
Comforter. This new meat offering, mentioned in verse 16 above, is the
feast of pentecost. Another way to say this would be the feast of
fifty days. This new meat offering was fulfilled in the earnest of the
Spirit at pentecost. Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also [trusted], after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise," Ephesians 1:14 "Which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of
his glory." Fifty days after the Exodus out of Egypt, the law was
given at Sinai. What the law had not been able to do, the baptism of
the Holy Ghost at pentecost here would do. This baptism would empower
these to continue with the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Leviticus 23:17 "Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave
loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be
baken with leaven; [they are] the firstfruits unto the LORD."
At pentecost, firstfruits were to be again offered to the Lord.
The difference in this firstfruits offering here, was that it was the
first of the wheat harvest. This was offered with leaven. This was,
also, accompanied by a sin offering. Christians were not free from
sin, until they were cleansed by Jesus. Jesus Christ was the
firstfruits during feast of unleavened bread. Christians are
certainly represented here, where there is an offering for sin. Jesus
is called firstfruits, as we said in a previous verse. Christians
are, also, called firstfruits in Romans. The firstfruits at Pentecost
was the firstfruits of the wheat. The great harvest of the wheat
{Christians} is at the end of the world. Matthew 13:30 "Let both grow
together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to
the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in
bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Matthew
13:36 "Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house:
and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable
of the tares of the field." Matthew 13:37 "He answered and said unto
them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;" Matthew 13:38
"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];" To get
the full impact of this, read the rest of this chapter. Then pentecost
is the firstfruits of the harvest of the wheat at the end of the
world. Pentecost is the earnest of the harvest of the wheat at the end
of the world.
Leviticus 23:18 "And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs
without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two
rams: they shall be [for] a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their
meat offering, and their drink offerings, [even] an offering made by
fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD."
This is a list of the technical things to be done at this
offering. Notice, these animals were to be sinless {without blemish}
and they were to be of the first year. The 7 lambs show the complete
work that Jesus did for all of us. Just as the sacrifice Jesus made
for all of us glorified the Father, so these, too, were a sweet
smelling savour to Him.
Leviticus 23:19 "Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for
a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of
peace offerings." Leviticus 23:20 "And the priest shall wave them with
the bread of the firstfruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD,
with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest."
We have dealt fully with these offerings in a previous lesson.
One thing we will remind ourselves of, here, is that even though these
offerings that were waved before God and not burned up, they were
still offered as unto God. The priest and his family lived of the
things of the sanctuary. Gifts that are used in the normal function of
the church are still gifts to God.
Leviticus 23:21 "And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day,
[that] it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile
work [therein: it shall be] a statute for ever in all your dwellings
throughout your generations."
This day is to be treated as sabbath. No work is to be done on
this day at all. The Hebrews were to keep these statutes forever. The
only time that would be permissible to stop sacrificing, would be when
Jesus became the perfect fulfillment of all sacrifice for all time for
everyone at Calvary.
Leviticus 23:22 "And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou
shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou
reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou
shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I [am] the LORD
your God."
This that was left in the field was for the widow and the
stranger in the land. This was a way of helping someone in need
without the person who received the help feeling like a lesser human.
God had made arrangements for those in need. There is a beautiful
story of this very thing in the book of Ruth. Ruth was a widow and was
gleaning for herself and her mother-in-law. We find that not only did
God provide for the physical needs of Ruth and Naomi in this, but Ruth
and Boaz married each other. You will find them in the genealogy of
Jesus in the flesh. God reminded the people, when He told them to
leave some for the strangers and the poor, that He was in fact the
reason they had a good crop.
Leviticus 23:23 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Leviticus 23:24 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the
seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a
sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."
This is what we call the feast of trumpets. This occurs at
approximately October first on our calendar. Of course, since their
month falls on the new moon, it would not always be on that exact
date, but it will be near that date. This trumpet would be the silver
trumpet which assembled the people. Silver means redemption. It is
interesting to note that a trumpet will be blown to assemble the
people in the heavens to meet with our Lord Jesus Christ when He calls
us home. I Thessalonians 4:15 "For this we say unto you by the word of
the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." I Thessalonians 4:16
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first:" I Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are
alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord."
It is very interesting to me, that this happens on the 7th month.
Seven, you remember, means spiritually complete. Many believe that the
catching away of the Christians from the earth will occur on the feast
of trumpets. This, feast of trumpets, certainly could symbolize the
calling of the believers to assemble with their Lord. Perhaps, some
feast of trumpets, our Lord will blow the silver trumpet of redemption
in the sky and we will gather there with Him.
Questions 54
1. What must be done, before eating bread or parched corn?
2. What blessed the entire crop?
3. What did the firstfruits offering during the period of unleavened
bread symbolize?
4. Who is called firstfruits in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20?
5. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made ______.
6. Jesus' resurrection is surety of what to the believer?
7. When is feast of pentecost celebrated?
8. What is another thing that feast of pentecost might be called?
9. What is the earnest of the Christian's inheritance?
10. When was the law given at Sinai?
11. What did the Holy Spirit do that the law could not?
12. What would the baptism in the Spirit equip them to do?
13. Why is the bread offered in this pentecost offering leavened?
14. What is the difference in firstfruits at pentecost and firstfruits
at unleavened bread?
15. What book in the Bible calls the Christians firstfruits?
16. What foodstuff was offered at firstfruits at pentecost?
17. What are the Christians called at the harvest at the end of the
world?
18. How many lambs were offered in verse 18?
19. What does the number of the lambs show us about Jesus?
20. What other 2 offerings are mentioned in verse 19?
21. What does the waving of the offering show us?
22. Of what did the priest and his family live?
23. What were the special instructions given on harvesting?
24. What book of the Bible has a beautiful story about gleaning
fields?
25. What month was the memorial of the blowing of trumpets held?
26. What was the trumpet made of that assembled the people?
27. What does the 4th chapter of 1 Thessalonians tell us about
gathering people?
28. When do a large number of people believe the catching away of the
Christians will be?
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