There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Feasts (First Fruits)
Daniel 9:25b …there shall be seven weeks…
The context of this series of posts is the course of the Jewish people for the initial 49 years of the 483 year period communicated from the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt post exile. These events are covered in Nehemiah 8-13. Israel is returning to God’s Law. The focus has shifted to God’s appointed holidays. Passover and Unleavened Bread were covered last week. This week, First Fruits is the focus.
Nehemiah 10:33 …the appointed feasts…
There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. They are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
The first three spring holidays were fulfilled on the appointed holiday by Jesus Himself. The name of the feast covered today is First Fruits.
Leviticus 23:9-14 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the LORD with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The third of God’s holidays is First Fruits or Reshit Katzir in the Hebrew. The one day holiday begins on the day after the Sabbath or Sunday on our calendar.
The priest is to make a barley offering of the first portion of the harvest to the Lord. The priest intervenes on behalf of the people. The reality of the holiday for the people of Israel is this. The people bring their grain sheaf to the priest. They are to sacrifice a lamb without blemish. The offering is also to be presented with bread and wine. This is to be done every year in perpetuity.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Jesus had unfinished business for this appointed day of His resurrection. He was going to Heaven to be the First Fruit offering before God the Father in Heaven.
Jesus was the first portion barley offering before the Father. Jesus also brought a grain sheaf offering with Him before His Father.
Matthew 27:52-53 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Jesus is our High Priest and representative before God the Father.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of First Fruits, Reshit Katzir.
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