The Feast of Firstfruits

Leviticus 23:9-14.
A. The day after the first weekly Sabbath after Passover was used to start the counting of the Omer. The day after was the start of counting of 50 days till the next feast called Pentecost or Shavuot or feast of weeks.
One view is that the word “Sabbath” in Leviticus 23:15 referred to the Sabbath of the week when Pesach or Passover began, so counting would always begin on a Saturday night during Passover that is after the weekly Sabbath had finished.

B. A view, held by many Orthodox Jews today, the counting of the Omer begins on the second night of Passover, that is, the day after the non-working day of Passover making the feast of Unleavened Bread that day.
On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer.
See verse 11 the word Sabbath is it a weekly Sabbath or a Special Sabbath?

Hallelujah, He is risen!

On this Resurrection Sunday, we reflect on Yeshua being our Firstfruits. In Leviticus 23:11, the command is given to observe Hag Habikurrim, the Feast of Firstfruits: “and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” What does this feast have to do with Yeshua’s resurrection?

Yeshua was not the first person to be raised from the dead. Yet, all other resurrected individuals were restored to natural life. They died a second time later. In Yeshua’s case, He was the first to be raised to true resurrection life, where “corruption puts on incorruption and mortality puts on immortality” (I Cor. 15:53-54). He is the Firstfruits of the first resurrection, as He is the only One who has experienced this type of resurrection. Firstfruits always refers to “the first of a series of subsequent fruits.” Indeed, believers will be the “more to come later” someday. Thus, Yeshua’s resurrection fulfilled Hag Habikkurim (Lev. 23:9-14; Num. 28:26-31).

(Based on Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s “The Feasts and Fasts of Israel: Their Historic and Prophetic Significance”)

Background reading: – First Fruit Offerings
23:9 The LORD told Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I’m about to give you and gather its produce, you are to bring a sheaf from the first portion of your harvest to the priest, 11 who will offer the sheaf in the LORD’s presence for your acceptance. The priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a one year old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering in the LORD’s presence. 13 Also present a meal offering of two tenths of a measure of fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma. Now as to a drink offering, you are to present a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 You are not to eat bread, parched grain, or fresh grain until that day when you’ve brought the offering of your God. This is to beg an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live.”
15 “Starting the day after the Sabbath, count for yourselves seven weeks from the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. They are to be complete.
Leviticus 23:9-15

1st day of the week Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday – weekly Sabbath (rest)
 1st day of counting the Omer – Firstfruits 18th Nisan  2nd day  3rd day  4th day  5th day  6th day  07th day
 8th day  9th day  10th day  11th day  12th day 29 Nisan  13th day 1st Iyar  14th day
 15th day  16th day  17th day  18th day  19th day  20th day  21th day
 22th day  23th day  24th day  25th day  26th day  27th day  28th day
 29th day  30th day  31th day  32th day  33th day  34th day  35th day
 36th day  37th day  38th day  39th day  40th day  41th day 29th Iyar  42th day 1st of Sivan
 43th day 2nd of Sivan  44th day 3rd of Sivan  45th day 4th of Sivan  46th day 5th of Sivan  47th day 6th of Sivan  48th day 7th of Sivan  49th day 8th of Sivan
 50th Day – Pentecost or Shavuot – 9th Sivan, 30th May AD32            

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