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319. The Feast of First Fruits

Key Verse: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:20

The festival of First Fruits actually takes place on the day after the Sabbath during Passover. How's that for god's timing! It was meant to celebrate the gift of the beginning of the harvest of the first crop that would come out of the ground. It was definitely a harvest of a grain, probably winter wheat. It was meant to be a recognition of God's provision for the coming year.

Before any of the grain could be eaten, the first of the harvest was to be given to the Lord. The sheaf of grain was to be waved over the altar and a burnt offering of a lamb, along with grain mixed with oil, probably as a cake of some sort, and a drink offering of wine were to accompany the sheaf of grain. Interestingly, however, there is no sin offering required. This lamb was to be a burnt offering, meaning that the body was totally consumed by fire and then the ashes were disposed of, in a Holy place, "outside the camp." (Lev. 6:11) None of this lamb was eaten by man. It was all Holy to the Lord. This offering was totally about celebration for God's goodness and provision, a testimony by the one making the offering, of his or her assurance that more blessing from God, was to come.

The fire would also serve as a form of purification. The lamb was consumed by fire, but the grain was spared and only waved over the sacrifice. No flesh remained. The impure was destroyed by fire and the ash became pure. "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another." (Is.48:10-11) Jesus had always been concerned that His actions would bring glory to God. Now, in this ultimate sacrifice, the perishable flesh was consumed, and the pure, imperishable would come forth to lead the way to victory.

Now, again, we see how even the ordained feasts themselves served as a witness to God's people of the coming Messiah. In John 12:24, Jesus had said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Paul refers to Jesus as "the first fruits of them that sleep." (1 Cor. 15:20) Remember those to whom Jesus had preached between the crucifixion and the resurrection? Now, He is the "first fruit," the hope of an abundant harvest of souls for God.

When we believe this message, then we become a part of His abundant crop. "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God." (1 Peter 1:22-23) Through our love and obedience, we demonstrate that we truly believe in Him.

Peter was remembering Jesus’ words of how we could demonstrate that we truly believe in Him and show the world that we are His disciples, by loving one another. (John 13:34-35) When we do this, we show that we are part of God's crop. His imperishable seed lives within us. We are no longer dead to Christ, but alive in Him and dead to the world. We become part of His first fruits of them that sleep. (1 Cor. 15:20) "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created." (James 1:17-18) So are you?

We are a crop that can feed the world what it truly needs; knowledge of Him who is our head, Jesus. He is the vine, we are the branches.  He is the grain that was planted, becoming the stock that supports us. We are to feed others or be planted to bring a new crop. "O taste and see that the Lord is Good." He is pure and He makes the way for us to become pure and holy as well.


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