Sermon #51[1]
Leviticus Sermons
Title: The
Feast of Firstfruits
Text: Leviticus 23:9-14
Subject: The Feast of Firstfruits
Date: Sunday Morning—December 15, 2002
Tape # X-35a
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Introduction:
Our subject this morning is The Feast of Firstfruits. Our
text will be Leviticus 23:9-14.
(Leviticus
23:9-14) "And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying, (10) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the
harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest
unto the priest: (11) 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.
(12) And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without
blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. (13) And
the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled
with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and
the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of
an hin. (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."
Did you ever notice in
reading the Scriptures that our God wisely and graciously revealed the gospel
progressively? First, he spoke to Adam and Eve of the bruising of the serpent’s
head by One who would be the Seed of woman, promising a Man to be our Savior.
Then he killed an innocent victim, portraying the sacrifice of our all-glorious
Christ as our Substitute, dying in our room and stead that we might live by his
blood. Then he clothed our first parents with the skins of that slain victim,
typifying Christ’s imputed righteousness, that righteousness in which every
redeemed sinner stands accepted before God in Christ, forever justified.
Throughout the Book of God,
we see the unfolding drama of redemption, act by act, scene by scene, until at
last the Son delivers up the kingdom to the Father, saying, “Lo, I and the
children which thou hast given me,” and presents all the myriads of his
elect holy, unblameable, and unreproveable before the presence of his glory.
In this progressive
revelation of his purpose of grace, the Lord God established seven annual feast
to be observed by the children of Israel, each one building upon the other, and
each revealing a specific aspect of our God’s operations of grace and mercy for
the everlasting salvation of his people.
·
The
first feast established by God was the feast of the passover, which typified
Christ our Passover who is sacrificed for us, by whom we are redeemed.
·
Then,
the feast of unleavened bread was established to portray our life of faith in
this world. There could be no life and no faith without redemption by the blood
of Christ. All the redeemed, all for whom the paschal lamb was slain kept the
feast of unleavened bread because all who were redeemed by the blood of Christ
are born of God and given faith in him at the appointed time of love.
·
Now,
in verses 9-14, we come to the feast of firstfruits, which speaks of
resurrection, that which follows this life of faith in Christ.
We know that this is what the feast of firstfruits
referred to and typified because the Holy Spirit specifically tells us (1 Cor.
15:19-28).
(1
Corinthians 15:19-28) "If in this
life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (20) But
now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them
that slept. (21) For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (24)
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power. (25) For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under
his feet. (26) The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
(27) For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all
things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did
put all things under him. (28) And when all things shall be subdued unto
him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things
under him, that God may be all in all."
The feast of first fruits
was a celebration of God's provision in the Land of Canaan. The feast was
established by divine law while Israel was in the wilderness, but it was never
observed until they came into possession of the Land of Canaan. For forty years
they had eaten manna, the food of their wilderness journey. When they arrived
in Canaan it was time to celebrate the promise of God's abundant harvest in the
land of provision. So they observed this feast, as they did the feast of
passover and unleavened bread just as soon as Joshua had brought them into
Canaan.
(Joshua
5:9-12) "And the LORD said unto
Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.
Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal[2]
unto this day. (10) And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and
kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of
Jericho. (11) And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow
after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame
day. (12) And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the
old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but
they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."
Proposition: The harvest represents all
God’s elect, all who shall be saved in time. The firstfruits represent the Lord
Jesus Christ, the pledge of the full harvest.
I.
The Ceremony—First, let’s look at the ancient
ceremony itself.
(Leviticus
23:9-14) "And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying, (10) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the
harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest
unto the priest: (11) 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.
(12) And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without
blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. (13) And
the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled
with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and
the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of
an hin. (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."
When they planted their
crops the Israelites marked off a specific section in their barley fields. When
the harvest was ripe the men carried a sickle into the field and gathered one
sheaf of barley, the firstfruits of the field. They carried that sheaf to the
tabernacle and gave it to God’s priest. The priest then waved the sheaf along
with the burnt offering and the meal offering.
A.
The priest, of course, speaks of Christ our Priest and Mediator, by whom we come
to God.
B.
The sheaf of firstfruits, as we have seen speaks of Christ. This was waved
before the Lord for the acceptance of the people and of their sacrifices.
C.
The burnt-offering of the he lamb typified Christ, the Lamb of God, by
whom we have atonement.
D.
The meal offering mingled with oil, which was double the usual
amount, represented the very life of the people. They brought that upon which
they depended for sustenance to God as an expression of faith, trusting him to
provide everything for them.
E.
This was to be offered with a drink offering of wine,
which demonstrated that the offering was made willingly, joyously, without
reluctance (Ps. 104:15).
(Psalms
104:15) "And wine that maketh
glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and
bread which strengtheneth man's heart."
All this was done before
they were allowed to gather anything from the fields for themselves. This
firstfruits offering represented the whole harvest yet in the field. They gave
thanks to God for the harvest while it still stood in the field, before they
had so much as one bite of corn from the cob in their mouths.
How forcibly this taught and
demonstrated their utter dependence upon the Lord God for everything. Yet, it
also displayed, ceremonially, a willing, joyful consecration of all things to
their God. They dipped every temporal blessing in the fountain of life before
ever tasting it; and that made it sweet to their tastes.
F.
God accepted both the people and their sacrifice as a sweet savor
with which he was well-pleased.
II.
God’s Claim—Second, I want us to
see and acknowledge God’s rightful claim of the firstfruits as God.
God still claims firstfruits
of everything. The firstfruits belong to him, even before it is harvested. God
claims the firstfruits of everything. He has first claim on our lives. Everything
on the earth, both man and beast, was to be presented before the
lord as first fruits to him
A.
The firstborn of both man and beast
were sanctified (made holy) and presented
to the Lord (Exodus 13:2; 22:29).
(Exodus
13:2) "Sanctify unto me all the
firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of
man and of beast: it is mine."
(Exodus
22:29) "Thou shalt not delay to
offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of
thy sons shalt thou give unto me."
B.
The first fruits of all the earth were
presented to the Lord at His altar
in praise and thanksgiving (Deuteronomy
26:1-11).
III.
The Message—Now, third, I want
you to see that the message of the feast of firstfruits is resurrection and
salvation by Christ.
A. Several
very important and significant things are recorded in the Scriptures as taking
place on this very day.
1.
Noah's ark rested on Mount Ararat
(Genesis 8:4)—Redemption Finished!
2.
Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14)—Deliverance
by God’s Outstretched Arm and Omnipotent Hand!
3. Israel
ate the first fruits of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12)—Glory Obtained!
The
manna that God gave from Heaven during the days in the wilderness ceased
the sixteenth day of Nisan after the people ate of the old corn of
the land. The day following was the seventeenth of Nisan, the day when
the children of Israel ate the first fruits of the Promised Land.
4.
Haman was defeated (Esther 3:1-6)—Foes
Vanquished!—Antichrist Overthrown!
In
the Book of Esther, Haman plotted to kill all the Jews in Persia and Media.
Haman had ten sons. By this, we can see that Haman is a type of the
false Messiah (antichrist). A decree was sent out on the thirteenth of
Nisan that all the Jews would be killed. Upon hearing this news, Esther
proclaims a three-day fast, which would be Nisan 14-16.
On
the sixteenth
of Nisan, Esther risked her life when she came to King Ahasuerus.
The king asked her, in effect, "Tell me, what you want?" Esther
replied, "If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come
this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him."
This was the
sixteenth day of Nisan. At the banquet, the king again asked Esther what
she wanted, and she asked the king to come to another banquet to be held
the next day, the seventeenth of Nisan. On this day, Haman (a type of
the false Messiah or antichrist, as well as of Satan) is hanged.
5.
The resurrection of Christ (John 12:24, 1 Corinthians 15:16-20).
The
Lord Jesus celebrated the Festival of First Fruits by offering Himself
as the first fruits to all future generations (Matthew 27:52-53).
(John
12:23-24) "And Jesus answered
them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. (24)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
On the next day after the
sabbath, the Son of God arose from the dead, standing upon the earth, waved before
God as the true Wave Offering of Firstfruits by whom, with whom, and in whom we
are accepted as a sweet savor to God (Matt. 28:1).
(Matthew
27:52-53) "And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, (53) And came
out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many."
(Matthew
28:1-6) "In the end of the
sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (2) And, behold,
there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (3) His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: (4) And
for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. (5) And
the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was crucified. (6) He is not here: for he is risen, as
he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
(Romans
4:25) "Who was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification."
·
The
Lamb
·
The
Wave Sheaf
·
The
Sweet Savor
B.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the firstfruits, the one who has preeminence
over all things (Col. 1:18).
1. He
is the firstborn of Mary (Matthew 1:23-25).
2. He
is the first-begotten of God the Father (Hebrews 1:6).
3. He
is the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).
4. He
is the first-begotten from the dead (Revelation 1:5).
5. He
is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).
6. He
is the firstfruits of the resurrected ones (1 Corinthians 15:20,
23).
7. He
is the beginning of the creation of God (Revelation 3:14).
8. He
is the preeminent One (Colossians 1:18).
The
Lord Jesus Christ, our all-glorious Savior, is indeed the Most Holy One of God
and is sanctified by the Father. He is the first, the choicest,
the preeminent One. He is both the firstborn of God and the
firstfruits unto God. He is the sheaf of the
firstfruits, the pledge and promise of the full harvest. The firstfruits represent
the whole.
(1
Corinthians 15:20-25) "But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept. (21) For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (24)
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power. (25) For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under
his feet."
(1
Thessalonians 4:13-18) "But I
would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. (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. (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: (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.
(18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
As if that great expectation
weren't enough Paul tells us another great "firstfruits" that
we have already experienced (The First Resurrection—The New Birth – Rev. 20:6).
He wrote to the Roman believers…
(Romans
8:23) "And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption
of our body."
We have received the pledge,
the promise, the down payment, the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit. There is
more to follow! Can you imagine what it is going to be like in heaven in the
presence of the Christ, our God and Savior, for all eternity? We have only
tasted what it is going to be like when he comes for us. The presence of the
Holy Spirit guarantees the promise.
The apostle John was
permitted to see what is taking place in heaven, around the throne of God. He
heard the new song they are singing about the throne. He saw the Lamb, and
those who follow him wherever he goes. "These were redeemed from among
men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4). He goes
forth with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
(Matthew
24:29-31) "Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken: (30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man
in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other."
(Joshua
5:9) "And the LORD said unto
Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.
Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal (LIBERTY) unto
this day."
Even so, come Lord Jesus,
even today!
Amen.