ReNEWed COVENANT Ministry

SABBATH BIBLE STUDY

1-8

(2019)

IF we have sown unto you spiritual things,
Is it a great thing if we shall reap from you carnal things? 1Corinthians 9:11

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Compiled by JS LOWTHER
renewedcovenantministry.com
servant@renewedcovenantministry.com

In connection to the series that I had offered “why do we keep the feasts?”, this next series is offered, to help further support and encourage the Israel of God in her return to YHWH’s ordained worship according to the Scriptures.
I’d like to add that last year around this time I had offered as series on

THE LORD’S SUPPER
Christian Pascha
Sacrament of the Faith of Jesus Christ

As well as, just a few months back, I had more so established a systematic reason for keeping the feast as Christians under the New Covenant in the series:

“Why Do we Keep the Feasts?”.

How Do We Keep the Feasts?
Part. 10

By Understanding First-fruits

2Pe_1:2-8 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesu(s) our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, for they make neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesu(s) Christ.

This message shall serve as the last in mention to the feast of unleavened-bread , the cHaG eH-MaTzaTh.
As mentioned in the prior message, the sub festivity of the wave sheaf happens with in the feast of unleavened, on the 16th day after the sabbath of unleavened bread. There is a 3 day window of festivity surrounding the Sabbath of unleaven-bread on the 15th day- Passover on the 14th, sabbath and holy convocation on the 15th and the wave sheaf on the morrow after the sabbath, also of course being the 16th day.
In order to understand the timing of this total festivity in correspondence it must be taken as a whole part of the Agricultural year beginning with The Abib.
For many people, of which I shall not give their part, if you are listening to me I will only give you the reasonable catechizing of why we keep the feast’s as we do, and that reasoning comes from some fundamental issues which most calendars which wish to be biblical in nature cannot fulfill and maintain:
1. The Natural fulfillment of the realistic requirements of the feasts and festivities spoken of in the scripture for worship.
2. The Spiritual fulfillment of realistic understanding of the feasts and festivities to nourish our faith which is the substance of our hope.

The fact I’ve pressed several times is this, “If you can not physically materially observe the feast in reality, by being able to do what the bible says as a worshiping body… something is wrong”.
And in most calendars the aspects of The Abib and its agricultural impact upon local worship is unseen in reality. For the child who cannot read, or for the one who is not agriculturally minded, like most people in the industrialized world have become due to harvest equipment and planting equipment that allows 1 man to do the work of 100’s of men (no exaggeration), Yet in ancient times and even in the pre-modern era of industry most people had dirt on their hands come sowing or reaping, and while the reform need back to a bible based calendar and away from the pagan and papist observance had not come to pass, though many a puritan mussed upon this paganism in the midst of the Church of Christ, as to why we had so long sustained months and weeks by the heathen reckoning, those men gave thanks and recollected their spiritual understanding from what they knew from the natural agriculture which sustained their bodies as they waited for that same bodies redemption in fact.
How else are verses speaking of the Spiritual concept of first fruits of the harvest understood except for by considering and lean upon that which is know by Nature and commanded to be observed according to YHWH’s festival Laws?
Every people everywhere who grow and eat cereal grains, like barley, wheat, spelt and rye will celebrate the sustenance of their nation and people in some way, even if in America that means going to the bar that night after harvest, because family celebration has been so replaced by social media and selfish motivations. Every people everywhere who grow and eat cereal grains, like barley, wheat, spelt and rye will celebrate the sustenance of their nation and people in some way; even if in America if that means going to the bar that night after harvest, because family celebration has been so replaced by selfish motivations a celebration will be had . On the other hand, every one who can understand the growth cycle of the harvest have a biblical example to do so, intended for our spiritual understanding. A farmer that has been given the impartation of the gift of faith who considers these biblical festivals will gain more knowledge than the one who spent 10 years getting a doctorate in seminary and is fluent in Greek and Hebrew. However, if that same farmer studied the bible fluently, because he saw the examples harvest first hand in reality, how much more has he been given to comprehend?

And so with this stated let us consider the text starting all the way back at Lev_23:3
I am going to briefly cover the subjects we have focused upon prior only to put them back into consideration of the whole, but then we will move those established points into this next portion of the festivities:
Lev_23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Lev_23:4 These are the appointed-seasons of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Again the system of the weekly Sabbath as the 7th day after the 6 working days as a day of holy convocation and no work is firmly established as leading the festival calendar and those Sabbaths as the ‘seasonal markers’ to encase this time, as book ends or marks, signs of it’s occurrence, which of course correspond directly with the moon’s phases when aligned with the New Moon or cHoDeSh (renewal) and ending sabbatic period of festival intimately connected to the prior months sabbath cycle.
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month between the evenings is the LORD’S Passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev_23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Specifically this is naming the 15th day of the cHoDeSh or renewal of the moon as the lead day of unleavened bread, not in the Hebrew or Greek the numeric first day but the Head day or chief day, the arch-ial day of the feast of unleavened-bread as unleavened bread is to be eaten by the congregation of Israel for 7 days starting with the meal eaten in the first hours of that 15th day directly following evening, the Passover meal prepared on Passover day the 14th day but eaten on the 15th.

Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
This verse specifies the amount of days sacrifice is to be especially offered at the time of the cHaG or feast as starting with the 15th day or 14th at evening and lasting for 7 days until the 21st at evening, that day is directly followed by the holy convocation of the sabbath of Lev_23:3, which would occure directly after evening of the 21st on the 22nd day of the new moon based month.

(New Focus)
Lev_23:9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:10 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 first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11 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.
Let’s move through the text, by point.
1. ‘When ye be come into the land which I give unto you..’ indicates that the land is given to the people of Israel, this is a literal statement, meaning we know it is speaking of the promised land given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the land of Canaan, if we believe the Land given to the Israel of God is limited to Canaan and has no provision or extension into the whole land mass of the earth and all of the places those people of promise have settled in their scattering and dispersion, then that is for one to judge here. Such a limited interpretation goes hand and in hand well will dispensationalist doctrines and replacement theories, that is that in the process of time God had taken away his promises to Israel as a people and has given those promises or has given new promises to other peoples, particularly after the time of Christ.

I am of the persuasion that God has not cast away his people which he foreknew, but has by providence scattered them that a curse upon Israel for disobedience would be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth, in combination with what was spoken in Deu_11:24-25 & Jos_1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
So when is this Law to be followed? ‘When ye be come into the land which I give unto you..’, that is when.

2. “…and shall reap the harvest thereof…”
This is dealing specifically with grain which is reaped and that of the grain of the barley in it’s green state with the hardened stalk that is the Abib.

3. “then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you…”
This part of the first fruit is the sheaf given to the priest, “…to be accepted for you…”, this language seems to imply that prior to this settling of the land given the first fruit sheaf was given by you. This of course regardless this is speaking of the representative head of the house of ones fathers, the elder who represents his family any how which brings the sheaf with him from his respective tribal and familial harvest and gives it to the priest. Why would this deal with the head of the family and not the individual? Namely, that not every person is a grain farmer, and the system of representation is clearly shown from Deuteronomy 1 and the book of Numbers to be mediated thereby. Furthermore, the Levite which is given the tenth or tithe may as well be responsible to carry this first fruit from your respective district to be waved for you. This is a pyramid like system which all the agricultural people in a family give their sheaf, that is gathered up and taken to the priest or Levite and he presumably takes the omer/handful and brings it to the altar attendant priest who will take a handful / omer from that collection and offer it on this day for the whole people as a nation in one wave offering .
This hinges upon the unification of the nation settled into the land or country and worshiping together as a people of covenant.

4.on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
This wave happens on the ‘morrow after the sabbath’… what sabbath?
The day of the wave is speaking of the Head or First sabbath of the feast, the first day of unleavened bread, while it is understandable why some would think it is speaking of the last sabbath and holy convocation of the feast due to the order of the festivals. This is the pinnacle sabbath mentioned within the feast, remember the 22nd day sabbath happens outside of the 7 days of unleavened bread and offering of verse 8.
This is validated in Num_28:21 which speaks of the A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs.. of the feast of unleavened bread as stated next:
Lev_23:12 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.
Lev 23:13 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.
It is for this reason it indicates that the morrow after the sabbath spoken of is in the time of the feast of unleaven bread (historically also), because the offerings match to this point and do not on the days out side of the 7 days of festivity (sacrifice, offering and eating unleavened-bread by the common man).

Lev 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.
This is an important mention because it is a reminder of where ones bread comes from, and it is redounding from the individual, family and tribal contribution towards the wafe-sheaf from all of the tribes, this is because here are two aspects concerning this first fruit offering, 1. a sheaf from the people and 2. that sheaf waved by the priest on this day after the sabbath of unleavened bread.
This is a hinging point often forgotten about concerning this festivity, that as else where described in Deu_16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

All of this starts with “beginning the sickle to the corn…” or as said in the Lxx the “sickle upon the harvest…”. This is speaking in Lev_23:14 of “a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”, this means we are speaking not of upon the altar but that which is brought forth from ‘your habitations’, in both cases the Hebrew is speaking of the home or place of residence in the word habitation and in the word dwelling it is the same ‘MoShaB’ and is focused upon where the public expense and offering comes from, and this sickle to the corn harvest/grain harvest dose not happen on the morrow after the sabbath of unleavened bread, the sheaf of the wave offering had been prior selected and prior sorted, and prior mixed into the public collection from which the priest attending the altar on the 16th day after unleavened bread’s chief sabbath (upon the 15th day) will be taking from and waving before YHWH.
This is coupled with what is spoken of next:
Lev_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…”
So when is the day “ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering”? is it not the same as the day when ‘ beginnest to put the sickle to the harvest” for the first time?
The Sheaf of the inhabitants is sickled for the first time and brought to the heads and brout to the Levites and the Levites and Heads of the tribes bring it to the Altar for one single offering made up of the collections and contributions from all 12 tribes.
The only logical answer for this which I have considered throught the years and that can aswer both of these questions is on the morrow after the 8th day of the cHoDeSh Month, the sabbath as the 8th day after the New Moon of ABIB (today!), then on the following day the 9th day the sickel is placed upon the corn for the first time to take this offering to the altar of YHWH Next week, in exactly one week from that morrow after the sabbath will be the morrow after the 15th day sabbath, and it is on that day that we by first and witness of historical evidence know the wave sheaf was waved before the LORD at the altar; but the sickle came upon the corn prior for the people to bring it to the tabernacle in the days of the tabernacle, to bring it to Jerusalem in the days of the temple after Solomon and in the time from thence to the destruction of that temple from the earth.
Furthermore, this 9th day of the lunar month is both the day after the 1st sabbath of the Month of Abib (8th day) and would answer as to why the text speaks without a specific enumeration, as the 8th day starting on the 7th day at evening is the first seventh day sabbath of that month of Abib in its agricultural meaning.
So when the text says, …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. This is 1st the day of the offering of the Abib-Barley at the altar when it is accepted for you, on the morrow after the sabbath of unleavened bread, the 16th day. And 2. the day of the sickle literally cuts and harvests the first fruit crop of the agricultural year, the ABIB-barley.
It is upon this week the new harvest of grain products: bread, parched and green or fresh corns of Barley are obtained from, from that day of the first sabbath of agricultural Abib to the offering of that first fruit on the morrow after the sabbath of unleavened bread for you the people obstained from grain produce, produced from that year’s harvest.
On this morrow after the sabbath presumably in the morning sacrifice, done in the poetic form the word in Hebrew from morning is BoQUR, that is the ראשׁית / RAShITh, the head or beginning of the harvest of the first fruit offered is the ראשׁית בכורי / RASITh BoKURI as spoken of in Exo_23:19.
Historic firsthand eye witness
Historically, Josephus speaks of this wave day from a firsthand eye witness, as it happened during the time of Christ.
Josephus says in Antiquities, Book 3, Ch. 10, v.5-6:
“The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days. But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God; and, casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest. They also at this participation of the first-fruits of the earth, sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt-offering to God.
6. When a week of weeks has passed over after this sacrifice, (which weeks contain forty and nine days,) on the fiftieth day, which is Pentecost, but is called by the Hebrews Asartha, which signifies Pentecost, they bring to God a loaf, made of wheat flour, of two tenth deals, with leaven…”
This quote is the only descriptive and non allegorical mention of the day of the offering of the sheaf of first fruits I have ever found from a firsthand eye witness, which is the only witness of importance.

As Christians
As Christians who believe in the pre-existence of the Word as the person of Christ, the earthy manifestation and begotten nature of Christ as the son of YHWH God concieved of the holy spirit, bodily resurrection as Col_1:18 summarizes neatly and irrefutably, that …he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. making peace, reconcile all things in earth, or things in heaven. unto himself…
It is for reasons like this the day of the wave sheaf should be remembered by Christians as all of this language particularly of the Greek LXX puts these concepts concerning Christ as the ‘Yea and Amen’ of these things upon this day of the wave sheaf of which we have been exposing in this study; is it not surprising that this Head of the creations of YHWH, this only begotten of the father brought into the world Heb_1:6 as the first born of many brethren Rom_8:29 is the ap-archan / απαρχηνG536 that is the first fruit of the wave sheaf’s representation.
And so it is from this day we continue in the text where we shall leave of for this section to resume
Lev_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:
And while so many, in lazy theology which favors the gnostic concept of learning by knowing rather than learning by biblical reality of the material and agricultural imagery which YHWH Gives as a blessing but which man is required to work with to produce, both of the spiritual and of the physical for Christ’s brothers to learn from, the availability to learn by seeing
Natural understanding teaching of Spiritual concepts
How do we understand the statement of
Jas_1:15-18 …when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
vs.
the portion given to us by the Father, who… Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Or how do we according to
Rom_8:23 understand: … ourselves …having the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Why is this the first fruit and not the harvest of the spirit? what is the difference?
Rev_14:4 or what does it even mean that 144’000 son’s of Israel were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
And How is
1Co_15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
…
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
…
Co 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Co 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Co 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1Co 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body…
1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.