A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 23 (Part 2)

For the next section, I'm going to use the KJV, because the wording is actually a little clearer concerning the reckoning of the days and how they are counted. Leviticus 23:15-16 (KJV)—“‘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: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.’”

 This is the “Feast of Weeks”, or in Hebrew שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). Or, in the Greek, πεντηκοστή (Pentecost). Real simple. But this is a principle that some Jewish teachers (and even some Christian Bible scholars) mess up on. And they do so based on a faulty interpretation of the timing of רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) or “Firstfruits.” See, some think of רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) as always falling on the 16^th of Nisan, or the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, two days after the Passover celebration (remember, the lambs were killed on the 14^th, and the feast was the 15^th). But why the confusion—I have not a clue. Because the wording is very specific, and there is really no room for misinterpretation. You then start counting from the Sunday following Passover (“the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering”), you count fifty days until the day after the seventh sabbath. Now, let’s revisit the day of Christ’s crucifixion for just a moment, and you'll see why as we do—because many people, when they read the gospels, they read that the day Christ was crucified was a “High Sabbath”—even though the text does not use the phrase “High Sabbath”, but rather “high day.” John 19:31—The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day). Remember, during the various “appointed times” you had sabbaths during those times that could fall on any day of the week. The Day of Atonement was a sabbath—it could fall on any day of the week. Passover was a sabbath—it could fall on any day of the week. This particular sabbath (Passover) fell on a Friday the year our Lord was killed.

 The second day following that Passover sabbath (our Thursday) was the weekly seventh-day sabbath. It had to be in order to line up with Scripture. Because from “the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering” until “the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days.” In order for Pentecost (literally, “the 50^th day”) to fall on a Sunday, we must understand that רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)—“the morrow after the sabbath…the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering”—was not simply 16 Nisan, but rather, the Sunday (the “morrow after the sabbath”) following Passover. And one more thing—when God wanted to be specific about an “appointed time” falling on a certain day of a certain month—He said so. For example, Passover was to be 14 Nisan; the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to start on 15 Nisan. Leviticus 23:5-6—“5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.” The “Feast of Trumpets” was to be held on 1 Tishri. Leviticus 23:21—“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’” The Day of Atonement was on 10 Tishri. Leviticus 23:27—“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement.” The Feast of Tabernacles was to be held on 15 Tishri. Leviticus 23:34—“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.” For all these “appointed times” God was very specific in setting a certain day of a certain month aside for that “time.” And yet, for רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), He simply says it is to be on “the morrow after the sabbath,” and that שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) was to be “the morrow after the seventh sabbath…fifty days.” No specific date. And if God meant for these times to be held on a specific date, he would have said so. But because He didn’t, then I believe it is safe to assume these times could have fallen on any day in their allotted month. Perhaps a graphic of the differences between the two reckonings will help:

 

 By this chart, reckoning שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) from 16 Nisan, the 50^th day falls on a Thursday. Is Wednesday a sabbath day? No. Does God know what He’s talking about when he commands שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) to be observed on “the morrow after the sabbath”? Another problem is this: look at the chart—how many sabbaths do you count between 16 Nisan and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot)? SIX. How many sabbaths are you supposed to count? SEVEN. Does God know what He’s talking about when he commands the people to count seven sabbaths between רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot)? As much as I admire men like John Gill, and Alfred Edersheim , Keil and Delitzsch, and many others—I must disagree with their interpretations of the observance ofרֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). They do not fall on specific dates; the day of the week they are to be observed is always on (what we call) Sunday, or “the morrow after the sabbath.” Now, since פֶּסַח (Pesach, Passover) and מַצָּה (Matstsah, Unleavened Bread) and רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) were observed during the month of Nisan (comparable to our March or April), what month is שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) observed? Well, coming seven weeks after רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), this would put שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) sometime in the month of Sivan, what we call late May or early June.

Now that we have the calculation and timing of שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot), we can move on to the next question: what is the significance? Well, for that let’s look and see what they were commanded to do on that 50^th day. Leviticus 23:17-22 (NKJV)—“‘17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’”

Let’s look at a couple of differences between רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) and שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). First, on רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), the people were to bring an omer of the harvest—the bare grain from the field. On שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot), they were to bring two loaves baked with leaven. The symbolism here is fairly clear—the first offering was to show that they were trusting in God that he would give them a great harvest; with the second, they were thanking God for providing the harvest. On רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir) they were to bring one lamb of the first year. On שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot) they were to bring seven lambs of the first year—and one bull and two rams (verse 18), not to mention “one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering” (verse 19)! You bring all these animals as a way of thanking God for providing for not only you and your family, but because He has provided for these animals as well. Because God, in His faithfulness, has added to your numbers—and has provided these animals, which offerings would go toward the forgiveness of your sins. Could this possibly be pointing to some future event where numbers would be added to God’s people? Where people would celebrate the forgiveness of their sins by the offering of a Lamb that God Himself provided?

Well, what do you know—that’s exactly what the symbolism is pointing to! Acts 2:1-4—1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (we will leave the discussion of tongues for another day). The day of πεντηκοστή (Pentecost), or שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). Christ’s resurrection coming on רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)—Christ being the firstfruits of the resurrection (see 1^st Corinthians 15:20) and offering His own sheaf of “firstfruits” to the Father (see Matthew 27:52-53)—it’s only fitting that the first omer of the harvest would then be used to create a lump, leavened by the giving of the Holy Spirit as flames of fire (see Acts 2:3), and would be prepared on שָׁבֻעֹות (Shavuot). On this day God brought together many of His Jewish children from afar—“9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:9-11)—that they may offer thanks and praise to God that He did not simply accept a few omers of bare grain, but that those who were gathered were the increase of God’s fields, being chosen as a select crop, made full and bountiful by God Himself.

And on that first πεντηκοστή (Pentecost) of the new covenant, in thanking God and showing gratitude that He had bestowed the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them, they offered, as did the Israelites under the old covenant, an offering for sin. For after Simon Peter taught the men of Judea that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), they then offered, as their Sin Offering, their repentant hearts. Acts 2:37—Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Should we not be more grateful to God that He has given us salvation through His Firstfruit, and the ability to believe by the giving of His Holy Spirit, than for even the food on our table? Is not salvation and eternal life more important than food? John 6:27—“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Well did Spurgeon say,

“Under the Old Covenant, the Commandments were given. But under the New Covenant, the will and the power to obey are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit. No more have we the Law of God upon stone, but the Spirit writes the precept upon the fleshy tablets of the heart! Moses on the mount can only tell us what to do—but Jesus, ascended on high, pours out the power to do it! Now we are not under the Law, but under Grace, and the Spirit is our guiding force. In the Church of God, our rule is not according to the letter of a law, but according to the Spirit of the Lord! Some people look for a specific ordinance for every item of procedure on the part of the Church. But, as far as I can see, there is a singular absence of written rule and ritual concerning particulars—apart from the two great standing ordinances.”

Part 3 next week

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 23 (Part 1)

We come now to the 23^rd chapter of Leviticus. And in this section of Scripture, God commands the people that they are to hold several feasts, each of which celebrates some aspect of the goodness of God. Some of these we have already covered, so we will simply read the passage and move on. Others we will take a little more time to cover, since they find their fulfillment in either the first coming of Christ, or which will be fulfilled in His second. So, let’s go ahead and get started.

Leviticus 23:1-2—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.’” Whose feasts are they? They are God’s feasts. What is their purpose? To remind the people that God is God; that He is the One who delivered them from Egypt; that He is the One who makes the crops grow; that He is the One who leads them and protects them and that if they do things His way He will bless them. Is God perfectly just and righteous in laying out certain regulations for the how these feasts are to be conducted? Absolutely. They are, after all, His feasts and if He says “Do things this way”—then we are to do things that way. Are they our feasts? No. Then we have no right to quibble with God and say, “Yeah, that sounds like it might be a good idea—but I’ve got this really cool idea that would get the people excited and would bring even more people into the camp of Israel!” God does not accept just any kind of worship. He does not want people worshiping Him because they think it’s the cool thing to do. He will not accept the worship of people who say, “Oh, God’s the cool thing to do! I think I’ll do that!” God is to be worshipped in reverence, and in holiness. 1^st Chronicles 16:29—Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

And yet, just to continue the rant I started in the last chapter, what do we see so much today? We see churches dumbing things down, trying to make Jesus look “cool” in order to appeal to a people that would want nothing to do with Him otherwise. Giving people a “rocking good time” in order to satisfy their senses and tickle their ears. Preaching from (what they call) a pulpit whilst wearing t-shirts that say something like “Jesus is my DJ” or “Jesus is my Homeboy.” Scoot up to the screen and read carefully—Jesus is NOT your entertainer! Jesus is not your homeboy or your boyfriend or your BFF or any other nonsensical notion of Him that you or someone else may have invented. Jesus is LORD!!! And if He is not your Lord then He is nothing! You either worship Him as though He were verily in your presence—or you do not worship him at all. Can we enjoy Him, and can we laugh and cry and express our emotions about our God? Absolutely. He has given us emotions so that we can experience all that God is—our defender who saves us from the enemy; our comfort in times of need; our shelter from the storm; our bright and morning star; our hope, our refuge, our King. But when we fail to see Him even in the rain and in the storm and in the valleys and the contrary tides, and when we only want Him for what He can do for us—then we have truly forgotten the God that he is, and it is in those times when people’s true motives come out, and perhaps they only worshipped an idea about God, that He was supposed to protect us from those calamities and He wasn’t supposed to let us go through these things. But that is not God. He does allow us to go through valleys and deserts so that He may show us that He is God. 2^nd Corinthians 12:10—Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. So let us partake of all the feasts of God, giving thanks in them for making us the people He wants us to be—not just in times of bounty, but in times of distress.

Leviticus 23:3—“‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.’” We have already talked at length about the sabbath, so we will move on to the next passage, Leviticus 23:4-8—“‘4 These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’” And we have also talked at length about the Passover, so we will move on to the next passage. And before we do, I want to make a distinction. Many times we read these feasts as being “feasts”. But it is more appropriate to call them “appointed times.” Because they are to take place at certain times of the year, and in fact on a certain date during the year. These days, we celebrate some days on a specific date (July 4^th, January 1^st), some on a certain day of a certain week in a certain month (4^th Thursday in November, last Monday in May). And why do we set aside those particular days for those particular remembrances? Well, really, many of them are purely arbitrary. What is so significant about November 11^th in our country’s history ? Well, that was the day the Armistice was signed ending World War I. What is so significant about the last Monday in May in our country’s history? Nothing, really. But it does give everybody an opportunity to remember those who have fallen in defense of this country. However, when God set aside certain “appointed times” he had a very particular purpose in mind, and we will see that more as we go along.

Leviticus 23:9-14—9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.’” This is what many call “The Feast of Firstfruits” or what was called, more appropriately, the “Day of Firstfruits” (Hebrewיֹמ הַבִּכּוּרִים  (yom habikkurim)). That term is used interchangeably with the phrase רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir), or “Beginning of the Harvest.” The word (reshit) meaning “beginning” as in the first Hebrew words in the Bible being בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים (reshit bara Elohim), or “In the beginning God created.” And when it says the sheaf was to be waved, don’t think it means what you probably think it means. They did not bring the actual stalks of barley. The word translated ‘sheaf’ is עֹמֶר (omer). They would pluck the heads from the stalk, gather the heads into baskets, and then bring an omer of barley (roughly a little less than a gallon) to the priest, who would wave it before YHVH.

Now, the timing of when this omer was waved is very significant. This is another one of those places where people show their ignorance by saying something like, “what good is it to study all that Old Testament Law anyway?” Because this is very important in understanding how Christ fulfilled that Old Testament Law. Specifically, the way He fulfilled it in His resurrection. And it is by seeing this fulfillment in His resurrection that we can correct some mistaken beliefs that we hold—beliefs which have been ingrained in us by hundreds of years of mistaken belief. What holiday do we celebrate during the spring? Hint: it falls on Sunday, and moves between March and April from one year to the next. Many people call it “Easter”. I prefer to call it “Resurrection Sunday.” Now, there is a certain day that comes just a couple days before Resurrection Sunday, and what day is that? “Good Friday.” And why do people remember Good Friday? Because, they say, Christ was crucified on Friday. And we are about to see why that is wrong.

A couple things to start with: What day of the week did Christ come out of the tomb? Sunday. Before the sun rose on Sunday morning, he was out of the tomb. Second, how many days did He say He would be in the ground? Matthew 12:38-40—38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The popular misconception that Christ died on Friday and rose on Sunday falls apart very quickly when we (1) reckon time properly, (2) take into account that the Old Testament appointed times pointed to Christ, and (3) count backwards from His resurrection to His crucifixion.

First, let’s reckon time like an old covenant Jew, shall we? To do that, you need to do one thing: strip away every idea you know about when our days start and end. Do away, temporarily, with the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the earth revolving around the sun, and instead adopt the Jewish calendar, which reckons a day as starting at sundown. So then, by doing that, the first day of the week begins at sundown on (what we call) Saturday. But really, for us, Saturday night (from sundown on) will now become Sunday night—the beginning of the first day of the week. That said, our time will be reckoned thus, in order:

Sunday night (our Saturday night)—Sunday day (1^st day of the week)

Monday night (our Sunday night)—Monday day (2^nd day of the week)

Tuesday night (our Monday night)—Tuesday day (3^rd day of the week)

Wednesday night (our Tuesday night)—Wednesday day (4^th day of the week)

Thursday night (our Wednesday night)—Thursday day (5^th day of the week)

Friday night (our Thursday night)—Friday day (6^th day of the week)

Saturday night (our Friday night)—Saturday day (Sabbath)

Now, we know that Christ rose from the tomb before the sun rose on Sunday. John 20:1-2—1 Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." So then, Sunday night (our Saturday night) is one night. And if Jesus was telling the truth, and He was to be “in the heart of the earth” for three days AND THREE NIGHTS, counting backwards, we have Him in the tomb Sunday night (our Saturday night), Saturday night (our Friday night), and Friday night (our Thursday night). The “Jesus was crucified on Friday” falls apart already, simply because of the fact that if He died on Friday, and if He meant what He said “in the heart of the earth three days AND THREE NIGHTS”, then even if we reckon time in a Gregorian manner, at best he was in the tomb Friday night and Saturday night—ONLY TWO NIGHTS, not three. For a visual aid, I give you this from Zola Leavitt:

 

How to Read this Chart

First it is vital to understand that the Jewish day begins at sundown and ends at twilight the following day... The chart above therefore indicates the following chronology:

1. Yeshua was crucified and buried on Nisan 14, a Thursday afternoon (i.e., 1/2 day). This was also the "Preparation Day" for the Sabbath of Passover that would begin after sundown that same day.
2. He was in the tomb Nisan 15 (from sundown until twilight Fri. = 1 day)  and
3. He was in the tomb Nisan 16 (from sundown until twilight Sat. = 1 day)  and
4. He was also in the tomb on Nisan 17 (i.e., after sundown Sun. = 1/2 day)  BUT
5. He later rose from the dead that day Nisan 17 (i.e., before sunrise Sun. morning)

(Zola Leavitt Ministries, Reshit Katzir - Messiah as the Beginning of the Harvest, http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/First_Fruits/first_fruits.html).

So then, now counting forward, we see He died on Thursday day. He was in the ground by sundown Thursday (1 day). Then at sundown Thursday comes Friday night (our Thursday night) (1 night), then Friday day (2 days). Then Saturday night (our Friday night) (2 nights), and Saturday day (3 days). Then Sunday night (our Saturday night) (3 nights)—and He is out of the tomb before the sun rises Sunday morning. Three days. Three nights. (You may need to read this a couple times to understand it, since our Gregorian calendar reckons days differently)

Now, what does all this have to do with רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir)? I'm glad you asked! When was Christ arrested? Thursday night (our Wednesday night). The night of Passover Seder. Mark 14:12—Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?" This was the 14^th of Nisan. Leviticus 23:5—“On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover.” Now, you may be asking “But the Feast of Unleavened Bread started the 15^th of Nisan?” True, but the 14^th was the start of the eight-day span when they would eat no bread with leaven. Even though the 15^th of Nisan was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the 14^th was the first day they would avoid eating leavened bread. The lambs were killed during the day on Thursday. As was our Lord. Then, the 15^th of Nisan was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Leviticus 23:6—“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.” This was Friday. So he was arrested Thursday night (our Wednesday night), died Thursday day, in the ground Friday night (our Thursday night), Friday day was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then at sundown began the Sabbath (Saturday night, our Friday night), followed by Saturday day. He came out of the tomb before Sunday day came, and guess what was special about that Sunday day following that Sabbath following the Passover? Leviticus 23:11—“He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath.” On the first first-day-of-the-week after the first Sabbath after Passover came the רֵאשִׁית קָצִיר (Reshit Katzir). On the first first-day-of-the-week after the first Sabbath after Passover our risen Lord appeared! What does Paul say in 1st Corinthians 15:20—But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Oh and one more thing: Matthew 27:50-53—50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. On the day of our Lord’s resurrection, He offered to His Father not only a Lamb without spot or blemish (Leviticus 23:12), but also an omer of the harvest that was to come—an offering of His own “firstfruits.”

But hey, why do we study all that Old Testament Law stuff anyway? It doesn't have anything to do with us!!