“‘You
shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed: even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh.
Leviticus 23:15-16
Leviticus 23 [9.] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. On the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb without defect a year old for a burnt offering to Yahweh. The meal offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for a pleasant aroma; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. You must not eat bread, or roasted grain, or fresh grain, until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Leviticus 23 [15.] “‘You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed: even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh. You shall bring out of your habitations two loaves of bread for a wave offering made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They shall be baked with yeast, for first fruits to Yahweh. You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet aroma to Yahweh. You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before Yahweh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest. You shall make proclamation on the same day: there shall be a holy convocation to you; you shall do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Leviticus 23 [22.] “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.’”
Meaning:
Leviticus 23 sets out Israel’s yearly calendar of feasts. These verses establish the feast later called the Feast of Weeks, and in Greek, Pentecost. It was counted from the day the first sheaf of barley was waved before God, seven full weeks, fifty days in all. On that fiftieth day God poured out his Holy Spirit on the disciples (Acts 2:1).
- “From the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering”
At the start of the harvest Israel brought “the sheaf of the first fruits” to the priest, who waved it before Yahweh “on the next day after the Sabbath.” It was a confession that the whole harvest came from God and belonged to him.
The New Testament sees Jesus’ resurrection in this picture. He rose on the day after the Sabbath, and Paul calls him “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). His resurrection is the pledge of the full harvest to come.
- “You shall number fifty days”
Israel counted seven weeks from the first sheaf. On the fiftieth day they brought “a new meal offering”: two loaves of fine flour baked with yeast, “for first fruits to Yahweh.”
- Fulfilled at Pentecost
Fifty days after Jesus rose, the Spirit came, and about three thousand people were added to the church in one day (Acts 2:41). The feast of first fruits became the day of the first harvest of the gospel. James writes that God “gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures” (James 1:18), and Paul says believers “have the first fruits of the Spirit” (Romans 8:23).
The Significance of Leviticus 23:15-16
- The harvest has begun
Pentecost shows that God’s harvest of people from every nation is under way. Every believer is part of that harvest and is called to share in gathering it.
Cross-References:
1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep." Christ the first fruits.
James 1:18: "that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." Believers as first fruits.
Conclusion: Leviticus 23:15-16 commanded Israel to count fifty days from the first sheaf and then offer new bread as first fruits. Christ rose as the first fruits, and on the fiftieth day the Spirit came and the first great harvest of the church was gathered. The feast calls us to gratitude and to share in God’s harvest.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible