LCoG Articles - Wavesheaf

WAVESHEAF

SHOULD THE WAVESHEAF CEREMONY BE KEPT TODAY?

WHAT IS ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR US TODAY?

WHAT DOES THE CEREMONY MEAN AND WHAT DOES IT TYPIFY?

ONE OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE CEREMONY OF THE WAVE SHEAF.

Lev 23:10 “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.

Lev 23:11 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.

Lev 23:12 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.

Lev 23:13 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.

Lev 23:14 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 ceremony is to be kept forever in your generations just as the Passover is to be kept forever.

The Wave Sheaf pictures Jesus Christ offering Himself to the Father on behalf of God’s people.

NOTE THE SIMILARITIES

{A} Sheaf to be waved the morrow after the Sabbath.

Lev 23:11 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.

{A} Christ was first seen after He was raised on the first day of the week.

Joh 20:1 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.

Joh 20:2 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.”

Joh 20:3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.

Joh 20:4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

Joh 20:5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

Joh 20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,

Joh 20:7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

Joh 20:8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

Joh 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

Joh 20:10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Joh 20:11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

Joh 20:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Joh 20:13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

Joh 20:14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

Joh 20:15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Joh 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).

{B} The Israelites were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits

{B} Christ is called the firstfruits, Christ is the first of the firstfruits.

1Co 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

{C} The sheaf is to be accepted by the Father for the Israelites.

Lev 23:11 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.

{C} Christ ascends to the Father. This is when Christ’s God and Father becomes our God and Father.

Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

{D} No grain to be eaten till an offering is made to God.

{D} Christ not to be touched till He ascended to the Father.

Christ has fulfilled both the Passover and the Wave Sheaf, but only the Passover ceremony is kept by the church. The reason is revealed in scripture, and is quite amazing.

Read these words in the following verse.

When you come into the land which I give to you.

The ceremony was not to be kept till the Promised Land was reached.

Joshua kept the Wave Sheaf offering when he entered the Promised Land.

God’s people will not keep the Wave Sheaf ceremony until they have God’s Spirit of power {eternal life inherent}. The article Eternal Life shows that God gives His Spirit when He is satisfied that we have the knowledge of the Father and a proper love of the brethren. And we obey God. {At baptism we receive the down payment of God’s Spirit, it is called the Ernest of the Spirit or pledge of the Spirit}. The Holy Spirit of power is given much later.

Eph 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Also see our articles God the Father revealed as well as Called, Chosen and Faithful.

If we reject these requirements we will also reject the Wave Sheaf ceremony.

As the day of Pentecost is counted from the day the Wave Sheaf is offered it would seem an appropriate offering would be:

1. To offer ourselves to God as one of the firstfruits.

2. An offering of thanks to Jesus Christ for His sacrifice.

3. An offering to God the Father for the knowledge of eternal life.

This offering should take the form of a prayer of thanksgiving as the following scripture indicates:

Psa 116:17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.

Heb 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.