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
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
Lev 23:10 "Speak to
the children of
{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.
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.
{D} Christ not to be touched till He ascended to
the 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.' "
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.
Lev 23:10 "Speak to
the children of
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,
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.
