BY HAROLD LEE
We in God's Church understand very well the commands that
are given to us regarding the requirements to observe this Holy Day and their
seasons. And lately we here in
I just want to throw a few numbers out that may or may not be totally accurate, but I'm just trying to get a basis of comparison. Sometime in my mind it helps to sort of try to quantify things. And just for the sake of illustration, let's just say on the earth today there are 100,000 people that God is working with. And that's probably perhaps a high number. It's perhaps a low number. I don't know, but it was an easy number for me to divide. So I came up with a 100,000. So if you want to have a different number, that's fine too. I won't argue.
But according to the CIA estimate—there's a web site—in
Brethren, I hope as we come together to keep the assembly that we appreciate not just how privileged and how blessed we are, but that we also thank God for the calling, because there wasn't a one of us that figured this out on own. There was not one of us that came to this on our own. God had to call us. God did the inviting.
Exodus 23 verse 14.
Exodus 23:14. "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15) "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed
And I thought it's interesting because again we talk about appointments.
Exodus 23:15b. at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16) "And the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17) "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the [the Eternal] your GOD. (NKJ)
God has given us three distinct Seasons representing three very distinct elements of His plan. And we should endeavor not only to worship Him but to use these times to come to a more complete understanding and appreciation of God's plan and our part and our responsibility into it.
Turn over to Leviticus 23 for more information. And the book of Leviticus literally means
"pertaining to the Levites."
And it was an instruction manual given to the Levites regarding their
various duties. And if you go through
the book, part of the contents of the book was given to Moses starting with his
trip up on
If you will remember, He prohibited the Levites from drinking alcohol prior to their carrying out their assigned duties following the incident with Nadab and Abihu. And it doesn't say that they were impaired by that, but the implication was perhaps, because remember during a Holy Day, the Levities, of course, the peace offerings and that they did eat and drink of those. And so here was a case where God said, "Okay, you're not going to do that anymore." If you'll remember they died because they offered the polluted fire on the altar.
Most of the chapters—and I'll just ask you one day go through this. Almost every chapter starts with the verse
Leviticus 4:1. Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (NKJ)
Or
Leviticus 11:1. And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying (NKJ)
So again it's very clearly the instructions that He was
giving. And the clear intention was for
them to pass it on not only to the Levites as to how they were to behave, but also
to all of
Leviticus 23 and verse 9, it says
Leviticus 23:9. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10) "Speak to the children of
Now while they were wandering in the desert, the Israelites didn't have the normal agrarian society of planting and harvest, those cycles. They didn't plant during that time. They didn't farm. But as soon as they got into that mode, in other words when they arrived at the land where they were to settle down, they were to receive their inheritance. God instructed them to observe that as soon as they resumed their farming.
It's interesting that when I read this, it says to "bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest." It's a very unspecific translation because it says "a sheaf." I want to read that out of The Tanakh because I think The Tanakh is much more correct. And I'll read it out of it. It says,
Leviticus 23:10. Speak to the Israelite people and say to
them: When you enter the land that I am
giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf
of your harvest to the priest. (TAN)
See it wasn't just, "Let's cut it down" and then grab a handful and go and present it to God. Those of you that have studied know very well that there was a lot of ceremony that was surrounding the cutting of that sheaf. And it was barley because it ripened earlier. But that sheaf that was cut so it wasn't just a sheaf as we would think of an automobile or an item. It was the first and I do think that that's important.
Verse 11,
Leviticus 23:11. ''He shall wave the sheaf before the (Eternal), to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. (NKJ)
I looked at that word "wave" and I know we've talked about it a little bit. But The New Jerusalem Bible translates "present." The Tanakh is "elevate." The Brenton English Translation is "to lift up." It's from the Hebrew word; it's Strong's number 5130, nuwph (noof). And there has a number of definitions to it. I just want to read these because I think a there's a purpose to using this word. It's a primitive root; and it means "to quiver, to vibrate up and down, or rock to and fro." It's used in a great variety of applications including—and here's what I though was important—"sprinkling, beckoning, rubbing, bastinadoing (and I'll talk about that; that's a word we're not familiar with), sawing, waving, etc." And it means "to lift up, to move, to offer, to perfume, to send, to shake, to sift, to strike, and to wave." So this word many has meanings.
Turn over to Isaiah chapter 52, Isaiah 52 and verse 14. I think if you start looking at the expanded meaning of this word nuwph, 5130, those definitions, those meanings, those alternate meanings all fit what Christ did. They all have an application. I should have told you to set a marker. But first before you turn, set a marker. Anyway we'll come back to it. But Isaiah 52 and verse 14, it says,
Isaiah 52:14. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; (NKJ)
"Bastinadoing" means whipped or tortured. It means to strike. And this word nuwph, which is to raise
up, one of the meanings is to do that is to strike. It's to bastinadoing, in other words to
whip. And Jesus Christ certainly did
that.
Continuing on verse 15,
Isaiah 52:15. So shall He sprinkle many nations.
And again, another meaning of that word 5130 nuwph is
to sprinkle.
Isaiah 52:15. So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; (NKJ)
And in your own study you can read how the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, again a term that we were very familiar with.
Isaiah 52:15b. for what had not been told them they
shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. (NKJ)
Another definition, as we mentioned, was to lift up. Look over in John chapter 8 and verse 28.
And I want to focus on this because keep in mind, as was mentioned in the sermonette, it was mentioned yesterday; what we're doing today is really keyed directly off of that original, the first of that Wave Sheaf, which is what we started the count with. So, the two are inextricably tied together.
John 8 verse 28,
John 8:28. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. (NKJ)
So again, another meaning of that word nuwph, to lift up, Christ perfectly filled that.
Another definition—look over in Amos 9 verse 9—is to
sift. The Minor Prophets get hard to
find. They're just about two pages long
and they're sort of hidden in the back.
Amos 9 and verse 9, it says
Amos 9:9. "For surely I will command, and will
sift the house of
And that word is 5128.
It's the future active voice. He
said, "I shall sift."
But it's from the same family.
5130 is the nuwph and 5128 nuwa (noo'-ah). Again, it's the future active.
This past Feast in
Be turning over to Ruth chapter 3. But it's a story of love and redemption
between Boaz and Ruth who were kinsmen.
And it is a perfect analogy of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the
firstfruits. Notice in Ruth 3 verse 1,
it says,
Ruth 3:1. Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? (NKJ)
So she was trying to give her security.
Ruth 3:2. "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, (NKJ)
And notice what Boaz is doing.
Ruth 3:2b. he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. (NKJ)
So when the future bride was sent to Boaz, what was he doing? He was winnowing barley just as it said. He was sifting. Again, a perfect analogy of what was taking place was between Boaz and Ruth. But his job—just as Christ's was—was to sift.
And that's what winnowing is. You've got to either at night it's usually with a fan because there's not a breeze; during the day they will throw the grain that's been walked on by the cattle in the air and the wind will carry away the lighter parts, the husks, and the meat, or the best part, will fall back to the ground. At night there's usually not a breeze and they have a winnowing fan. They have either someone with a fan waving or some apparatus that will cause an artificial breeze. But anyway that's what he was doing.
I also find it's interesting that it was at night. And I do think that the winnowing of the barley takes place during a dark time. If we even look at ourselves as that harvest that's being done, certainly God has called and is dealing with man during the dark period, the period when Satan is the god of the world. And I just think that is significant. And I think when we consider our calling, we understand, as I hope to illustrate a little later, that we've been called in the harsh times of man's existence.
Turn over to Matthew chapter 3. Keep in mind Ruth and the winnowing the barley. Matthew 3 and verse 4 and it says,
Matthew 3:4. And John himself was clothed in camel's
hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild
honey. 5) Then
The story of coming to God and the need for repentance is not let's say a post-New Testament. That was always even as far back as you will remember. Cain, when God confronted him about his offering and He said, "Look, if you do well, if you repent, you'll be accepted." So again it's a consistent message.
Matthew 3:9. "And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' (NKJ)
In other words, "We've got some right to this because of our lineage."
Matthew 3:9b. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10) "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11) "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (NKJ)
Interesting, hearken ahead to Acts chapter 2.
Anyway continuing on,
Matthew 3:12. "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, (NKJ)
What is Christ doing right now? He's sifting and He's separating the wheat from the chaff.
Matthew 3:12b. and gather His wheat into the barn; (NKJ)
The precious part of the blast gets gathered.
Matthew
Perhaps the subject would be a better sermon given during The Days of Unleavened Bread, but I would just encourage, challenge—I don't know the right word—to conduct your own Bible study on this concept of the Wave Sheaf Offering. And you can see that every nuance of the meaning of the word nuwph and its derivatives perfectly describe Jesus Christ and all of His functions that He has performed. Let me just give you The Authorized Version. It's used thirty-seven times. It's used "wave" sixteen, "shake" seven, "offer" five, "lift up" four, "move" one, "perfumed" one, "send" one, "sift" one, and "strike" one, so the thirty-seven. Those are the utilizations of it. Again, it's a very broad word. And it's interesting, as we will see, that this word "wave" as it refers to The Wave Sheaf is a different word as the "wave" of the Two Wave Loaves. They're not the same word. And I thought that was significant, because obviously all of these attributes do not apply to the firstfruits.
Okay back to Leviticus 12, where I believe is where I told you to set a marker—Leviticus 23 verse 12. Continuing on in Leviticus 23,
Leviticus 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. 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. (NKJ)
Continuing on,
Leviticus 23:15...'And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16) 'Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17) 'You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. (NKJ)
And the quantity has already been mentioned. It's a fairly large quantity.
Leviticus 23:17b. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. NKJ)
I want to just break that down a little bit and kind of put that under a microscope. There are two loaves of two-tenths of an ephah or two-tenths of a deal depending on the translation.
As long as I can remember, we've wondered, speculated at to why are there two loaves? It's obvious there are and some thought it represented the firstfruits from the first covenant, the Old Testament patriarchs, and the other loaf represented the firstfruits from the new covenant or the New Testament. Some feel that the two loaves represent the firstfruits that are alive at Christ's return and the other represents those that will be resurrected. There are others that have speculated that one loaf represents the firstfruits from the Israelite tribes and the other loaf represents the firstfruits from the Gentile nations.
Now let me tell you what I think. I don't know! I have no idea. I would tell you that using human logic there are elements of all of those that go, "Yeah, yeah. That could happen. That could be." I just simply do not know. And I don't know that it would be something that I take off the gloves and argue about. It's just simply there and I think one day we'll know, "Ah." Again, there's elements, but here's what I think everyone agrees on and I firmly believe and that is the two loaves represent the entirety of the firstfruits' harvest. However you slice and dice it and you say, "Well, this is it," it represents the firstfruits from the cutting of that first Wave Sheaf through that fifty-day harvest.
And actually, as we know, you're not going to be harvesting on the Sabbath. I think if you kind of get down to it, you're left with about forty or forty-one days, because you've got the seven Sabbaths that they wouldn't be harvesting. You've got the one before Pentecost and Pentecost which was then the fifty. So you have those. Plus the fact—keep in mind—it was leavened and you can't bake on the Sabbath. So it had to be Friday. But to be leavened it would had to have been kneaded and mixed up the day before. So what went into it about forty, forty days, forty-one. I don't know. I haven't really sat down and counted up really what it was, but we just know that that is—I believe everyone, no one argues—that that does not represent the entirety of the firstfruits.
But the word that's used here "two"—and again I'm not trying to say, "This is what it is." I just think sometime to understand a word could perhaps give us a little deeper meaning and maybe more of an appreciation. The word "two" where it talks about the two loaves is from the Hebrew word. It's Strong's 8147 and it's shenayim (shen-ah'-yim).
Brown, Driver, and Briggs says, "It's translated 'two.'" But here's the meanings of that "two." "Two" as the cardinal number, "two" both double or twice. The other is the ordinal number. In other words, second. In other words, that same word shenayim can mean the second. And I'm not saying this is it. I just think that it's perhaps a good way to look at that number, because Christ was the First. He was the First of the firstfruits. And those two loaves which are the firstfruits really come after. In fact they're derived from Him. And even the Hebrew word—and I'm not saying there wasn't two loaves, there was—but that word "two," that's translated "two," also can mean second. And that can be second in importance, which I believe it is, because, again, if there wasn't the First, if it wasn't Christ and Him being the Original, the First of the firstfruits, there would not have been a second.
I also think it helps—I remember at the football games they
had the rubber fingers, "We're Number One! We're Number One!" And I think here there it's I think there is
some joy in "We're Number Two!"
We're not First. Christ is Number
One and we're second. He is the One that
blazed the trail and we're following Him.
And, again, I don't want to use the word "pride," but there
can be some comfort, some deep comfort in "We're second! We're Number Two!"
Let's go back to verse 17, repeat it.
Leviticus 23:17. '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. (NKJ)
And this word, if you look up "two wave loaves"
is a different word than when it referred to the Wave Sheaf (Leviticus
Leviticus 23:17. 'You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah.
And this word "two-tenths of an ephah" is actually,
well actually wave loaves is two-tenths.
It's actually two Hebrew words, shenayim which we've talked
about, and then the second word, two-tenths of an ephah, is the word íssârôwn
(is-saw-rone′) 6241. I hope
I'm not getting too tedious in this. As
I looked at this, sometimes the closer you look, the bigger something
gets. It magnifies it. And I just I found it very humbling. But this word íssârôwn Strong's
6241—now remember shenayim can mean two.
It can also mean second in order.
Íssârôwn means a tenth. It
means a part. It means a tithe. And it is translated in the Old Testament, in
some places not every place, but that same word is translated as a tithe.
We've traditionally considered the quantity of each loaf, two-tenths of a deal, but also consider the quality of it. Clearly, the firstfruits are made up of tithes from that harvest. What gets baked into that loaf, which represents them all, but it was part of that. Not the entire firstfruits' part of it was put into those loaves and lifted up, but it represented the firstfruits.
But to be a tithe, the tithe remember is very special to God. In fact, turn over to Numbers 15. God was very adamant that when they would gather in that the first part of that belonged to God. That tithe belonged to Him. Numbers 15 verse 18, it says,
Numbers
In other words, it was to be a special offering that was given of their harvest. Just as today in this non-agrarian society, we practice tithing and we give back to God a portion of what He gives to us. In the agrarian society there was a tithe. There was a special part and these two-tenths were a perhaps—I don't know; I don't what to say that was a tithe of it—but it was offered to God. It was intended to be the first part, the very best, the tithe that was offered.
God commanded the weekly Sabbath. And the Sabbath is a Holy Day. It's derived from the weekly cycle. A period that we understand has never been broken. God's annual Holy Days and the Passover are all reckoned by a calendar. They are on a specific date of the calendar.
This Holy Day, as we know, is uniquely reckoned by a calculation from a previous event. And that event was, as we know, the cutting and the offering of the first sheaf of the barley harvest in the spring. It was literally—as I mentioned and it's been mentioned several times the last couple of days or weeks leading up to this—that was literally the first of the firstfruits. And even, if you consider this, even that event was predicated on previous events, which I'm going to get into a little later. But we know just by the reckoning of this Day that it's directly linked to the Wave Sheaf Offering. We know that Christ was the Firstborn among many brethren. Over the years, I think we've gained a better, a greater understanding of the meaning of this Day.
Okay, back to Leviticus 23 verse 17, since you set a mark there. It says,
Leviticus 23:17. '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 [very specific], 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. (NKJ)
And if you study into it, the sacrifices represent the totality of what Christ did for us in covering our sins, reconciling us to the Father. And they were all represented notice by young animals that had not matured. They were the first year. They were—if I could use the term, I don't even know if this is a proper term. They were "virgin" animals.
Just hold your place there and to over to Revelation 14. Revelation 14 and verse 1, it says,
Revelation 14:1. Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb
standing on
If you want to title today's sermon, it is Being
Firstfruits To God And To The Lamb.
Revelation 14:5. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. (NKJ)
I think I've mentioned this in previous sermons, but I think if you look at the sacrifices that were offered at Passover, The Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, they specifically specify animals to be of the first year. They are young. In the fall, the offerings don't specify, make the same requirement of those. And I believe that this points out that not only is the Bride to be a virgin as Revelation states, but the Groom, Jesus Christ Himself, is as well. And it's illustrated I think in the offerings that represented Him that are to take place before the marriage supper and the consummation of that marriage. So at a spiritual level, it's going to be a perfect marriage. Today in this society, it's very rare, but a perfect marriage in God's eyes is when the bride and the groom both have kept themselves for one another and they are both virgins.
And certainly the analogy in the spiritual realm would carry over. So it's not just the bride. But remember Christ said when He was sitting with them, "I'm not going to drink this. I'm not going to participate in any celebration or marriage festivity until I drink it with you in the kingdom." Again, it was something that He was, and I believe, very looking forward to with a great deal of anticipation, just as we should be.
Okay, back to Leviticus 23. And I'll just reread verse 19. It says,
Leviticus 23:19. '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 (NKJ)
And again, this is nuwph. This is 5130 talking about these sacrifices. And again, those represent Jesus Christ.
Leviticus 23:20. 'The priest shall wave [5130 nuwph] them with the bread of the firstfruits [It talks about now the bread.] as a wave (NKJ)
And that's 8573. That's that tenuwphah. It's a different word. So what represented Christ was a different word as the one talking about the bread of the firstfruits.
Leviticus 12:20b. as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. (NKJ)
Now I will tell you I've not studied every single occurrence of these two words to see if it's consistent. I can't tell you. But the ones that I looked at and I just, again, I didn't do an exhaustive, but the ones that I looked at going through it seem to be fairly consistent in what I'm telling you here that when it was Christ or something that represented Him, it did. And, again, I haven't studied every occurrence of it. It might be an interesting study. But I do think that this is significant because nothing that we do is going to take place of what Christ did and what He did for us as the Firstfruit.
Notice verse 21,
Leviticus 23:21. 'And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation (NKJ)
In other words, it's an appointment.
Leviticus 23:21b. to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. (NKJ)
I said the fulfillment of this Day was predicated on previous events that we would look at even the First of the firstfruits was predicated on previous events. And I said we would look at it in detail later.
In an agrarian society, there's a very good understanding, and I think that even here because this is a farming area where there are crops. I think it does help, although I think modern, let's say, agricultural methods have sort of perhaps blurred this a little bit. And I'll talk about that.
But the idea of plowing and sowing and tending and harvesting and that cycle is a lot of the Bible and a lot of what takes place is based on that. Today, if you consider that, and as we were driving now if you notice the winter wheat here; the heads are fully grown now and I suspect in two or three weeks it's going to be completely ripened. It's still green, but even the heads now are sort of getting that white tinge to them, kind of getting a white or a kind of a golden color. And, again it happens very fast, very quickly. But what we're observing at this day is the culmination of all those processes, of plowing and of planting and of cultivating and caring for and then the harvest.
But in order for there to even be a harvest, consider that the bulk of the work is done earlier, much earlier. It takes a lot of work and a lot of preparation. Wheat, just like here, wheat and barley have to be planted in the fall, a year before. There has to be work done for there to even be the first of the firstfruits. There is a lot of work that takes place during, prior to even that year. It has to be planted.
Now as I mentioned some of the more modern agriculture methods, barley ripens first and it definitely has to be planted in the winter. But there are some forms of barley that can be planted in early spring, only because we have irrigation and stuff, because it produces barley in about seventy to ninety days. But it will work only because it can be irrigated, which will make up for a very immature root system.
Because what happens is in the wintertime before the first frost, right around actually the time of the first frost, barley and wheat have to be planted. And then the fall comes, the first frost. But the seeds have to germinate and they have to grow a root structure before they go dormant for the winter. And if they don't, because during the winter that root structure will continue, albeit very slowly, but under that snow or the ice that root structure will continue to grow down to prepare the plant to take in the nutrients when spring when it comes back to life. And if that doesn't happen, if there is no fall moisture, rains, you put it in the ground, it just rots. It will not germinate; it will just rot. But it has to happen and really the long, dark, cold—I don't know—miserable, harsh winter is necessary for there to be a spring harvest. If it's not in by then, there won't be anything. And that's necessary for those roots to develop, to survive the early spring. They're planted and they germinate, and again, they're almost immediately assaulted by the winter.
Think about us. What happened in our calling? God revealed Himself to us. We were baptized. We received His Spirit. And we got on the highway for the long easy ride. Bam! It's the same thing. We are developing. We are growing in a time which is very, and what we've come through is a time of very harsh conditions. Look what happened back twenty-thirty years ago and all of that. And yet that was a time that we should have been putting down and developing internally, not showy, not developing this big plant. But a time when we were preparing, we were developing these deep roots to be able to take in that nourishment through that time. And then when the spring came to be ready for that maturing. It's a very important phase for the ultimate health of the plant.
Look over in Isaiah 53. As I mentioned, it was not just for us. Remember Jesus Christ Himself was the First of that harvest that had to also have been planted at some previous time. Isaiah 53:1. All of you know this. You probably don't even need to turn there. It says,
Isaiah 53:1. Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2) For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (NKJ)
Consider that man wanted kings and leaders that were tall and powerful, that had a presence. Someone other kings and men, nations would look up to and respect.
Don't turn there. I'll just read it, 1 Samuel 9. Remember when they were selecting Saul? Remember he had these physical attributes. It said,
1 Samuel 9:2. And he had a choice and handsome son
whose name was Saul. There was not a
more handsome person than he among the children of
We've always kind of looked up to tall and handsome "
We, what about us? And who do we look up to today? Who are our—and I just hate this word—heroes? Because anymore a person that does what they're supposed to do is a hero, but who do we look up to? It's the handsome, suave, tall. Those are the ones that we want to follow.
A few years back and I've read this before. I couldn't find it in the Book of Biblical Archeology Review. It's a magazine, a periodical that's put out. It was an article and the author categorized the average Jew during the time of Christ. And they based this on artifacts or writings or drawings and descriptions. The average Jew of Jesus' time was five foot tall and weighed a hundred pounds. These were not tall huge.
I remember we spent some time over in
And remember Judas had to go and kiss Jesus to point Him out. So whatever the average Jew was that's what He looked like. There was not this showy external. Jesus Christ was a tender plant and that was the precursor of the firstfruits.
Continuing on verse 3,
Isaiah 53:3. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows (NKJ)
Remember He was despised and rejected,
Isaiah 53:3b. and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and [Notice this!] we did not esteem Him. (NKJ)
We didn't regard Him. We didn't esteem Him because He wasn't tall and He wasn't commanding in His presence.
That word "esteem" is Strong's 2803. And it means "to consider," or my
words, "to desire to emulate."
Keep in mind—and I just as I thought through this—remember Jesus Christ was fathered by God. God the Father provided the DNA with Mary. God could have given Him any stature. He could have given Him any physical presence that He desired. But what God intended was just like the wheat and the barley. God desired a very deep, very invisible, very healthy system for gathering the nutrients and developing a strong robust character. Not in tall. Not in a commanding presence. He wanted His Son to represent the strength internal. He wanted Him to show that to those that had eyes to see. Not to the world. It wasn't His intention, because remember all of those things are completely unseen to human physical discernment.
Look over in 1 Samuel 16. Again, you probably don't. I could read this to you, 1 Samuel 16 verse 7. Remember when Samuel anointed David. Remember what God said,
1 Samuel 16:7. But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (NKJ)
He looks at what's inside. So while the outward appearance might not be anything, what's important is what's inside.
Turn over to 1 Corinthians 1.
We, that make up the firstfruits and follow the path of the First of the firstfruits, how about us? Did God select us because of our IQ's? Our good looks? How about our beautiful voices? How about our commanding presence? Maybe it's our wealth. How many of you have had to look out and see your front lawn full of paparazzi that wanted to follow you or talk to you or consider you to be anything? I never have—of course, never wanted them to be there either. So I'm not missing out, but what about us? What about that?
I appreciated the sermonette yesterday. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 26,
1 Corinthians 1:26. Consider, brothers,
And I'm reading this out of The New Jerusalem Bible.
1 Corinthians 1:26b. how you were called. Not many of you are wise by human standards. Not many influential. Not many from noble families. 27) No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise. He chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong. (NJB)
God never intended, Brethren, that we become the ones the world would sit up and take notice of. I, personally, I don't see an upside to that. I don't see an upside for the world to think that we are anything. Frankly—and this is my opinion—I'm not sure that our egos could withstand that without pride coming up, welling up in us, and frankly, destroying us.
I believe that God wanted us to remain small and humanly insignificant not only in the world, Brethren, but in our own eyes. Just like a child that's humble and teachable, that is the best environment for our growth is to be small in your own eyes, to be humble and to be teachable. That is the fertile ground that God can with His Spirit that He's given us that is what He can use. When we want to be somebody, when we are big in our eyes, that shuts God out, that shuts what He does and what He's able to do.
Our nourishment—turn over to Romans 11—our nourishment comes from the invisible root system that God provides us and we should never forget that. That plant that was to provide the support and foundation that God would build His Church on and the firstfruits on. That's what He gave us. That's what He gave us as a pattern. That's what He gave us as a helper. And I believe if we understand that at a gut level, we will not become puffed up and self-important and think more of ourselves than we ought to.
Romans 11 verse 13, it says,
Romans 11:13. For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14) If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. (NKJ)
Here Paul was correcting the Gentile converts in
Romans 11:15. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16) For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17) And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18) do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. (NKJ)
Don't get this all mixed up! Know and understand your position!
My opinion here—and it's just my opinion—the translators, I believe, should have capitalized the word "root," since I personally believe it refers to Jesus Christ.
Go over to Isaiah 11. Notice the Millennial prophecy regarding the Messiah. Isaiah 11 and verse 9, it says,
Isaiah 11:9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10) "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse (NKJ)
Notice! "A Root of Jesse" and that one is capitalized.
Isaiah 11:12b. who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place [His Sabbath] shall be glorious." (NKJ)
Christ even Himself—go over to Revelation 22—refers to Himself this way. Not only in prophecy, but here as Christ was revealing Himself to John to be written down. Revelation 22 verse 16, notice He says,
Revelation 22:16. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." 17) And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, (NKJ)
And I want you to remember this one!
Revelation 22:17b. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (NKJ)
We who ripen later are planted at a time far from ideal. The winter makes us dormant as well, but there has to be qualitative growth that is taking place.
Turn to Jeremiah chapter 5. Let's start to try to tie all of this and we've hit this from a few different angles, but let's try to tie all of this back together and maybe bring it all around to this Day. Jeremiah 5 verse 24 and keep in mind that there has to be that qualitative growth for the quantitative growth to occur at a later time. Jeremiah 5:24.
Jeremiah 5:24. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that [gives] rain, [Notice!] both the former and the latter, in [its] season: he [reserves] unto us [Notice this!] the appointed weeks of the harvest. (KJV)
There is the former rain, the latter rain that ripens and then there's "the appointed weeks of the harvest," I believe.
Let me read this out of The Revised Standard.
Jeremiah 5:24. They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain [again for germination] and the spring rain [which is for the growth and the development], and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.' (RSV)
And again, Brethren, this Day pictures the culmination of that.
The former rains that provide the moisture and germination for the seeds to take root and during the harsh winter to mature and to grow and to allow it, to set it up for what's ahead, and that is the fruit bearing time of the spring latter rains, which then provide the water necessary for the plant to grow and develop the heads that are going to yield the fruit, starting with the First of the firstfruits and continuing the next seven weeks until the end of the firstfruit harvest.
Don't turn there, but Deuteronomy 2, God commands the firstborn in the family to be allocated a double portion of an inheritance. There's a greater responsibility within the family that falls on the firstborn because he is to become the patriarch when the patriarch dies. He is responsible for carrying on the family legacy and to carry on usually the farming, the business that the family was engaged in.
And the pressures of being a firstborn, even in society, is much higher. There's higher expectations for a firstborn. There's more pressure to excel in being a firstborn.
We, who are called now, we're in a very unique position within the Family of God. We're called at a time when the rest of mankind is on a completely different path. Society today is geared toward their own ways. And those ways, frankly, make living a Christian life much more difficult; taking off for the Sabbath and for the Holy Days, getting the kids out of school, holidays, living a Christian life.
It's kind of like when I lived in
It's hard and it's difficult. And this time is unique in God's plan because during the Millennium and the Last Great Day when this will be the prevalent way, Satan will be out of the way. It will be easier. They will even have us to help them, to be that helper for them, that teacher. But for us in the harsh winter, barely able to make it and we sometimes feel we've been called to grow and overcome in a very difficult time. Wouldn't it have been easier if God had called me later? Maybe sometime we feel down and somehow that God has left us to our own devices. Brethren, nothing could be further from the truth! Our stresses are much greater. And don't make any mistake about it, it is. But our calling is much greater as well. We're at work right now. God is at work right now in His garden.
Go over to Song of Solomon. We don't go here much. I said I was going to go to two love stories. One is Ruth and Boaz and the other in the Song of Solomon. First I want you to just—well, Song of Solomon chapter 5. And I'm going to actually give a sermon on this at some later point and develop this more fully, but I just want to perhaps just introduce this. Song of Solomon chapter 5, it says,
Song of Solomon 5:1. I have come to my garden, my sister, my
spouse; (NKJ)
Now at first it looks like this indicates that the groom is telling his spouse he's come to his garden, but look over at chapter 4 verse 12. It says
Song of Solomon 4:12. A garden
And I'm reading this out of The New King James.
Song of Solomon 4:12. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. (NKJ)
So in other words, this garden, the spouse, the bride here in an allegory is the garden. That's what God is doing right now is He's working in His garden. And those of you that have a garden know exactly what that means. I sure enjoy going out and looking through it and looking through what's growing and pulling the weeds out and dressing and keeping that garden. And God is doing the same thing with us. We are His garden. And we are His sister. We know He's our older Brother. And we are also espoused to Him.
Chapter 5, it says,
Song of Solomon 5:1b. come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. (NKJ)
And remember what He said, "I'm not going to drink
again till I drink it with you." In
other words, this is the marriage supper He's talking about.
Song of Solomon 5:1 cont. (TO HIS FRIENDS) eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, (NKJ)
I told you, "Remember," before.
Song of Solomon 5:1 cont. drink deeply, O beloved ones! (NKJ)
We're not going to go there for sake of time, but Revelation 17:22. Write that down.
Be turning over to Joel chapter 2. I'm going to just read here a prophecy that again I think brings all of these aspects out. Joel 2 verse 18, it says,
Joel 2:18. Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. (NKJ)
It's His land. It's His garden. It's His farm.
Verse 23, skip down to verse 23.
Joel 2:23. Be glad then, you children of
Remember He told His disciples, He told us, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." He is faithful in giving the former rains.
Joel 2:23b. and He will cause the rain to come down for you— (NKJ)
For the benefit of the children of
Joel
The month of Abib, again the spring rains. And keep in mind that both are for the development and growth of the firstfruits to the end that they will bear much fruit. The former rains started the germination process; the latter rains provide the nourishment for the bearing of the fruits.
Verse 24,
Joel 2:24. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (NKJ)
Verse 26,
Joel 2:26. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously (NKJ)
And that "dealt wondrously" means miraculous. He's performed miracles in you. And we all know, Brethren, that what happens in us is a miracle.
Joel 2:26. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. (NKJ)
What we're going through, Brethren, is not for our destruction. It's not for us to be beat down. It's for our training so that we will be able to benefit the remainder of those that come after us.
Joel 2:27. Then you shall know that I am in the
midst of
And notice He repeats it!
Joel 2:27b. My people shall never be put to shame. (NKJ)
God is going to start a work with those that He selects and their acceptance of His way of life. And, Brethren, that is not detrimental to our eternal well-being. Remember He also promised those original disciples a "Comforter," which He would send to them? And by extension, give to all the firstfruits.
Verse 28,
Joel 2:28. "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (NKJ)
Turn over to Acts chapter 2. Let's wrap it up here. Acts 2 verse 1, it says,
Acts 2:1. Now 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. (NKJ)
Skip down to verse 12.
Acts
And it talks about all of the people that witnessed this.
Acts
And some said, "Well, they're drunk. They've been hitting the sauce."
Acts
Verse 14,
Acts 2:14b. standing up with the eleven, raised his
voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in
In other words, those that choose to follow God, men and women that choose this way of life.
Acts 2:18b. I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. (NKJ)
Turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 3, final Scripture.
I'm not going to go into this any further, but we know that
it was on the Feast of Weeks that God entered into the covenant and gave
2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 2, it says,
2 Corinthians 3:2. You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3) Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (NKJ)
Brethren, this Day is so central to what God is doing right now with those of us that He's entered into a marriage covenant with with Jesus Christ. Those that He's extended mercy to, that He's given His Spirit, this Day pictures the completion and the attainment of all of the hopes and dreams of every one of the firstfruits. A Day, when we as the firstfruits will be completed, presented, and accepted into the Family by the Father. A Day, Brethren, which will begin an era in our existence that will never end!
Transcribed by kb