Leviticus 23

First Fruit

Posted on by Betsy

This last Fourth of July was an extremely hot day, so my husband and I opted to spend part of it watching the movie “Independence Day.” It is a blockbuster adventure about a massive alien attack on earth, and how a handful of pilots and a nerdy scientist saved the day. My pilot husband especially enjoyed that part of the plot. I thought about this movie today as I read the account from Acts about the events that happened 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. He had instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for a gift that would come from heaven.

The scene must have looked like a modern day science fiction movie. People were milling about, having come to Jerusalem for a celebration of the Feast of the First Fruits, also known as the Pentecost. This Jewish celebration was held exactly 50 days after Passover and was well attended by pious Jews from all around. The pleasant weather and the joyful nature of the event made it very popular. First fruits represented the best of the new harvest. The finest wheat, the perfect grapes, the unblemished sheep … only the best would do. The festival was prescribed in Numbers 28:26: “‘On the day of first fruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work” (Numbers 28:26, New International Version).

Who doesn’t like a day off of work?

Acts 2 (Common English Bible)

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

The sudden appearance of flame and wind must have been disturbing and surreal. They were anticipating the usual Temple service, replete with altar sacrifices and the presentation of crops, and now this. Can you imagine?

5 There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. 7 They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? 8 How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” 

We understand this to be a reversal of the Tower of Babel debacle from Genesis 11. In that situation, God deliberately confused all of humanity’s languages so that the people couldn’t plot and scheme by communicating with one another. Any idea of human superiority was humbled in that moment. So when the powerful word of the disciples proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ was suddenly heard and understood in every dialect, they were surprised and bewildered. The power of the Holy Spirit came down upon them with such force that even in the midst of revelation, amazement still reigned.

12 They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” 13 Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”

Some scholars see this as the fulfillment of the Levitical instructions on what to bring to the altar in order to consecrate the first fruits at Pentecost. In Leviticus 23:15-22, we see the instructions to the priest to hold up two loaves of leavened bread at the altar as a “wave offering”. Why two?

17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord (Leviticus 23: 17, New International Version).

Theologian Charles Spurgeon suggested that one loaf represented the saving of Israel, and the other loaf, the saving of the Gentiles. Jesus Christ, the only son of God, was the First Fruit of heaven. And indeed, on the day of Pentecost in Acts, the church began with a mission to offer salvation to both Jew and Gentile alike.

What do you think represents your first fruit? What resource, gift, ability, or strength are you willing to commit to the Lord? Is it your very best? May we joyfully offer our very best at the altar.

The First Fruit of God by Kathy Schumacher

The Permanent Rule

Posted on by Betsy

Do you ever wonder why priests and pastors lift certain things up during worship? You’ve probably watched as the chalice, the paten, the bread, the offering plates, etc. are lifted up as words of blessing are spoken. Many of these traditions are hand-me-downs from ancient rituals observed by our desert fore-parents, who were sometimes following Levitical laws. We remember that the tribe of Levi were the ones who were the designated priests for the nation of Israel, so the book of Leviticus is chock-full of priestly knowledge and instruction.

In today’s passage, instructions are given for the observance of the Feast of Weeks, also known as the Pentecost. You will remember that it was this same festival that was being observed in Acts when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples gathered there and empowered them to speak and understand each other’s languages. It is understood that the church began that day. The festival of Pentecost was so named as it fell 50 days after the Feast of the First Fruits. The other two festivals that were prescribed in this chapter are the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.

Leviticus 23:15-21

15 You must count off seven weeks starting with the day after the Sabbath, the day you bring the bundle for the uplifted offering; these must be complete. 16 You will count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, you will bring two loaves of bread as an uplifted offering. These must be made of two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour, baked with leaven, as early produce  to the Lord. 

The precision with which these instructions were given seems almost daunting.

18 Along with the bread you must present seven flawless one-year-old lambs, one bull from the herd, and two rams. These will be an entirely burned offering to the Lord, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, as a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord. 19 You must also offer one male goat as a purification offering and two one-year-old lambs as a communal sacrifice of well-being. 20 The priest will lift up the two sheep, along with the bread of the early produce, as an uplifted offering before the Lord. These will be holy to the Lord and will belong to the priest. 

The image of the priest lifting up two sheep is an impressive one. I have trouble lifting up two metal offering plates on Sundays … and that’s not because they are full! But imagine the power of this image to the worshippers. As we lift things up in worship, we are reminding ourselves of the One who provided those gifts in the first place. By lifting them up to heaven, we consecrate our gifts back to God, our Provider. So while we aren’t required to bring our goats, lambs, and sheep to the altar any longer (thank heavens) we are invited to lift up our hearts to the Lord at every holy occasion and give generously of our means..

21 On that very same day you must make a proclamation; it will be a holy occasion for you. You must not do any job-related work. This is a permanent rule wherever you live throughout your future generations.

Do you observe the Sabbath? Do you avoid work on that day? Is Sunday a holy occasion?

God deserves an offering of our hearts and minds at least one day a week. May we make that our permanent rule.

We Lift Up Our Hearts by Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church