In their desire to return to their Hebraic roots, some become overly enamored with the traditions of Judaism, and to be candid, many have become anti-Christian. And, that sin is no more acceptable to the Almighty than is the sin of anti-Semitism.
The truth is, as we begin to understand about our Israelite history we find that our Ephraimite forefathers had a real penchant for paganism. Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom, created his own feast days and spoke against the plan of the Most High. This apostate king also sought to "make alterations in set times and in law." In other words, he created replacement celebrations (Exodus 31:16-17; Daniel 7:25; 1 Kings 12:27-33).
The actions of this wayward Ephraimite king foreshadowed those of the institutional church. She followed in his footsteps and made her own proclamations, changed the Sabbath, and replaced Israel's feast days.
Many are presently repenting of these sins, however, some are letting their pendulum swing too far and becoming anti-Christian. We suggest that in our search for the truth, and as we relearn how to celebrate our faith, we need to see that, in addition to the weekly Sabbath, Israel has seven feasts, or High Holy Days (Sabbaths) that are to be celebrated, plus there are two other days that we are supposed to commemorate. They are called the "Seven Feasts of Israel," and two of them have two Sabbaths days. They are the beginning and the end of the feasts of Unleavened Bread, and Sukkot (Tabernacles). The other, singular, feast days are Shavuot, Yom Teruah, and Yom Kippur. In addition to these seven days, there are two days in which work was done, and they are to be commemorated too. The first is the Day of Preparation (the day in which the Passover lamb was slain), the second was the Day of the Wave Sheaf (when the priest would wave the first fruits offering of the barley harvest). These Seven Feasts and Nine Days are listed in a chart in the book, Israel's Feasts and their Fullness (by Batya Ruth Wootten).
The two days in which work was done (slaying the lamb and harvesting the sheaf) speak of the finished work of our Messiah. He was crucified at the time when the sacrifice lambs were to be slain, and, He came forth from the grave as a type of "First of First Fruits." He labored to give birth to a new creation on Passover, then He did the work of a Priest when He made His First of Firstfruits offering in the Heavenlies. Messiah Yeshua is "the firstborn from the dead....the first fruits of those who are asleep" (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:20,23). As our High Priest, "He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; for Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:11,24).
Passover foreshadowed the death of the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua. The Day of the Wave Sheaf (or, Day of the First of First Fruits) speaks of His resurrection from the dead. And, if we will learn to look through a lens of mercy, we will see that the Christian celebration of the Resurrection, apart from its unacceptable and errant traditions, might be called a type of "First Fruits" celebration. We make this point because, if we learn to speak merciful words of encouragement to those who presently celebrate Easter, and if we encourage them to see the comparison to the Day of the Wave Sheaf, perhaps they will be open to change and to hearing more of Torah's truths.
We do not say this to encourage anything that has to do with the ancient cult of "Ishtar," from which the word "Easter" is derived, nor do we want to encourage a parade of bunnies with baskets of colored eggs. Rabbits and eggs are fertility symbols, and Ishtar was the ancient Assyrian/ Babylonian goddess of love, fertility, and war. We want nothing to do with those things. However, the Resurrection of our Messiah is an event that is most worthy of commemoration. His resurrection from the dead marks a pivotal point in history. He is the substance of the Day of the Sheaf, the essence of the first fruits offering that followed Passover, He is the firstfruits of resurrection. The picture that is painted by this Holy Day is that of a priest, standing alone and waving a sheaf before the LORD. It is a picture of our Messiah, who is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 7:17). Moreover, Yeshua's resurrection began a new type of harvest. He is "the firstborn among many brethren," and we who are His brethren, we are the continuation of that harvest, we "have the first fruits of the Spirit." He "brought us forth...that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures" (Romans 8:29,23; James 1:18).
As we begin to return to our roots, we would do well to remember this special day that speaks of mankind's greatest hope.
So, how should we celebrate this all-but-forgotten feast day?
We begin by examining its shadowy beginning, as described in Leviticus 23:10: "When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before YHVH for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it." Here, we see that a barley sheaf was to be waved (barley being the first fruit of the year). Thus, we want to center our celebration around the waving of a barley sheaf. (For celebration suggestions see the book, Israel's Feasts and their Fullness, for dried barley, see www.driedflowersdirect.com.)
We also are told, "You shall also [begin to] count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths" (Leviticus 23:15). This day after the Sabbath marks the beginning of the counting off of the fifty days, with the end leading us to the Feast of Shavuot. This day is also known by the Greek word, Pentecost, which means fifty, which is the number that represents Jubilee, the time when captives are set free from their slavery.
As for counting the days, some question the meaning of "the morrow after the Sabbath" (Lev 23:11, KJV). We conclude that the proper day for Shavuot must meet four requirements. It must: 1) Be preceded by 7 Sabbaths (not more or less). 2) Be the next day, or mochorath, after a Sabbath. 3) Be a 50th day. 4) Be the end of a counting of days that was begun on the day after a Sabbath.
If we follow this pattern the Day the First Fruits Wave Sheaf will always fall on the first day of the week, or Sunday, as will Shavuot; it comes exactly seven Sabbaths plus one day, or fifty days later. (First century Sadducees followed this counting method. Pharisees later argued that it should begin on the 16th of Aviv, after the first Unleavened Bread Sabbath. Rabbinic Judaism followed this counting custom. However, Un-leavened Bread begins on Abib 15, and 50 days later leads us to the fixed date of Sivan 6, which does not always follow a Shabbat, and they can have more than 7 "Sabbaths" during their 50-day period (see "A Day of Promise," Israel's Feasts and Their Fullness.)
Counting these days is known as "counting the omer." For this fifty-day interval a special custom arose that Jewish people honor to this day. On each day a "counting benediction" is recited and days are marked off on a calendar: "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us the Thy commandments, and has commanded us concerning the counting of the omer."
This blessing is followed by saying: "This is the ____ day, being ____ weeks and ____ days of the omer." (Everlasting Tradition, Galen Peterson, Grand Rapids: Kregal Publications, 1995, pp 28-29.)
In summation, all of Israel's feasts and appointed times speak of our Messiah. They were and still are shadows of what was and is to come. Their substance is found in Yeshua. They are holy rehearsals of the glory that He promises to His people (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1). Messiah Yeshua is given first place in everything because all things are being summed up in Him. He is all, and can be found in all (Ephesians 1:10-11,23). He is "First" in many ways (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Matthew 1:23-25; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15,18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5; 1:8,17; 21:6; 22:13). So it is that we encourage you to be liberated into true celebration and rejoicing in Israel's appointed times. We encourage you to lift up our Messiah, because He said, "If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself." When He said this, He was indicating the kind of death by which He was to die (John 12:32-33). So let us lift up the truth about Him on this Passover and on the Day of the Wave Sheaf. Let us proclaim the good news that He is risen!
May your celebrations be blessed from on High!
Hag Sameach!
Batya and Angus
_______________________________________________
For more information about Israel's Feasts and their Fullness go to the MIA Marketplace or to Key of David Marketplace, where you can also download the a PDF of the Introduction, Forward and First Chapter. Also available is the book The Passover in all its Fullness, and a two hour video Come Let Us Rehearse the Four Passovers.
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We further outlined the need to help our Spanish speaking brethren in the Letter titled, An Invitation from Mexico and in the report,
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This powerful and concise 96 page book readily defines our Israelite faith. It lifts up the Messiah and points us toward the restoration of the whole House of Israel. It is an easy read that gets the essentials of our faith across in a short time. It includes charts and graphics, plus chapters that can be used as an outline for Bible Studies. Most importantly, this encouraging little book points the way toward the glory that lies ahead for those of Redeemed Israel. You will surely be blessed and inspired as you read this informative little book - so be sure to order additional copies for friends and loved ones! We believe you will want to give a copy of it to everyone you know!
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