Lev. 23:15-2215And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. 17Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. 18And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor unto the Lord. 19Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 23:15‑22)
It is clear, that the Feasts have not only their intended place with Israel, but indicate a divine order in the time when each would find its antitype to the end of all things, when all would have their holy fruit in eternal rest and glory. In this order as in all other things, how entirely everything depends on Christ, the Second man, the last Adam. The Lamb slain once for all annulled the power of death, and as the risen One He lives to die no more, has become the victorious Firstfruits as well as the real and purposed Wave-sheaf, presented to God and accepted by Him for those for whom Christ died, as was expressed in the type, “It shall be accepted for you.”
This then opens the way for the new Meal-offering, as it is written. “Ye shall then count unto you from the morning after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven sabbaths shall be complete; even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath, shall ye count fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah. Ye shall bring out of your habitations, two wave-loaves of two tenth deals of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven: firstfruits unto Jehovah” (15-17.) The time and character of the offering, with its state, are clearly defined. Though but little is recorded of the Feast, it is implied like the Passover, that it actually took place in Jerusalem, at Pentecost, the time of the descent of the Holy Ghost, its antitype. The space of time, between this Feast and the Wave-sheaf, is definitely stated.
That Christ after the Passover or the Cross, was not seen by the world that crucified Him is clear. Nevertheless He alive again for evermore made Himself known to His disciples from time to time, during those forty days of His risen life. But seven sabbaths must be complete before this next Feast could be accomplished. Accurate indeed was the time of our God, as when the fullness of the time had come, He sent forth His Son. So in this case, when the fiftieth day set in, the Holy Spirit came to make good the new Meal-offering of two wave-loaves, composed of those hitherto His Jewish disciples attached to their Messiah for His kingdom. They had witnessed His rejection, and crucifixion, but also during forty days to their great joy, the same Jesus had been seen and heard, contemplated and handled in resurrection. Next, after tarrying ten days at Jerusalem in prayerful expectation, the promise of the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. Not only had the wave-sheaf been presented but the risen Christ was glorified. Consequent upon it, the two wave-loaves were formed as a thing entirely new, and to occupy an unparalleled place in the ways of God on earth, which might well suggest both the number and the nature of the offering, with the exceptional fact of leaven baken in it.
The distinctive and wondrous truth at Pentecost, and still running on, is the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is forming the church as the body and bride, for the exalted heavenly Bridegroom. This, for other purposes, was not revealed when the Spirit first came. Moreover the type does not present “one body and one Spirit,” the church formed as it will be presented in glory, pure, holy and spotless, but rather taking her place in the ways of God upon earth, as a witness to her being associated with a heavenly Christ, and to reflect Himself during the hour of His absence. For its fellowship in the breaking of bread in the expression that was to be of the one body, the Lord had provided the one loaf. The new Meal-offering evidently means those that are Christ's now gathered upon earth; where though having life in Christ risen, and being indwell by the Holy Spirit, yet leaven, typical of sin, remained in them. For while the flesh is condemned and gone in Christ made sin for us (Rom. 8:33For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3); 2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)) before God, still it remains in the believer though he is bound not to allow its activity. The same Spirit, that presents the two wave-loaves with the leaven is the power to give superiority over the flesh, the world, and Satan. Notice that the type says “baken leaven,” implying that, though there, it was not to work. Alas! it did so very early in the church's history to the dishonor of the Lord and the grief of the abiding Spirit. Yet the new oblation was to be of two tenth deals of “fine flour”; and “they are the firstfruits unto Jehovah,” manifesting how intimately the newly formed association was by the Spirit bound up in life and acceptance with Christ the Firstfruits. So the apostle John declares of all Christians, “As he (Christ) is, so are we in this world,” whilst awaiting His full likeness at His coming. Then the leaven within will be completely gone, to the eternal praise of Him who died for that holy and blessed end. Meanwhile, the accompanying sacrifices to be offered shed their light and beauty, for acceptance and joy as well as for answer to the leaven within for unhindered communion. With the Wave-sheaf were only sweet savor sacrifices, as was due to Christ alone. Here were the same, fuller for the need; but as with the First-fruits, wherein was signified, the savor of Christ's perfect obedience in life and death; so here no less associated with the presentation of the wave-loaves. Thus is shown how blessedly God's estimate and Christ's savor would rest upon the new Meal-offerings, together with the Drink-offering that testifies to the joy in the power of the Holy Ghost.
“And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering to Jehovah with their meal-offering and their drink-offerings, an offering made by fire of sweet savor unto Jehovah. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin-offering and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits, a wave-offering before Jehovah with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, [that] it may be a holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work: a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations” (vers. 18-21).
But in contrast with the Wave-sheaf type of the risen Christ were the sin-offering and the two lambs for a sacrifice of fellowship or peace-offerings. Thus, however blessed the church may be, was expressed the infinite and essential distinction of Christ. In the sin-offering the baken leaven was adequately met, and the basis for the blessed privilege of communion, was laid by the peace-offering. Whether acceptance or the joy of communion and no less divine testimony, all awaited the descent of the Holy Spirit, to be made good by the antitypical wave-loaves. This was largely displayed in Acts 2, both in communion, and testimony, when the bonds of unity and oneness gave witness to its precious fruit.
It was then that outside testimony brought in three thousand souls, and inside “they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread and the prayers.” A new thing indeed in the ways of God on earth, still in principle going on by the Holy Spirit, until the antitype of the wave-loaves has run its course of completion, when Christ the Firstfruits, and His church, are found together in heavenly glory, to make way for further purposes on earth, as will appear in the Feasts to follow.