Sheaf Waved
Returning to Lev. 23, we read that the sheaf was to be waved on the morrow after the sabbath, which was the first day of the week, waved to be accepted for the people, " for your acceptance," as the law-giver wrote. Sacrifices were offered for their acceptance, this was waved for their acceptance, and with it there was to be offered a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering, and a meat offering of two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, and for a drink offering, the fourth part of an him of wine. But no sin offering was appointed, a most significant fact, the importance and meaning of which we can now understand. The sheaf waved betokened that it belonged to God; and being the first of their reaping, the earnest of the coming harvest, it betokened that He of whom it was the type, would be raised to live to God. " Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once. In that He lives, He lives unto God" (Rom. 6:9-109Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (Romans 6:9‑10)). As typical of Him as the risen One, for it was waved on the day of the week on which He rose, the offerings which accompanied it spake of Him the spotless, perfect One, who lived and died, and in whom God and the offerer can find joy without alloy. No sin offering, therefore, was in place in connection with this sheaf. He of whom it was the type was in Himself holy, and He was not here viewed as made sin for us, though the sheaf was waved for the people's acceptance. For if Christ be not raised we are yet in our sins, but as risen He is the first fruits (1 Cor. 15:17,2317And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17)
23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)), and He was raised for our justification (Rom. 4:2525Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)).
To us all this is now clear, but by the people before the Lord's resurrection it was probably not understood. But when Pentecost had fully come how clear and full of meaning must this service have appeared, a service, however, which had then lost its interest for those to join in, who knew not only of what it was the type, but Him, the risen One, therein typified. And what thoughts must have filled the hearts of those priests who became obedient to the faith, if they remembered the fact, that the officiating priest waved the sheaf of first fruits in the temple court on the very morning that the Lord Jesus had come forth from the tomb. The symbol was seen that day on Moriah, of what had really taken place in the garden, ere that morning had dawned. And which place was the place of interest for God's true hearted people on that morning, the temple court or the garden where the sepulcher was? We know, and we know where the Lord was first seen. He appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, but was not seen by the priest at the altar.
How full of meaning, too, must they have seen were the accompanying offerings-the lamb for the burnt offering, and the meat offering with oil, betokening as they did, what those who ministered at the altar were unwilling to admit, the perfectness, the sinlessness of Him, the risen One, whose death both priests and people had three days previously clamorously demanded, and whose dying agonies had been embittered by their taunts and revilings. But he was holy, spotless, acceptable to God, and One in whom both God and the believer can rejoice together. This the offerings typified, and that great company of the priests who became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:77And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7)), as Christians fully owned.
A point of interest in the meat offering must be noticed ere we proceed. Its measure, prescribed by God, was to be of two tenth deals of fine flour with a fourth part of an lain of oil. It was the ordinary quantity of oil for a meat offering which was offered with a lamb, but it was double the measure of flour generally appointed where a' lamb only was offered. Why was this? A significance of course there is in it, for all God's ordinances have a purpose and a meaning, whether we can discover that purpose or not. Now the measure of flour for this meat offering was the measure of flour appointed for the two wave loaves offered on the feast of weeks (v. 17). The Lord Jesus Christ is the life of His people, and He alone, as risen, is that, and as alive before God, their life is only} Christ, and nothing else. Hence, was it not that the measure of the flour of the meat offering which accompanied the wave sheaf, was the measure of the flour of which the two wave loaves were made, the new meat offering unto the Lord? Christ, and He only, is equally and solely the life of those whom the two loaves typified.
The seven days of the feast ended, the males of Israel could return to their homes, to await the next appointed time for appearing before Jehovah, which had been fixed by the paschal sabbath, for on the fiftieth day dating from its morrow they were to keep the feast of weeks, on which day they were to offer a new meat offering to Jehovah, viz., the two wave loaves already mentioned, baked with leaven, first fruits to Jehovah.
The wave loaves and wave sheaf bearing such close relation the one to the other, the directions about the former are given as we have stated, in the same revelation which tells us about the latter, and ere the lawgiver defined the character of that day (for the feast of weeks lasted but one day), lie set forth at length, that which we read not of elsewhere, the directions about these two loaves, and the offerings which were to accompany them. For the wave sheaf and the wave loaves are made very prominent objects in this chapter of Leviticus. In Num. 28:2626Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: (Numbers 28:26), the loaves are just referred to, but as a subject with which all were acquainted. Here only are they described.
Prepared as directed, and brought to the officiating priest, seven lambs of the first year, one bullock and two rams were brought for a burnt offering, with their usual meat offerings and drink offerings. Besides this one kid of the goats was to be offered for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest was to wave them with (lit. on) the bread of firstfruits a wave offering to Jehovah, with the two lambs. " They shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest." These sacrifices were waved with the loaves, whereas the wave sheaf was waved by itself (11). The Lord Jesus was personally acceptable to God apart from any question of sacrifice. So the wave sheaf was waved before the sacrifices appointed in connection with it were dealt with at all. With the wave loaves it was wholly different. The appointed sacrifices were waved with them. The loaves could not be waved without them. A man there was and is, a risen man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in Himself is personally acceptable to God. Saints there are, whose standing before God is in resurrection, for the loaves were the firstfruits of the new harvest, whom God can receive, and who are to be for God, but only in the closest connection with the sacrificial death of the Holy Son of God. Apart from Him and His death they would not be presented to God. The loaves composed cf two tenth deals, typify that Christ, and He alone, is the life of His people, and that is not more true of one than of the other company, both of which the loaves typified, those who from Jews and those who from Gentiles are now owned as God's saints. Hence, it would appear the reason for the number two. And baked with leaven they remind us that, though Christ is our life, we have within us that hateful thing, the flesh. The presence of sin, the old man, in His saints, equally true of all of them, God hereby distinctly recognizes and teaches, but thanks be to His name, its presence is no hindrance to their being brought to Him. The priest waved the two loaves before Jehovah, but waved them with the sacrifices.