BIKKURIM
An overview of
First Fruits and counting the omer (08-04-2012)
Shalom all, may the name of יהוה be esteemed in this place as we His children gather together as
one in יהושע Messiah, aměn! I do trust that you are all
enjoying this wonderful Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread). We had an awesome
Pěsaḥ Meal the other night and enjoyed trying to ‘keep watch’ – how awesome and
joyous it is to celebrate and worship our King, aměn! As we go through this
week of Unleavened Bread which for some at first may be quite an adjustment in
not having leaven in the home and not eating anything leavened – yet as we look
at the command regarding this feast we also see a great positive command – and
that is that we are commanded to eat unleavened Bread for 7 days – that is it –
it is not only that we are to not eat leaven but we are told to eat unleavened
bread each day!!! This is a wonderful picture of us eating of the unadulterated
Word every day – something we ought to do every day of our lives – but yet more
specifically during this feast – it is all Him – nothing added!!! How has that
been going for you all? Today we are here to celebrate ‘Bikkurim’ / First
Fruits and upon this day we also begin to count 7 full Sabbaths and the day
after the seventh Sabbath – which from ‘First
Fruits’ is a period of 50 days when we then celebrate Shavuot – Feast of
Weeks. 3 times a year all the men were commanded to come up to Yerushalayim, at
the feast times of Pěsaḥ/Unleavened Bread – at Shavuot and at Sukkoth – all of
these feasts are centred on harvest celebrations and offerings. During
Unleavened Bread we have First Fruits which is the beginning of the barley
harvest – Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) is the celebration of the
beginning of the wheat harvest and Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) it is the
fruit harvest. Today I want to share with you a little on just what season we
are in and celebrating right now and will share a little on what First Fruits
is all about as well as what the counting of the omer symbolises for us leading
up to Shavuot, with the hope to stir your hunger and passion to give your very
all as a daily living sacrifice unto יהוה.
The Feast of First Fruits is a celebration, as I have mentioned,
of the barley harvest – this is the agricultural significance of course –
however this Feast has as we all know greater and deeper spiritual meaning. This
was the first harvest celebration of the year and in 7 weeks’ time we will
celebrate the wheat harvest. What this Festival of First Fruit assures us is the
sure and blessed promise of a future harvest to come. This truly is a time of
celebration, as we celebrate יהושע as the first fruit of
the resurrection from the dead.
In the process of revealing His plan of salvation for mankind, יהוה established His annual Appointed Days
around the harvest seasons in the Middle East. Just as His people harvested
their crops around these three Festival seasons, יהוה’s Appointed Days show us how He is harvesting people for eternal
life in His Kingdom. The Appointed Feasts have meanings that build upon each
other. Together they progressively reveal how יהוה works with humanity. The fifteenth of
Aviv (1st month) begins the Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread). It
is a seven day feast to יהוה. The
day following the Sabbath during Matzot, which will always be on the 1st
day of the week, is called the Feast of First Fruits.
This year, the beginning of Matzot (15th of Aḇiḇ) and
the eating of the Pěsaḥ Meal happens to fall on the weekly Sabbath and so today
being the 16th of Aḇiḇ we have come “on the morrow after the
Sabbath” during Matzot where we bring a wave offering of the first
fruits/Bikkurim. The wave offering is always done on the day after the weekly
Sabbath during Matzot and therefore Shavuot will always be on a 1st
day of the week. In Yehoshua/Joshua 5
we see an example of this timing that we are following this year where the Pěsaḥ
meal was also eaten on the weekly Sabbath and the roasted grain was eaten the
day after Pěsaḥ:
Yehoshua/Joshua
5:10-11 “And the children of Yisra’ĕl camped in Gilgal,
and performed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening on the
desert plains of Yeriḥo. 11 And they ate of the stored
grain of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened bread and
roasted grain on this same day.”
Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23: 11-15 makes it clear that no roasted grain
was to be eaten until the same day that the sheaf of the wave offering was
brought which can only be on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath! Sadly many
follow the erroneous rabbinic teaching that states the counting of the omer
begins on the 16th every year as they claim that the morrow after
the Sabbath is referring to the first day of Unleavened Bread, while this day
is never referred to as a Sabbath. Although this happens from time to time, like
this year and as recorded in Yehoshua, where we will begin the count on the 16th
because it falls on the day after the Sabbath during Matzot and the counting of
the omer must begin on the first day of the week and to assume that it will
always fall on the 16th regardless of what day of the week it is, simply
denies the work of Messiah! יהושע was 3 days and 3 nights is the heart of the earth and what we
celebrate on this day is His offering up of the first fruits of those who were
raised after His resurrection, giving us a guarantee of a harvest to come. So
while Messiah fulfilled the requirements of this Feast, we will always have, as
commanded, Bikkurim on the day after ‘the’
Sabbath during Matzot and begin to count the omer on this day!
When the barley harvest was ready to be reaped, a sheaf of the
first grain would be brought to the priest who would wave it before יהוה. This was called the ‘the
sheaf of the first fruits’ and would take place on the day after the
Sabbath.
יהוה commanded
the people to bring a sheaf of the harvest. Sheaf in the Hebrew is ‘omer’ which was the dry measure of food
stuffs, and was a 1/10th part of an ephah – a dry measurement of
grain equalling to the approximate amount of 22 litres, therefore an omer was
around 2,2 litres dry equivalent. It is described as the measure of the seed
resulting from one sheaf of grain. An omer was also deemed by יהוה to be the sufficient measure of
‘manna’ that an average person could eat in one day. Therefore an omer or sheaf
also symbolises a single person and is in fact a picture of oneself being
turned over to יהוה for the
process of becoming useful to His community – His Bride!
We will look at what this ‘counting of the omer’ season means
and speaks to us today in a short bit, after we just fully understand the major
theme of First Fruits – which is primarily about resurrection and salvation. יהושע has
fully met the requirements for these feasts we are celebrating and speaking of
right now – He is our Passover Lamb – the Bread of Life and the First Fruit
offering!
יהושע was resurrected at the end of Shabbat
and at the start of the first day of the week (at Saturday sunset), offering
Himself as the first fruits to all generations fulfilling the sign of Yonah
(Jonah) – 3 days and 3 nights and becoming the first born among those who
sleep!
יהושע is the first fruit of the Barley Harvest!
Let us look at some Scriptures that speak of Messiah as the ‘first’:
1. יהושע is the firstborn of Miryam/Mary:
Mattithyahu/Matthew
1:23-25 ““See, a maiden shall conceive, and she shall
give birth to a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanu’ĕl,” which translated,
means, “Ěl with us.” 24
And Yosĕph, awaking from his sleep, did as the messenger of יהוה commanded him and took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she gave birth to
her Son, the first-born.
And he called His Name יהושע.”
2. יהושע is the first-born of the Father:
Iḇ‘rim/Hebrews 1:6 “And when He again brings
the first-born into
the world, He says, “Let all the messengers of Elohim do reverence to Him.”
3. יהושע is the firstborn over all creation:
Qolasim/Colossians
1:15 “who is the likeness of the invisible Elohim, the first-born of all
creation.”
4. יהושע is the firstborn from the dead:
Ḥazon/Revelation
1:5 “and from יהושע Messiah, the trustworthy witness, the first-born from the dead,
and the ruler of the sovereigns of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us
from our sins in His own blood,”
5. יהושע is the firstborn of many brethren:
Romiyim/Romans
8:29 “Because those whom He knew beforehand, He also
ordained beforehand to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, for Him to
be the first-born
among many brothers.”
6. יהושע is
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep:
Qorintiyim
Aleph/1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now Messiah has been
raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruit of those having fallen asleep.”
7. יהושע is the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End, the Aleph and the Taw:
Ḥazon/Revelation
22:13 “I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Taw’, the Beginning
and the End, the First
and the Last.”
8. יהושע is the head of the body, the assembly
– First in all!:
Qolasim/Colossians
1:18 “And He is the Head of the body, the assembly, who
is the beginning, the first-born
from the dead, that He might become the One who is first in all.”
He is the most set-apart One of ELOHIM and He is both the first
born of ELOHIM and the first fruit unto ELOHIM.
In Messiah what assurance we have is that ‘in Him’ we are redeemed
– Pěsaḥ speaks of our redemption, Matzot or Unleavened Bread speaks of our
sanctification –being set-apart (cleaned up from leaven) and First Fruits is
the assurance of our promise of eternal life and resurrection in Messiah.
Blessed are those who have part in the first resurrection for the second death
has no power over them!!!
Qorintiyim
Aleph/1 Corinthians 15:20-24 “But now Messiah has been
raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruit of those having fallen
asleep. 21
For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a
Man. 22 For as all die in Aḏam, so also all
shall be made alive in Messiah . 23
And each in his own order: Messiah the first-fruits, then those who are of
Messiah at His coming, 24
then the end, when He delivers up the reign to Elohim the Father, when He has
brought to naught all rule and all authority and power.”
A wonderful passage that Sha’ul is writing to describe truly what
we are celebrating on First Fruits – Messiah is the first fruit among those who
have fallen asleep (died) and it is in Messiah that we are made alive. This
passage is read as a commentary on the order of resurrection but Sha’ul is also
referring here to First Fruits – In that יהושע in being the first to
be raised has fulfilled this Feast – securing the future harvest. So at this
Feast we celebrate the resurrection of יהושע and
in so doing we also celebrate the future completed resurrection of His Bride as
each are made alive in Messiah - each in
his own order!
יהושע’s resurrection was in affect a sheaf wave offering presented
before the Father as first fruits of the harvest to come! He also presented His
first-fruits offering to the Father on this day:
Mattithyahu/Matthew
27:52-53 “and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of
the set-apart ones who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after
His resurrection, they went into the set-apart city and appeared to many.”
A scripture not often understood and even very quickly skipped
through lack of understanding – יהושע presented a first fruit
offering of souls unto the father. Those graves that were opened when He died
lay open for 3 days and3 nights and after His resurrection, the dead from the
tombs that were opened came out of the tombs and appeared unto many – picture
the scene – at His death the temple veil was torn, there was a huge earth quake
and tombs of many were opened and they stayed open for 3 days and 3 nights
until יהושע was raised, after which the dead of those
who were in those tombs came out and appeared to many. These raised ones were
taken up when He ascended and presented the first fruit offering unto the
Father on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath during Matzot – fulfilling this
Feast and its requirements:
Wayyiqra
23:12 “And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you
shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to יהוה.”
He is our
High Priest who presented the wave offering, being the ‘year old perfect lamb’
ascended up to the Father!
Yoḥanan/John
20:17 “יהושע said to her, “Do not hold on to
Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and say to
them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My Elohim and your
Elohim.’ ”
That day He ascended and presented the first fruit
offering and the next evening He came and stood in the midst of His taught ones
and breathed on them and they received the Set-Apart Spirit – a first fruit of
the Spirit that would later be poured out on many!
So what we are celebrating is the fact that Messiah, the
first born, is the first fruit and is our High Priest in whom we have
redemption and the promise of eternal life with Him. But what does this season
also mean for us - His Body? This counting of the omer from the start of the
barley harvest unto the start of the wheat harvest reflects a great lesson for
us – this speaks to us about a time of being refined – making oneself count for
the Kingdom and taking an honest account of where one fits in and how well one
is progressing toward fulfilling the calling of the Father in one’s life:
Counting the omer is not a time to sit back and relax and
in a sense have the misconceived idea of ‘once saved always saved’, no – this
is a time of diligent preparation and humble obedience to walking in and
becoming more effective as part of His Bride who has prepared Herself. I hope
that you are still with me here as now I want to share something that is so
very profound in understanding the process of preparation. As we consider
during this time that we are to pay closer attention to the fields we find
ourselves in – be it a literal farm or the workplace/field you find yourself in
– let that field teach you, as we recognise that these days are a time to
transform us into a more refined people, in order that we can be easily mixed
together and made into a unified loaf of Bread so to speak unto יהוה for Him to enjoy and be satisfied and
pleased in. This First Fruit feast is a wave offering of the sheaf of barley
and at Shavuot there is a wave offering of leavened bread, so let us
look at the process of making bread and preparing it for a wave offering unto יהוה! There are several steps or processes
which as we look at I hope that we are all reminded and realise just what is
expected of me in being a part of the body or loaves if you will of Messiah!
10 steps:
1 – SOWING
OR PLANTING: The Hebrew term used for sowing or planting also carries with it
the meaning of ‘scattering’ – picture as a farmer ‘scatters his seed. The
ancient practice of scattering was called to ‘broadcast’ the seed from a bag
that was hung over ones shoulder. We as a people of Elohim have been scattered
over the whole earth and long to be replanted, if you will, into our native
soil. I am sure we are all aware of the sowing and reaping principle – nothing
can be reaped from what was not sown and you cannot reap something different
from what has been sown – you reap what you sow – be it attitudes, thoughts,
actions or even priorities – do not expect to get something out from that which
you did not sow! You want an intimate growing relationship with יהוה - then sow the time and effort in
seeking Him! יהוה scattered
Yisra’ĕl and we get a greater understanding of this from the book of Hoshěa
which I encourage you to read. Scattered but watched over – for this scattered
seed will bring in a bountiful harvest for reaping!
The root word for sow or sowing is זֶרַע zera –
Strong’s H2233 and means, ‘a sowing, seed, offspring’
and comes from the primitive root זָרַע zara – Strong’s H2232 meaning, ‘to sow or
scatter seed’.
2 –
GROWING: There is always a season or period between sowing and reaping –
it never happens immediately. It is during this time where growth occurs and
this season of growth is a time in a sense for us to think about what was done
wrong and how we can do better. One of the keys to overcoming the period of
growth or period of ‘exile’ if you will, is simply just that – grow and grow
and grow – and to grow we have to realise that we have inherited some lies – ok
more than just some – a whole lot!!! But in realising this we also begin to
grow and realise and know יהוה’s power
and more importantly – His NAME!!! To ‘know’ is to walk in His Torah – for as Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 2:3 says that we
know that we know Him when we guard His commands! And as love for יהוה and one another grows through
obediently guarding his commands we can ‘outgrow’ our ‘exile’ from the Promised
Land – the more the world grows dim before our eyes and has no effect on
pulling us away from obedience and therefore be ready to be lifted up when He
comes and be replanted where we belong – together with Him in His Land!!!
Two root words translated as grow or growing are 1) הָלַךְ halak –
Strong’s H1980 meaning, ‘walk, to go or come, grow, wander, travel’ and 2) צָמַח tsamach –
Strong’s H6779 meaning, ‘to sprout, spring up, grow’ – we know that a derivative of this
word is used in prophetically referring to Messiah who shall come forth from
the Branch of Dawiḏ. When looking at these two words it makes the verse in Yoḥanan
Aleph 2:6 very clear: The one who says he stays
in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked. – as we stay
in and walk in Messiah we will grow!
3 –
REAPING: This reaping process is simply separating the harvest from the
field that it grew in. Grain must be reaped or else it cannot be used. We too,
just as Aḇraham, may have to be reaped out of our circumstances and even our
families. Grain when reaped is gathered into storehouses – and this is a
wonderful picture of what we see happening more and more in these last days –
pretty much the equivalent of Him gathering or assembling His grain into
communities – because to put is plainly – a single kernel of grain cannot make
much bread - and certainly not enough for an offering unto יהוה! Once gathered together this is when
the real preparation begins – say what – yes this is when it begins! What has
erroneously been taught in the church today is that this is the final stage for
those blinded hopefuls and they do not realise what lies ahead in the process
of making bread! This is only the beginning and the next steps are what shape
us into what we need to become in order to be presented to יהוה as a prepared Bride! This is His
storehouse or rather one of His storehouses where He will gather together much
grain – grain that is ready to be prepared to be made into an acceptable offering
of bread unto יהוה!
Reaping is translated from קָצַר qatsar – Strong’s H7719 – ‘to reap, harvest’
4 –
THRESHING: Ouch – the sound of this word already makes you realise why the
church chooses to stop blindly at reaping, and why they developed a false
rapture teaching that sadly for them seemingly removes them from the rest of
the bread making process! Admittedly most would prefer to stay at the reaping
stage – sitting quietly in a barn being no use to anyone at all and it is easy
to understand why – nobody likes to be ‘threshed’. It almost sounds like
‘thrashing’ and guess what – it is!!! Boy – many who have left the reaping
stage into threshing or thrashing soon want to jump back to the safe old barn
of no good premature stop! The Hebrew word for ‘teach’ literally means to ‘prod
with a stick’ and so it is with threshing – which is simply the applying of
pressure to grain – be it from beating it or grinding it or letting heavy
animals trample on it – with the purpose in mind to loosen the shells and
separate the grain from the chaff – or the stalks from the husks – which is still
pretty much useless at this stage. It is the stalk that represents that which
attached us to the field that we came out of and we do not want that to be an
ingredient in the bread!!! Most of what we bring in from the field – be it
dogmas of Rome, doctrines of man, theologies, misguided moral codes and even
wrong priorities that we have picked up along the way – is no longer useful to
us once we have grown enough and been separated from the system – threshed out
in other words – not always painless I might add – and are now threshed out
enough to begin studying the Torah. The omer basket is filled with kernels and
each one has a husk that has to be removed. All too often though we don’t want
this to happen as we can so often find ourselves hiding from one another behind
the husks so to speak – those very things that need to go! We cannot be a part
of the bread if we hang on to the ‘hull’ – the ‘hull’ is the outer part of a
seed or fruit. We must begin to be honest and give an account for ourselves and
ask, “What am I still attached to that is
useless to the Kingdom?” In this threshing process we must allow other
trusted brothers and sisters in the body to ‘loosen’ our kernels – after all in
the process of making bread it is people who do the job!!! Each of us is
responsible to help one another in these processes – and is a great honour and
privilege that requires faithfulness and trustworthiness! For we are in effect
taking what ‘protects’ people into our hands and whatever we learn about them
in the process must be used to help them and build them – not harm or destroy
them! We need to be ‘threshed’ out of the field from which we have come from
and we must realise that we cannot keep holding on to those things that
previously shaped our thinking, especially when it contradicts the Torah! All
we can do is repent, which is a critical step in being able to move on –
threshing is a must – not easy but a must – those husks and hulls must be
loosened off of us and we need to let go of those things that we thought gave
us security as we realise that in our vulnerable state our only security is in יהוה!
Threshing is the Hebrew word דַּיִשׁ dayish –
Strong’s H1786 and is from the primitive root דּוּשׁ dush –
Strong’s H1758 meaning, ‘to tread, thresh or trample’
5 –
WINNOWING: Another step in the process, that involves a ‘fork’ that looks
like a rake. The threshed grain is thrown up into the air in order to expose it
to the wind which will blow away the lightweight particles and the heavier –
that is the more important – will be left behind! This process worked better on
a hill top and so you find many threshing floors being on higher ground to
allow this process to take place after threshing. This process reflects to us
an elevating of one another – lifting one another up in prayer and edifying
each other up into the presence of the Almighty where the ‘wind’ or Ruach blow
away the unneeded stuff in our lives as we immerse in His presence – letting
that which is useless be blown away and what will simply be left is better
refined kernels with no chaff! Sha’ul said to the Corinthians that he desires
that they all speak in tongues but he would rather prefer that they all
prophesy – why? Because prophesy builds up the body – tongues is for the
individual unless there is an interpretation for the body but prophesy in
itself is there to edify others – edify the body and in so doing elevates
others to a place where the Spirit can remove the chaff!
Winnowing is translated from the word זָרָה zarah –
Strong’s H2219 meaning, ‘scatter, fan or winnow’.
6 –
PARCHING: After being separated from the lighter elements – all that airy
fairy fluffy junk that just clogs up our lives and is actually of no use – all
the ‘hot puffed up air’ so to speak – once that is gone guess what? The heat is
turned up!!! What – seriously? Yes – it gets hotter! Once we are a taught
people who have been elevated we can be exposed to things that we would never
have considered before. It is interesting to note at this stage that is would
be useless to ‘parch’ a single kernel – so we are all parched together! No one
has to go through this alone! This is not a ‘burning’ of the grain but rather a
process of removing moisture from the kernels and makes the grain even lighter,
and what this pictures for us is that at this stage we begin to give less
weight to the ‘me, myself and mine’ attitude and rather consider what is best
for one another and the whole bread, so to speak! You know it is so difficult
to ‘give up’ individual rights – but we can when we are in it together!
Parching may cause tears – in fact more often than not it will as one lets go
off selfishness and pride – the removal of moisture!
To parch in Hebrew is the word קָלָה qalah – Strong’s H7033 meaning, ‘to toast, parch,
and scorch slowly’.
7 –
CRUSHING: Come on Craig, crushing… when does it stop? This is even a
scarier process I know! In Ancient times all bread was what you would call,
‘stone ground’. In fact at many archaeological sites many ancient ‘millstones’
were found. A millstone is where two huge concrete stones are used from
crushing – grains were crushed between two stones – the two stone of a millstone
picture the two stone tablets upon which the Torah was written. The kernels are
not destroyed in this process – far from it – they in fact now become very
useful and fully useable – for now all the kernels have actually become part of
one flour mix – inseparable – a picture of a people with the same purpose. It
is at this stage where we can safely say that a bird cannot come and snatch
away a single kernel as there is no way to identify the part of a single kernel
as they are now so mingled and mixed in together. You see it is like this – as
we obey the Torah, love יהוה and love
one another – what happens? We become inseparable and become as one!
To crush or grind is the Hebrew word טָחַן tachan – Strong’s H2912 meaning, ‘to grind’ and the word טַחֲנָה tachanah –
Strong’s H2913 is a grinding mill!
8 –
SIFTING: In the 2nd Temple times the wheat for the offering at
Shavuot was sifted 13 times!!! Each times becoming finer and finer! 13 is the
numerical value for the Hebrew word ‘echad’
– meaning one or unified and יהושע Himself prayed that we
would be one! The closer we get together through obedient living and
fellowship, the more refined we become. Those who are crushed with us are our
true neighbours!!! One thing we must realise is simply that if I do not bring
my part and am causing disruption in the body causing the refining of the body
to stumble then as it is sifted again I may just be sifted out!!!
Here we have the Hebrew word for sift as נוּף nuph –
Strong’s H5130 and means, ‘to quiver, move to and fro, shake’
9 – TESTING: Then
comes the testing – as a body or as a loaf! The Temple treasurer would come at
this stage and plunge his hands into the refined flour and it needed to be so
fine that no flour was to be seen on his arms. In fact they were so strict that
if any adhered to his flesh it would have to be sifted again. This although
seemingly a strict procedure pictures for us that we are in this together – it
is not a case of ‘well that is their problem’ or ‘it is someone else’s problem’
– no – until all of us are sufficiently refined together none of us can become
the bread – this is everyone’s responsibility to become a part! If you do not
bring your part into the body or for sake of this teaching the loaf and the
batch is failing the test due to your inconsistency then you may, as I have
said, be simply sifted out. Satan is the one who desires to sift us out – he
asked יהושע if he could sift Kěpha! Let us be careful
that we are not sifted out by continually failing the tests!
נָסָה
nasah
– Strong’s H5254 – ‘to test, prove,
try’:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 13:3 “do not listen to
the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for יהוה your Elohim is trying you to know whether you love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your
being.”
10 –
BAKING: Once tested it can now be baked and presented fresh unto יהוה as the first fruit of wheat. It is at
the feast of Shavuot leavened bread – why? Because it has been permeated with
the Kingdom:
Mattithyahu/Matthew
13:33 “Another parable He spoke to them, “The reign of
the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of
meal until all was leavened.”
This bread is leavened with the Kingdom – not with sin as leaven
represents for us at this feast we are in of Unleavened Bread. At Shavuot 2
loaves are presented representing the 2 houses of Yisra’ĕl which once were
scattered but now are being brought back and the promise of this is seen in the
fulfilment of both these first fruit offerings of the barley and the wheat.
A couple of different Hebrew words are used for what we translate
as ‘bake’ and 3 of them are: 1) אָפָה aphah – Strong’s H644 meaning ‘bake, cook’;
2) בָּשַׁל bashal –
Strong’s H1310 – ‘bake, boil, seeth, ripen, grow ripe’
and 3) שָׂרַף seraph –
Strong’s H8313 meaning, ‘burn or to be set on fire’. I find that all of these collectively
give us a great idea of how the ultimate process of bringing us together as
being presentable as an acceptable offering of Bread before the Father is that
we are to grow and ‘be on fire’ for Him.
Another word which for me carries
wonderful significance in the baking process is the Hebrew word לָבַן laban –
Strong’s H3835 which means ‘to make bricks’ and in its
primitive root means, ‘to make white’. This word was used in Berěshith/Genesis
11:3 when the men wanted to build a tower to the heavens and wanted to male
bricks and bake them. This was a wicked time and a wicked plot which caused יהוה to come down and confuse the
languages! But when we see these words in use in reference to how the bricks
would be made through baking, I reflect on who we have been called to be as
living stones being built up in Messiah as a Living Tabernacle/Dwelling Place
for the Most High and Messiah tells us that those who overcome shall be given a
white stone:
Ḥazon/Revelation
2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden
manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed
Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
The process of making bread carries great significance for us in
understanding how we are to be overcomers in Messiah and be on fire for Him, aměn!
Guys this is a season and time to prepare – let us prepare as we
celebrate and recognise the very work our Saviour has done in becoming our
Passover Lamb, our First Fruit and the very Living Bread of which we are His
body and in Him we are one able to be presented to Elohim as a pleasing
offering!
At this First Fruit Feast what do you bring unto יהוה? יהושע has indeed fully met
the requirements of this feast and as Yoḥanan says that we are claim to stay in
Him ought also to walk even as He walked and so we too come and give our best,
our all unto יהוה, prepared
to be part of a Bride who makes herself ready – rid of the leaven of sin, yet
becoming permeated with the good leaven of the Kingdom. Praise יהוה all you servants of יהוה and bless His mighty Name –
Carlien and I stand before you today and want to share how we
asked the Father what we could bring before Him, and we want you all to realise
that you guys here are all we have and so today we symbolically come before the
Father and wave you all before Him as you are what we have to bring to Him and
so in saying this I would like to echo the words of Sha’ul in:
Tas’loniqim
Aleph/1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 “For what is our
expectation, or joy, or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our
Master יהושע
Messiah at His coming? 20 For
you are our esteem and joy.”
Tas’loniqim Aleph/1 Thessalonians 3:8 “Because we now live, if you stand fast in the Master.”
You are collectively our ‘esteem and joy’ and we now live – IF your
stand fast IN the Master!!! And so we ‘wave’ you symbolically before the Father
with the full assurance that in Messiah we will too grow as a ministry and
family in Him!
יהוה bless you
and guard you; יהוה make His
face shine upon you and give you favour; יהוה lift up
His face to you and give you Shalom!
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