Program Transcript
Episode 35: 7 Feasts of the LORD: Firstfruits
Heather M R Olsen
Welcome back, Friends.
As we begin, say with me Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Hopefully as we travel through these 7 Feasts, we each can learn that our days are precious, and by living them with God-ordained intention, we honor Him with our lives.
If you need some quiet time Bible reading ideas, work your way through Psalms 113-118, the hallel or praise Psalms as read during Passover.
Note any messianic references and mark them in your Bibles.
Another quiet time activity is to read for yourself Isaiah 53. I finished our Passover/Unleavened Bread podcast by reading it. As you read this prophecy, highlight any messianic references. If you are paying attention, you’ll find that almost the entire chapter will be highlighted!
Let’s review where we are in our Feasts:
- Feast 1 is the beginning of the Jewish religious year, Passover, & recognizes Jesus in His death, the final sacrificial lamb.
- Feast 2, Unleavened Bread, begins the day after Passover, signified by Jesus’ sinless body lying in the tomb, yet not seeing decay.
- Feast 3 is entitled First Fruits. First Fruits is nestled within Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, specifically on day three.
It is the most overlooked Feast, yet in the messianic sense, it’s one of paramount importance.
Let’s unpack that with our first Bible reference from
Leviticus 23:9-14
9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
First Fruits, also called Sfirat HaOmer (Counting of the Sheaf) or Yom HaBikurim (The Day of First Fruits), lands within the very large Passover celebration, so it is understandable why it is unnoticed. As Jesus-believers, this is not a moed to neglect, but rather requires a pause to see what God is doing in the Feasts!
In antiquity, this God-mandated moed was a commemoration of the first harvest to ripen in Israel, namely barley. The day was devoted to first things, specifically, the giving of first things. Processions of barley were brought to the temple, with praise music, Psalms, and dancing.
Though the Bible does not mention the exact month or day, it does mention that the first sheaf of barley was presented to the LORD on “the day after the Sabbath.” We know from our studies that Friday after sundown through Saturday until sundown, is the Shabbat. Holy days are also called “sabbaths.” Regardless, most scholarly opinion puts this biblical “day after the sabbath” as the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread.
Clear as mud? Let’s spell it out.
Passover occurs on the 14th day of Aviv (later referred to as Nisan).
This would put the sabbath of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread on the 15th day.
Consequently, First Fruits is on the 16th day of Aviv/Nisan.
Since the day of the week isn’t specified (first day of the week, etc.) as opposed to the date of the month, these dates are God’s command rather than a Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Ancient historian Flavius Josephus corroborates this as he wrote, “But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the 16th day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth for before that day they do not touch them.”
Let’s continue in Deuteronomy 26:1-10 by reading more details & rituals of First Fruits.
26 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
Not only does this day commemorate the harvest and gratitude to the LORD for all He has provided, it also is a reminder to give back a tithe.
Deuteronomy 26:16-19 The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18 And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. 19 He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.
God is very clear to the Israelites that He meant what He said regarding all His statutes, teachings and instructions which includes the Feasts.
Within the Promised Land, there were 7 crops promised to the Israelites. We can find the reference in Deuteronomy 8:7-8 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;
They are currently entitled the 7 Species, and this designation is used even today in Israel.
No harvest was to be eaten until the first harvest was dedicated as the First Fruits.
This first ripe sheaf of barley to the LORD was an act of dedicating the harvest to Him “on the third day.”
During the time of the temple, the barley sheaf was marked on Passover. Day 1, bundled, and left standing in the field. It was cut on the first day of Unleavened bread, Day 2. Then waved at the temple on First Fruits, Day 3.
We can read the First Fruits prayer in
Deuteronomy 26:3
“I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”
First is an important and repeated theme in the Bible.
And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
Firstborns are commanded by God to be dedicated back to Him.
They were to receive a double portion of the family inheritance.
“Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
“The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock.
“‘No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the Lord’s.
Jesus, God’s firstborn of Mary, was presented to the LORD at the temple per Jewish custom.
Luke 2:22-24
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Also in Luke 2, Jesus as an infant was first declared the Messiah.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
First Fruits is mentioned 7 times in the New Testament by the Apostles Paul, James, and John. You can find each reference if you take some time to do a word search on the Biblegateway.com website.
Kasden wrote of the holiday, “Think of it: the grain that had come from the earth was now lifted up high for all to see!” He continues that Jesus had even alluded to his resurrection in similar terms as found in
John 12:23-24, 32
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Jesus was the First Fruit of resurrection, rising on the third day, on the Feast of First Fruits.
We will consequently rise when He returns.
Proof that there is life after death.
Guaranteed and modeled by Jesus.
The Apostle Paul makes a clear connection of first fruits in
1 Cor 15:20-23
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
First Fruits is a monumental holiday for believers in Jesus!
In the Church, we now call it Resurrection Sunday.
Remember Jesus’ words in Luke 24.
Luke 24:44-47
“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
That gives new meaning to this agricultural holiday.
The promise of the future resurrection of believers. Jesus said in
John 5:28-29
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
Isn’t that powerful?
Kasden asserts that it is imperative that Yeshua died on Passover.
Equally, that the Messiah had to rise on First Fruits.
Unfortunately, in 325AD at the Council of Nicaea, the attending bishops decoupled the Jewish Passover from Resurrection Sunday and named it Easter. This new date was to occur after the Spring Equinox. The decoupling of the Jewish Passover and Resurrection Sunday has rendered God’s beautiful picture in the Feasts to go unnoticed in the Church for centuries.
Fortunately, many Christians are digging into Jewish roots of the faith– because our Faith stands on the foundation of Judaism. These Christians are finding striking meaning in God’s moedim.
Howard and Rosenthal write that, “The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee and the beginning (firstfruits) of the final harvest, or resurrection, of all humanity.” The Messiah clearly and visibly fulfilled this Feast by His resurrection, being the first to rise, and securing the promise that believers will also rise in Him.
Howard and Rosenthal continue that, “The Bible clearly teaches that there is life after death.” Friends, our spirits are not reincarnated, nor do they float away into oblivion, nor does life just go dark. Everyone will be resurrected. Everyone. One is either with Jesus or spends eternal life without God.
We do not know when this final resurrection will happen, but we are told that the wheat will be separated from the chaff.
Some other verses on the resurrection in the New Testament are:
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Acts 2:31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.
Acts 24:14-16. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
1 Corinthians 15:12-14
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
1 Corinthians 15:41-43
41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
I pray you can sit and let Jesus’ resurrection soak into your very soul.
One day, the resurrection will be yours.
Jesus accomplished exactly what He said He would. In Power.
Last, Firstfruits was seen as a time marker. It started the countdown to the next holy day, which of course also contains messianic implications.
This countdown is to the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, “the day after the 7th sabbath,” 50 days after Firstfruits.
Simple math: 7 sabbaths x 7 days of week = 49 days, plus the day after.
This holiday, Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks is named by the Church as Pentecost, which in Greek means 50th.
Thanks for joining me at Firstfruits!
See you at the Festival of Weeks, or Shavuot.
Shalom friends:
**Heather!
©2025 Heather M R Olsen, Illumination: Hebrew Insights. All rights reserved. 
