THE WAVE SHEAF OFFERING

God's Biblical Feasts
Written By Patrick Shabi

What to Know

  • What it is: The Wave Sheaf Offering in Leviticus 23:10-14 marked the first ripe sheaf of the barley harvest. Though it allowed normal work and required no public assembly, it formally dedicated the entire harvest to God.

  • Prophetic Timing: Always waved “the day after the Sabbath” during Unleavened Bread, this sheaf foreshadowed Christ’s resurrection on that very morning (John 20:17; 1 Cor 15:20-23). Jesus is “the first of the firstfruits,” guaranteeing the future resurrection of all who believe in Him.

  • Our Hope Established Through Jesus Christ’s Resurrection: The Wave Sheaf celebrates victory over death — Passover pictures redemption, Unleavened Bread pictures sanctification, and the Feast of Firstfruits anchors the promise of resurrection life (1 Cor 15:54-55).

  • Give God the First and Best: Offering the first sheaf models the principle of honoring God with the firstfruits (and best) of our wealth, time, and lives (Prov 3:9-10; Rom 12:1).

  • A Reminder of Our Mission: Jesus called humanity a “plentiful harvest” (Matt 9:37-38). The Feast of Firstfruits and the Wave Sheaf Offering urges believers to join that harvest work now while they await the full ingathering of God’s people (Rev 14:4).

The Wave Sheaf Offering, is a unique ceremony and sacrifice described in Leviticus 23. Unlike other Biblical Feasts, this day does not require a holy convocation, and customary work is permitted. However, these distinctions do not diminish its rich spiritual and prophetic significance. On the contrary, the Wave Sheaf Offering plays a central role in God’s redemptive plan, making it an essential memorial to reflect upon alongside His other Biblical Feasts.

Instituted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, the Wave Sheaf Offering represents the beginning of God’s redemptive work for humanity. This day symbolizes the presentation of the first and best to God, foreshadowing Jesus Christ as the first to be resurrected from the dead, paving the way for the ultimate harvest of the first fruits.

Far from being outdated or irrelevant, the Wave Sheaf Offering holds deep meaning for believers today. It emphasizes themes of thanksgiving for what God has already done through Jesus Christ and hope in the promise of the first resurrection, when His faithful will be gathered as His first fruits. Understanding the profound meaning of this ceremony reveals its ongoing relevance for believers who seek to align with God’s purpose and celebrate His unfolding plan of redemption.

The foundation of the Wave Sheaf Offering is detailed in Leviticus 23:10-14. God commanded the Israelites to bring the first sheaf of the barley harvest to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord as an act of dedication. This symbolic gesture represented the consecration of the entire harvest to God and was accompanied by the sacrifice of a lamb (Leviticus 23:12), along with grain and wine offerings (Leviticus 23:13). The offering of the first sheaf acknowledged God as the source of all blessings and expressed faith that He would provide the rest of the harvest.

Significantly, this ceremony occurred during the Days of Unleavened Bread, on the day after the weekly Sabbath, ensuring it always fell on the first day of the week. This timing creates an important link between the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Firstfruits and the broader meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread. That connection finds its ultimate fulfillment and deeper significance in the New Testament, revealing the prophetic and spiritual truths behind this unique ceremony.

In the New Testament, the Wave Sheaf Offering finds its ultimate fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul explicitly ties this wave sheaf ceremony to Christ’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, stating: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Just as the Wave Sheaf Offering was the first of the harvest and served as a guarantee of the rest, Jesus Christ’s resurrection as the “first of the firstfruits” guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to Him.

This connection is not coincidental, as Christ’s resurrection aligns perfectly with the timing of the Wave Sheaf Offering. John 20:17 provides a glimpse into this timing when Jesus tells Mary, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” Later that same day, as described in Luke 24:39, Jesus appears to His disciples, inviting them to “handle Me and see.” These events both occurred on the day of His resurrection.

This timing aligns with the Jewish tradition of the Wave Sheaf Offering, which took place shortly after the morning sacrifice, typically offered around 9:00 a.m. Between Christ’s appearance to Mary earlier in the morning (John 20:17) and His later appearance to the disciples (Luke 24:39), the Wave Sheaf Offering would have been presented in the Temple. This timing underscores the profound prophetic fulfillment: Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the very day of the Wave Sheaf Offering, perfectly aligning His resurrection with the ceremony’s symbolic and redemptive meaning.

The Wave Sheaf Offering also represents a critical step in God’s redemptive plan for humanity. While Passover symbolizes redemption through the blood of the Lamb and the Days of Unleavened Bread point to our ongoing need for sanctification through Jesus Christ, the Wave Sheaf Offering (and the Feast of Firstfruits) emphasize the hope and assurance of resurrection. Through His victory over death, Christ assures His followers that death is not the end. As Paul triumphantly declares in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Observing the Wave Sheaf Offering allows believers to reflect on the promise of eternal life and the certainty of a future resurrection through Christ at His second coming. It serves as a reminder of the central doctrine of the believer’s faith: that Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of that hope. This ceremony not only calls for gratitude, but also deepens our understanding of God’s unfolding redemptive plan, giving assurance of the ultimate harvest when all who belong to Christ will be raised to eternal life.

The agricultural symbolism of the Wave Sheaf Offering extends beyond the resurrection of Christ to encompass the spiritual harvest of what God calls His firstfruits (the Feast of Firstfruits). In the Old Testament, the offering of the first of the firstfruits anticipated a much greater harvest yet to come. This idea is echoed in Revelation 14:4, where God’s redeemed are described as “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” This imagery ties the Wave Sheaf Offering to the mission of the Church that Jesus Christ established and to what He asks of His followers: laboring for the spiritual harvest of humanity.

Christ Himself used agricultural metaphors to illustrate this mission, saying in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” The Wave Sheaf Offering, and the Feast of Firstfruits, serve as powerful reminders for believers to reflect on their role as laborers in God’s harvest. They also call believers to renew their commitment to this mission, following Christ’s example and prayer to the Father for workers to join in bringing in the harvest of souls at the end of the age. Through this Wave Sheaf Offering ceremony and the Feast of Firstfruits, believers are encouraged to align their lives with God’s redemptive purpose and to actively participate in His work of gathering His people.

Another aspect of the Wave Sheaf Offering is that it highlights the principle of offering God the first and best of what we have.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to present the first sheaf of the barley harvest to God, acknowledging that the entire harvest belonged to Him (Leviticus 23:10-11). This principle is reinforced in Proverbs 3:9-10, which instructs believers to “honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” The concept of giving the first and best to God originates at the very beginning of Scripture. In Genesis 4:4, Abel brought “of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions,” and as a result, “the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.”

For believers today, this principle extends beyond material offerings to encompass their time, talents, and lives. Paul reflects on this in Romans 12:1, urging believers to present their bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” in response to God’s mercy and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. Jesus gave His very life so that we might have the hope of eternal life, as symbolized in the Feast of Firstfruits and the Wave Sheaf Offering.

By observing and honoring the Wave Sheaf Offering, believers proclaim a core truth of their faith: Christ is risen, and through Him, we too will rise in the resurrection at His second coming. The Wave Sheaf Offering, and the Feast of Firstfruits, serve as powerful reminders to prioritize God in all aspects of our lives, celebrating the promise of eternal life made possible through Jesus Christ.

Patrick Shabi
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The FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD