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harvest was waved before the Lord; God’s His sacrifice at the cross satisfied God, it
interests must come first. is sufficient for me as well; I rest there.”
How kind of God to grant this further So, in picture, the sheaf of firstfruits was
pledge of Israel’s inheritance! It is good signifying that all that transpired was for
of Him, too, to give present-day believ- our “acceptance.” His continued presence
ers assurances of an inheritance that is as a man in the glory ensures sympathetic
“reserved in heaven for you” (1Pe 1:4). interest in days of trial (Heb 4:15) and
Israel’s inheritance was earthly, but ours necessary help in restoring the joy of fel-
is heavenly. He has given “the firstfruits lowship with the Father if we sin (1Jo 2:1).
of the Spirit” to us here and now (Rom The Offerings
8:23), the guarantee of multiple blessings Various offerings accompanied the
awaiting at “the redemption of our body.” waving of the sheaf. The burnt offering
Paul conveys a similar thought when he indicates that God’s pleasure at His death
describes the Spirit as “the earnest of our lingers permanently with the presence of
inheritance” (Eph 1:14), the present assur- the living Christ in glory. The meat offer-
ance of future blessing. ing demonstrates that His holy character
The Waving of the Sheaf was not impaired by death, His flesh saw
When the sheaf was gathered, the no corruption, and holy manhood has
priest would “wave the sheaf before the been carried into heaven. The One who
Lord, to be accepted for you” (Lev 23:11). is there is holy, harmless and undefiled
Remember, the sheaf foreshadows Christ (Heb 7:26). The wine of the drink offering
in resurrection, so He is pictured as a res- denotes the joy that the vindication of His
urrected man being presented in celestial resurrection has produced. As He moved
courts. Divine power took Him from lying to the cross, there was a “joy that was set
motionless in the garden tomb right to the before him” (12:2), and He has now been
very apex of glory, “set at his own right anointed “with the oil of gladness” (1:9).
hand … far above all …” (Eph 1:19-23). Christ the Firstfruits
He has entered “into heaven itself, now to As mentioned, Paul’s argument in 1
appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb Corinthians 15 is that, logically, anyone
9:24). “The Sheaf” has been waved before who believes in Christ’s resurrection must
the Lord in all the acceptability of His accept the general concept of resurrection.
Person and work, and for our acceptance. So the Lord Jesus is said to be the “first-
The Lord’s resurrection was a necessary fruits of them that slept”; His people will
sequel to His death, denoting divine satis- be raised “at his coming” (vv20-23). A
faction with what He accomplished on the small minority of the Church will survive
cross. He was “delivered for our offences, till then, to be raptured without dying
and was raised again for our justification” at all, but many millions have “fallen
(Rom 4:25). At conversion, we did not just asleep” and will require resurrection. His
believe that He rose from the dead, but resurrection guarantees ours. He “shewed
that God raised Him from the dead, an himself alive after his passion by many
indication that He was totally content with infallible proofs” (Act 1:3), so our hope
what was transacted at Calvary (10:9). of resurrection is well founded on irrefut-
The sinner who believes that God raised able evidence. Thank God for “Christ the
Him from the dead is saying, in effect, “If firstfruits”!

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