Page 124 - Biblical Backgrounds

First Fruits — Leviticus 23:10
The Feast of First Fruits is one of three Jewish harvest
feasts to thank and honor God for all he provided.
Although they didn’t know it at the time, the children of
Israel were celebrating what would become a very
important day.

The priests sacrificed Passover lambs on the 14th day of
the month of Nisan, and the first day of Passover was
the 15th. The Feast of First Fruits was celebrated on the
third day, the 16th of Nisan. This “third day” celebration
was the same day that Jesus resurrected from the dead.
In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits of the dead. He represents the first of the
great harvest of souls — including you — that will resurrect to eternal life because of the new covenant
in his blood (Luke 22:20).

Feast of Weeks or Pentecost — Leviticus 23:16
This feast is the second of the three harvest feasts. It occurs exactly seven weeks after the Feast of First
Fruits, so it’s also called Pentecost, which means “50 days.” Traditionally, people were expected to bring
the first harvest of grain to the Lord, including two leavened loaves of bread.

God’s plan to save souls included more than the Jews.
Through Jesus, this plan was revealed. In Matthew
9:37, Jesus tells his disciples that “the harvest is great,
but the workers are few.” Then he put the plan into
place: In Acts 1:4, he tells them to wait in Jerusalem
for the Holy Spirit.

That arrival was the day the Church was born —
Pentecost — and the harvest began with 3,000 souls.
The message spread to both Jews and Gentiles (the
two leavened loaves of bread), extending the harvest
to us!

Feast of Trumpets — Leviticus 23:24
In a beautiful declaration, God commands his people to rest. All regular work is prohibited during this
time, and men and women present a food offering to God.

In Leviticus 23:24, God commands his people to gather and commemorate the decree with trumpet
blasts. What was the purpose of this feast? What extremely significant event involving the blowing of
trumpets took place in the national life of Israel? What spiritual event was so important that God
commanded the people to remember it every year? Let’s find the answer in Exodus 19:16-19.

16 On the morning of the third day, there were thunders and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain
17
and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the
people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the

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