The Wave-Sheaf Typical Of Christ
The Wave-Sheaf Typical Of Christ
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof; then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow, after the sabbath, and the priest shall wave it—Leviticus 23:10, 11
IN this chapter we have an account of the several festivals to be offered by the Jews in their generations until the coming of the Messiah. And these are called the Feasts of the Lord, verse 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shalt proclaim to be holy convocations; even these are my feasts. Which were of his appointment, by his direction, and for his honour and glory; and which were typical of Christ, and his person, offices, and grace.
The first of these mentioned in verse 3, is the seventh day sabbath. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation, ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Of this, Christ is the sum and substance. Wherefore, says the apostle, let no man judge you in this and the other thing; and among the rest, in respect of the sabbath-days, which are a shadow of good things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16, 17)
The sabbath was a rest (as the name signifies) from toil and labour: and this was typical of rest by Christ, whose rest was glorious; and that in every sense of it, both spiritual and eternal. There is a spiritual rest by Christ; which lies in a freedom from the burden of sin, and from the bondage of the law; and which lies in peace, joy, and comfort, arising from a comfortable perception of an interest in the righteousness, blood, and sacrifice of the Son of God. This is that rest which our Lord promises to all such who come, spiritually, and by faith unto him. (Matthew 11:28) And besides this, there is that eternal rest, which remains for the people of God, in the other world. There will be a rest of their bodies in the grave, till the resurrection: a rest of their souls in the arms of Jesus, till that time: and then a rest of both with God and Christ, angels and glorified saints, to all eternity. Now of all these, this first feast was a figure.
The next that follows, is that of the passover, verses 5, 6. In the fourteenth day of the first month, at even, is the Lord's passover: and on the fifteenth day of the same month, is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord. This also was typical of Christ. Hence the apostle saith, Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7) And not only we Christians are now able, with great clearness and exactness, to observe the agreement between the passover and our Lord Jesus Christ; but even Moses, at the first institution of this ordinance, kept it by faith. So the author of the epistle to the Hebrews asserts, that through faith he kept the passover: (Hebrews 11:8) believing that the blood of the passover Lamb, sprinkled upon the door posts of the Israelites, would be a means of their preservation: believing there would be a speedy deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt: and he kept it in faith of the future spiritual deliverance and redemption by Christ, the antitype of it.
The next of the feasts mentioned, is that which is in our text; the sheaf of the first-fruits. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath, the priest shall wave it. This also was typical of Christ. We cannot have any doubt about it, as the apostle expressly says, Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept: and he further adds, every man in his own order: that is, shall rise in his own order; Christ the first-fruits, and afterwards they that are Christ's, at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:32) What I shall endeavour to do at this time is, to shew you the agreement between the type and the antitype.
I. In the matter of it: both in respect to its quality and quantity. A sheaf of the first-fruits.