What is The Feast of Firstfruits?

The Feast of Firstfruits, also called the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, is a holy celebration observed on the 65th day of every year by the people of God. Unlike other feasts observed by the children of Israel, this celebration only lasts for one day, and is meant to remind us of the bountiful increase that our Father blesses us with, and how we should always keep Him first in everything we do, being generous with what we receive from Him.

Background

The Feast of Firstfruits is one of three special feast days on which all of the males of the house of Israel are instructed to appear before Yahawah. The other two are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Ingathering. While the previous two feasts of the year – Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread – reflect on Yahawah’s deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt, the Feast of Firstfruits calls to remembrance his deliverance of our people into the promised land after the great Exodus.

“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 firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:”

Leviticus 23:10

Significance and Symbolism

The Feast of Firstfruits gives us a clear picture of our Savior, long before the time of his birth!

The Holy Spirit was given to the first members of the body of Christ after his death and resurrection on the Feast of Firstfruits (Pentecost). They became the firstfruits of Christ’s labor for our salvation on this day!
Paul referred to Christ as the firstfruits of them that slept, because he was the first to be raised from the dead to eternal life by the power of our Father.
In having every male of the children of Israel, including those living abroad, travel to the holy land to appear before Yahawah in His temple, this can be considered a foreshadowing of the day when Christ returns and the dead in him are resurrected to eternal life, and those who remain alive are changed to the heavenly bodies and caught up to be with him forever. While Yahawashi is the firstfruits of the resurrection, we are the remaining portion of the harvest! We will be “harvested” from the earth, and called up to be with our Father and our Savior no matter where we are, and whether we are living or have passed away.

Observance

The Feast of Weeks is kept every year on the fifth day of the third month, which is the day after the seventh Sabbath from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We are commanded to keep this day as a holy Sabbath, doing no servile work. Yahawah also asks that we gather together in holy convocation, eating, drinking, praying and celebrating the goodness of our God!

Traditionally, the meal that Yahawah asked us to eat (sacrifice) for this feast day was very specific. An offering of two loaves of bread baked with leaven, seven unblemished lambs less than one year old, one bullock, two rams, and a goat were to be brought before The Most High by every family for this feast. Additionally, all of the men and boys of the nation of Israel, no matter where they lived or traveled, were instructed to come before The Most High in the promised land for this feast, every year. They were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of their harvest, and the priest would wave the sheaf for them, to be accepted before The Most High.

As the lifestyles of the children of Israel have changed over the years through captivity, many of us no longer grow our own food, or keep our own livestock. Fortunately, as with every holy day observed by our nation, we have Yahawashi as our eternal and perfect sacrifice for our sins, so the specific guidelines and laws for animal sacrifice and the meals we eat on this holy day are no longer required of us. And because Christ is our High Priest now, we don’t have to seek out an Israelite priest, traditionally an ordained male member of the tribe of Levi, to present the firstfruits of our increase to our God…we are blessed to bring Him our best directly by the grace of Christ!

Whatever it is that we labor for to sustain our lives – whether that be food if we grow our own, money, or other goods – we should dedicate the first and best of it to The Most High on this holy day.

Scriptures

If you would like to read more on this holy feast for yourself, here are some suggested scriptures:

Leviticus 23:15-22
Exodus 23:14-19
Exodus 34:19-27
Numbers 28:26-31
Acts 2:1-21