The Wavesheaf offering carries specific requirements that Israel could not meet in the wilderness or at Joshua 5. It had to be first fruits of their own labor, sown in their own field (Exodus 23:16), harvested from their own land (Leviticus 23:10), and not spoils or produce from a stranger's hand, since a stranger's corruption disqualifies an offering (Leviticus 22:25). It had to cost them something, as David's purchase of Ornan's land shows. It was waved before any harvesting or eating of the crop, on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath, and was accompanied by a lamb without blemish, a meal offering, and a drink offering (Leviticus 23:12-13). The principle of unblemished offerings applies to every offering, because God always gets the best. Deuteronomy 12 centralized all national offerings at the place God chose, the Tabernacle and later the Temple, and Israel was to offer them only once God gave rest from all enemies. That did not come until about seven years after Joshua 5, when the Tabernacle stood at Shiloh and the land was possessed (Joshua 21:43-45). So Joshua 5:10-12 records no Wavesheaf. The Israelites ate produce they had not sown, and they had no Tabernacle altar. An offering from the stranger's hand would also have pictured the sinless, risen Christ coming from corrupt Gentiles, an abomination. Special occasions, like Hezekiah's second-month Passover, do not alter the original commands. Joshua 5 therefore cannot establish a Saturday Passover followed by a Wavesheaf Sunday.

The Wavesheaf Offering, as instructed by God, carried specific requirements that the Israelites had to follow when they came into the land of promise. The phrase "when you come into the land," used in Leviticus 23:10, is a general instruction referring to Israel being in the land, not necessarily the immediate day or year after crossing the Jordan. This phrase does not stand alone and can be modified by other requirements, as seen in Deuteronomy 26, where possessing and dwelling in the land, and going to the place where God made His name abide, were necessary conditions that took years to fulfill. Furthermore, the Wavesheaf Offering marked the beginning of the harvest, a critical workday for the Israelites, and was not to coincide with a holy day when no customary work was to be done. God instructed in Deuteronomy 16:9 to begin counting the seven weeks from the time the sickle was put to the grain, indicating the start of harvest work determined the day of the offering. Additionally, God would not accept offerings of grain that the Israelites did not sow themselves, as seen in Exodus 23:16 and Leviticus 22:25, meaning only grain from their own labors was acceptable to Him. Thus, in Joshua 5, the Israelites were not required to offer the Wavesheaf, as the conditions, including the source of the grain and the prohibition of work on a holy day, were not met.

The Wavesheaf Offering holds a significant place in determining the timing of Pentecost, as the count of fifty days begins with the day the sheaf is waved before God. According to the established rule, the count must always start on the day following the weekly Sabbath that falls within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ensuring that the first day of the count is a Sunday and Pentecost also falls on a Sunday. This pattern remains consistent even in years when Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, causing the count to begin one day outside the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as no scriptural command requires the Wavesheaf Day to occur within this feast. Scripture, particularly Leviticus 23:10-11 and 15-16, emphasizes the importance of the weekly Sabbath within the Feast of Unleavened Bread as the marker for starting the count, rather than any other Sabbath or holy day. Historical records show that various Jewish groups, including Sadducees, Pharisees, and others, never observed Wavesheaf Day on a Sabbath, always placing it on a common workday following a Sabbath. The Wavesheaf Day is directly linked to Pentecost through the count and their shared harvest symbolism, with Wavesheaf marking the beginning and Pentecost the end of the harvest. There is no biblical mandate that Wavesheaf Day must fall within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and using Passover, which is a separate festival, as a marker for the count introduces inconsistency. The practice of beginning the count on the day after the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread aligns with the example of Jesus, the First of the Firstfruits, who ascended to heaven on a Sunday morning following the weekly Sabbath within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, fulfilling the type perfectly as commanded in Leviticus 23. This rule ensures that Pentecost's date varies annually, necessitating a count each year to observe it correctly, reflecting God's purposeful design in His commands.

The Wavesheaf Offering, as outlined in the instructions of Leviticus 23:10-11, 14, carries specific requirements that must be met for it to be acceptable to God. It must be the first of all the produce of the ground, brought forth from the land that the Israelites themselves have cultivated through their own labors. This offering cannot be from grain that costs them nothing or from the labors of others, as it must represent the firstfruits of their own sowing and reaping. Additionally, the offering is to be made at the place where the Lord chooses to make His name abide, only after Israel has possessed the land and it is at rest, conditions that were not met immediately upon crossing the Jordan. In the context of Joshua 5, these requirements were not fulfilled since the Israelites had not yet sown or cultivated the land, and the grain available was not from their own efforts but was free for the taking. Therefore, no Wavesheaf Offering was required or made at that time, as the produce did not meet God's standard for an acceptable offering.

Wavesheaf Offering: Requirements and Context The requirements for the Wavesheaf Offering are strictly defined by scriptural law, and these conditions could not be met by the Israelites in Joshua 5. According to Leviticus 23:11, the Wavesheaf Offering must be waved on the day after a Sabbath, explicitly forbidding it on a Sabbath day. If the 15th of Abib, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, is considered a Sabbath, as some suggest, the offering could not have been made on that day. Furthermore, the grain for the offering had to be from seed planted by the Israelites themselves, and it could not come from a stranger's hand; it had to be offered by a circumcised person who had made the covenant with God, as stated in Leviticus 22:24-25. The grain available to the Israelites in Joshua 5, being from the land they had just entered and not from their own planting, did not qualify as a lawful offering under these terms. Additionally, Deuteronomy 12 specifies that the required animal sacrifice accompanying the Wavesheaf Offering could not be made until Israel had peace throughout the land and the Tabernacle and brazen altar were established at the location where God had placed His name. This condition was not met until seven years had passed, as noted in Joshua 21:43-45. Therefore, the Israelites in Joshua 5 could not meet multiple requirements for the Wavesheaf Offering, and it is not mentioned in the account because it was not performed. The Wavesheaf Offering is also not a Days of Unleavened Bread offering but a Pentecost offering, symbolizing a harvest, whereas the Days of Unleavened Bread focus on God's faithfulness and coming out of sin to meet the covenant obligations.

The wave sheaf was waved before the Lord on the day after the weekly Sabbath, and it was never offered alone but accompanied by a burnt offering of a male lamb of the first year without blemish, a meal offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and a drink offering of wine (Leviticus 23:11-13). God means exactly what He says, as the contrast between Abel and Cain shows. Exodus 23:16 requires that the firstfruits come from what Israel sowed, so the offering must be from Israelite plantings. Leviticus 22:25 and Haggai 2:10-14 teach that offerings tainted by foreigners or by unclean, immoral people are corrupted and unacceptable, so God receives only exactly what He commanded from clean-living people in covenant with Him. This pictures God's total involvement in His people's salvation, from planting to harvest. Once in the land, offerings could be made only at the place where God put His name (Deuteronomy 12), so no offering could be made until the Tabernacle and its altar were set in place in Joshua 18:1. For this reason no wave sheaf was offered in Joshua 5, where only Canaanite barley was available. The counting rule of Leviticus 23:15 places wave sheaf day on the day after the weekly Sabbath that falls within the Days of Unleavened Bread, with no exception for the first Day of Unleavened Bread. When Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, the count begins a week later and Pentecost falls a week later than normal.

The Wavesheaf Offering is intricately tied to the determination of the count to Pentecost, with its requirements rooted in the identification of the correct Sabbath. The starting point for this count is the day following the weekly Sabbath that falls within the Days of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath whose date varies year by year. This weekly Sabbath, not the Wavesheaf Day itself, must occur on or between the two holy days of Unleavened Bread, ensuring that the count begins on a Sunday, known as Wavesheaf Day. The date of Wavesheaf Day shifts depending on the day Passover occurs, as Passover can fall on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or weekly Sabbath, thereby affecting the subsequent weekly Sabbath and Wavesheaf Day dates. Consequently, Pentecost, counted fifty days from Wavesheaf Day, will also always fall on a Sunday. Specific requirements for the Wavesheaf Offering include adherence to conditions set forth in Deuteronomy 12, which delayed its immediate observance upon entering the Promised Land. Israel was not free to follow the instructions of Leviticus 23 until a central place of worship was established at God's chosen site, Shiloh, as recorded in Joshua 18:1. Additionally, the Israelites had to be dwelling in the land, at rest, and in safety from their enemies. The Tabernacle, altar, laver, and all interior furniture needed to be erected and in place before offerings could be made. These conditions precluded a Wavesheaf Offering in Joshua 5, as Israel was not yet settled or safe, and the designated place of worship was not established. Wavesheaf Day, representing the beginning of a harvest, was always considered a common workday involving hard labor, distinct from the Sabbath, which is a day of rest.