The Feast of Harvest, also called the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, concludes the grain harvest begun with the wave sheaf offering. It presents two leavened wave loaves as firstfruits, accompanied by abundant sacrifices that symbolize costly giving for others. Christ is the preeminent firstfruit through His resurrection, and those who follow Him become firstfruits to God and the Lamb, growing into His image by abiding in Him. The feast commands rejoicing before God, where no one comes empty-handed. Participants bring both material increase and the fruit of the Spirit to share with family, servants, Levites, strangers, the fatherless, and widows, fulfilling the law of Christ.

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The Harvesting of the Firstfruits

'Prophecy Watch' by Bill Keesee

In the Old Testament, the Feast of Harvest, also known as the Feast of Pentecost, marks the firstfruits of the labors sown in the field. It concludes a grain harvest that starts with the Feast of Firstfruits, the day of the wavesheaf, when the initial barley harvest is offered before the Lord. This early harvest, paralleling Israel's spring grain harvest, symbolizes a spiritual gathering of God's children. The agricultural imagery woven throughout God's Word highlights the significance of such festivals, illustrating divine plans through the cycles of sowing and reaping. As Christ Himself noted, the fields are already white for harvest, indicating the readiness of this early gathering to commence.

Jesus in the Feasts (Part Two): Firstfruits

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Feast of Harvest, identified in Exodus 23:16 as another name for the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, marks the conclusion of the grain harvest that begins with the wave sheaf offering. This feast presents two wave loaves baked with leaven as firstfruits to the Lord, offered alongside specified animal sacrifices, grain offerings, and drink offerings, all waved before Him for acceptance. These elements portray a harvest period initiated by the single sheaf of barley and completed by the two loaves of wheat, both designated firstfruits. Christ fulfills the role of the first and preeminent firstfruit through His resurrection, as described in the anti-type where He is the firstborn from the dead and the initiator of God's spiritual harvest. Those who follow Him receive the same designation as firstfruits to God and the Lamb, though subordinate in time and quality, having their corruption addressed through trials and His sacrifice. This connection underscores that the Feast of Harvest directs attention to Christ as the model firstfruit whose example, commands, and provision of the Holy Spirit enable believers to walk the path of obedience, service, and righteousness. By abiding in Him as the true vine and running the course He has blazed, they grow into His image and attain the goal of becoming firstfruits in the Kingdom of God.

Holy Days: Pentecost

Bible Study by Earl L. Henn

The Feast of Pentecost pictures the harvest of firstfruits, God's elect in this age. On it, God sent His Spirit to aid them in their spiritual growth.

Pentecost's Two Leavened Loaves (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The grain offering is not substitutionary; it does not symbolize an individual but rather the product of his labors toward others from God's bounty.

Why Count Fifty Days?

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Bible has much to say about the number fifty, such as counting 50 days to Pentecost, the measurements of the Tabernacle, and the 50 year Jubilee.

Rehearsing God's Plan

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God's holy days are a carefully crafted series of memorials that tell the story of God's magnificent plan of salvation, told in a set of parable-like vignettes.

The Two Wave Loaves of Pentecost

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

The offerings of the Old Testament are like divine parables, acted out to teach about the Messiah, unveiling a beautiful picture once we understand the symbols.

The Appointed Weeks of Pentecost

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

Each day in the count is a reminder to consider what we are sowing and what we are cultivating because it will assuredly come to fruition and then evaluation.

Boaz and Pentecost

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The name of Boaz (a type of Christ) appears many times more than Ruth (a type of the church), indicating Christ's intense work on behalf of the church.

Let the Saints be Joyful in Glory!

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The Feast of Harvest, identified in Exodus 23:16 as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, centers on the firstfruits of labors sown in the field. This observance forms the conclusion of the fifty-day period that begins with the wave sheaf offering on the day after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. The wave sheaf, an omer of barley cut at the start of the spring harvest, represents the first of the firstfruits and is waved before God for acceptance. The count of seven weeks then leads to Pentecost, when two loaves of fine flour baked with leaven are waved as the firstfruits to the Lord. These elements together portray a complete agricultural and spiritual harvest. In the Old Testament the instructions remain tied to grain, yet they reveal a deeper purpose: the wave sheaf symbolizes Jesus Christ as the first of the firstfruits, accepted by God through His resurrection, while the leavened loaves picture the called-out saints who follow Him. The entire sequence therefore illustrates how Christ's perfect sacrifice makes possible the preparation and gathering of His people into the Family of God. Leviticus 23:15-21 details the required offerings that accompany the loaves, underscoring that Pentecost marks the culmination of this firstfruits harvest. The same period also commemorates the giving of the law at Sinai and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that established the church, empowering believers to keep God's commandments and proclaim the gospel. In this way the Feast of Harvest displays God's deliberate plan of salvation, in which the firstfruits are sanctified, preserved, and prepared for the first resurrection and eternal service in His Kingdom.

Pentecost and Hope

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Simeon's life serves as a precursor to that of God's called-out ones, demonstrating the elements necessary to bring a person to spiritual maturity.

Psalms: Book Two (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Book II of the Psalms was written largely by David and shows how he reacts to some gruesome trials by surrendering to God's redemption.

How Do We Keep God's Festivals?

'Ready Answer' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Here are the foundational principles to keep in mind in observing the Feasts of God throughout the year.

Spiritual Maturity

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Kingdom parables allude to the process of spiritual maturity, depicting a planted and cultivated seed becoming a sprout, eventually bearing fruit.

Sowing and Reaping

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

A basic agricultural principle, what is sown will be reaped, also applies to human behavior. Sin brings death, while following God's Word produces life.

Still Producing Fruit?

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Feast of Harvest, identified in Exodus 23:14-17 as one of the three annual pilgrimage feasts, centers on the firstfruits of labor sown in the field. The Hebrew term *qasir* underlying "harvest" conveys the cutting of grain stalks, an action that severs the plant from the soil and anticipates its offering to God. This cutting parallels the wave-sheaf ceremony performed earlier in the barley harvest and foreshadows the resurrection of Christ, who was likewise "cut off" yet accepted by the Father. Fifty days later the same process reaches its climax at the Feast of Harvest, when the wheat crop is reaped and presented as firstfruits. The feast therefore directs attention to the believer's activity during the intervening period. God's description emphasizes what His people do while they remain in the field: they sow, tend, and gather fruit. This labor corresponds to the years of a converted life, during which the Christian must produce the fruit of righteousness. The same passage shows that God supplies the necessary resources—His revelation, His Son, and His Spirit—so that the work can be completed. Christ abides with His people throughout the count, ensuring that every request made in His name receives the provision required for continued growth. The requirement to bear fruit is absolute. A tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and burned; branches that abide in the vine must bring forth more fruit and ultimately much fruit. The good soil in the parable of the sower yields a harvest only when the word is kept with a noble and virtuous heart and maintained with endurance. This perseverance continues through every stage of life, including old age, when the temptation to coast, to grow cynical, or to cease dreaming may arise. The feast therefore serves as an annual summons to resume active cultivation, lest the field lie fallow and the promised harvest be forfeited.