Today, we delve into the unique offering on Pentecost, focusing on the two wave loaves baked with leaven, as described in Leviticus 23. These loaves form the centerpiece of a divine parable, presenting a profound question due to leavening's typical representation of corruption in Scripture. Their presence in a holy day offering seems contradictory, creating a tension that demands resolution. These two loaves, made from fine flour of the first part of the wheat harvest, are identified as a grain offering. Unlike other offerings, the grain offering symbolizes the fruit of one's labors dedicated to God and man, reflecting service and generosity from what God has provided. The fine flour signifies striving for the highest quality in service to others, yet the leavening indicates that even our best efforts are tainted by inherent corruption. The number two suggests difference, often leading to division or enmity when coupled with carnality, as symbolized by the leaven. This raises the question of how God could accept an offering characterized by such imperfection. Notably, these loaves are not placed on the altar, as God does not partake of the leavening. Instead, the priest waves them before the LORD, implying close inspection and conditional acceptance, but only for the priest's use, not for God's table. The wave loaves are not presented alone but as part of a compound offering, including a substantial burnt offering of ten animals symbolizing divine order and perfection, a sin offering for cleansing, and a peace offering for fellowship between God and man. The priest waves the loaves alongside portions of these other offerings, indicating that God's acceptance of the leavened loaves depends on the accompanying sacrifices. This illustrates that our imperfect works are accepted only through the greater, perfect work of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who fulfills the burnt, sin, and peace offerings with His unreserved devotion, sinless sacrifice, and mediation for fellowship with the Father. The symbolism of the wave loaves relates to this life, where differences and corruption persist, rather than the resurrection, where incorruption will prevail. The number two reflects ongoing divisions among God's servants, evident even in the early church with disputes over preeminence and cultural differences between Jews and Gentiles. Yet, through Christ's work, God accepts these imperfect labors, as seen on Pentecost in Acts 2, where unity began to emerge despite differences, facilitated by the firstfruits of God's Spirit. The wave loaves also remind us of present-day differences within the church, such as varying understandings of counting to Pentecost. Despite earnest efforts, corruption in understanding persists, requiring resolution from above through Jesus Christ. The accompanying offerings teach us to focus on devotion to God, value the peace Christ provides, and remember our shared need for forgiveness, fostering unity even amidst disagreement. Ultimately, the two leavened wave loaves underscore the corruption that remains in us, affecting all our works. Yet, God's acceptance highlights the surpassing perfection of Jesus Christ's work, ensuring that Pentecost remains a Feast to the LORD, glorifying Him above all.

Like the two leavened loaves of the Pentecost offering, even converted Jews and Gentiles had significant differences, yet God's intent from the beginning was to bless all families of the earth through Abraham and His Seed. The two leavened loaves also remind us of the corruption—the law of sin and death—that remains in us even after baptism, affecting all our works. Despite this, God's acceptance of our imperfect works through the Pentecost offering highlights the greater, perfect work of Jesus Christ.

On the Feast of Weeks, a unique offering is presented, centered around two loaves known as Wave Loaves. These loaves, curiously, include leaven, which stands as a symbol of corruption throughout Scripture, raising questions about their place in a holy day offering. As a grain offering, detailed in Leviticus 23:16-17, the Wave Loaves are not substitutionary but represent the fruit of one's labors from God's bounty, offered to Him. Only a memorial portion is burned on the altar, with the bulk benefiting humanity through the priest, symbolizing devotion and generosity to others. This offering ties directly to the instruction in Leviticus 23:22, which commands leaving portions of the harvest for the poor and the stranger, reflecting the essence of giving what is due to fellow man. Additionally, these loaves are called firstfruits in Leviticus 23:17, signifying an early, abundant sample of the harvest, though not its completion, and highlighting the labor and abundance provided by God.

The unique offering on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) serves as a parable that teaches about the Messiah. The two loaves baked with leaven form the centerpiece of this offering. These loaves pose a serious question because leaven universally symbolizes corruption in Scripture, yet here it appears in a holy day offering. This introduces a tension that must be resolved to understand the offering. The mystery deepens with the presence of not one, but two leavened loaves, suggesting a difference, as the number two signifies that there is another. This difference may not be benign, as the priest bakes the loaves with leaven, symbolically indicating corruption. Differences with carnality often produce division, if not enmity. Thus, the presentation of two different, leavened objects to the holy God raises the question of how He could accept such an offering.

The Pentecost offering, symbolized by the two leavened loaves, embodies the concept of difference among God's servants. These Wave Loaves represent the imperfections and varied approaches within the church, as even the disciples displayed differences in their service, ranging from boldness to unobtrusiveness, and struggled with issues like striving for preeminence. Despite such flaws, the High Priest can use their imperfect works because God accepts the leavening in conjunction with Christ's perfect work as Priest. In the Pentecost offering, the two loaves, though distinct, form a single offering, mirroring how differences are divinely overcome in the church, as seen in Acts 2 where the apostles were of one accord and received the Holy Spirit, uniting them in purpose despite their individual disparities.

The Pentecost grain offering, known as the Wave Loaves, contains leavening, unlike the typical grain offering. God forbids the priest from placing these leavened loaves on the altar, as they symbolize corruption, and He distances Himself from such imperfection. Instead of burning them, the priest waves the loaves before God, picturing His close inspection and hopeful acceptance. However, God designates these loaves for the priest's use rather than as His portion. The Wave Loaves relate to this life, marked by differences and division, rather than the resurrection, where corruption will be absent. In the ritual sequence, the priest does not wave the leavened loaves alone; they are waved alongside portions of the burnt, sin, and peace offerings, including two lambs. God's acceptance of the leavened loaves, representing a harvest of devotion tainted by carnality, depends on their association with these other offerings. Only then does He accept them, though not on His altar, reserving them for the priest's use while ensuring His portion remains without leaven.

The period from the wavesheaf to Pentecost begins with the waving of the sheaf of firstfruit barley, representing Jesus Christ. At the conclusion of the fifty days, two wave loaves baked with leaven are waved before God, representing the people of God, the called-out ones, the elect. This waving of the firstfruits in the form of loaves of leavened bread pictures the Father's gracious acceptance of very fallible human beings into His Kingdom. Thus, the period portrays a time of intense labor of sowing and reaping carried out by human beings whose goal is to be offered before God as an acceptable offering.

God commanded two wave loaves of bread to be offered as firstfruits to God on Pentecost. These wave loaves relate to the first spiritual harvest that Pentecost symbolizes. Pentecost represents the first part of God's spiritual harvest in which a small number of people are called as firstfruits into His church. The wave loaves connect to the wavesheaf offering that pictured Jesus Christ as the first of the firstfruits. The fifty days counted from the wavesheaf to Pentecost symbolize the time from the founding of the church to the end of the age when the small harvest of the firstfruits occurs.

The wave loaves conclude the fifty-day period that begins with the waving of the wave sheaf. Two wave loaves baked with leaven are waved before God on the fiftieth day. These wave loaves represent the called-out people of God, the elect. The waving of the firstfruits in the form of loaves of leavened bread pictures the Father's gracious acceptance of fallible human beings into His Kingdom. The priests wave the wave loaves with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord. This waving applies to those who are in the church being waved and accepted by God on the fiftieth day, the day of Pentecost. The waving of the wave loaves on the fiftieth day parallels the waving of the premier sheaf on the first day of the count.

The wave loaves are baked with leaven and waved before God for acceptance. These two loaves represent the firstfruits of God and contain leaven. Leaven is always a symbol of corruption by sin in the Bible. Yet the loaves are accepted before God because they are accompanied by a kid of the goats for a sin offering and the two lambs as peace offerings. The wave loaves are holy to the priest for consumption. The waving pictures offering something to God for inspection and for acceptance. Pentecost is a type of judgment because the wave loaves are lifted before God for inspection and evaluation. The loaves contain sin yet are made of fine flour. This is a picture of high quality yet tainted materials. The loaves illustrate repentance and transformation because God starts with good materials but knows they will be corrupted by leaven. God calls people out of the world and puts them through a process in which leaven is killed. The wave loaves are acceptable only in concert with the sin offering and the peace offering. All of the offerings made on this day represent Jesus Christ. The wave loaves are accepted by God and proclaimed holy. God proclaims them special and set apart. The loaves are set apart for the priest's personal use for consumption. Jesus Christ is that Priest. When the wave loaves are accepted before God and sanctified He puts them to work.

One of the distinctions of this day is that on this day only two wave loaves of bread baked with leaven were offered to God, and they are specifically called in the passage in Leviticus 23 firstfruits to the Lord. These are the firstfruits to the Lord. These wave loaves represent the church of God, which is made up of redeemed sinners. These wave loaves were made with leaven. Normally, any bread made with leaven was not acceptable to God on the altar. None of these sacrifices were to be offered with leaven alongside. This particular one is given the exception, because of what it represents people who have or have had sin in them. It represents the firstfruits of God's people who have been called out of this world and redeemed, their sins being taken away by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. These wave loaves were offered after the sin offering was given. They could not be acceptable without the sin offering first. That sin offering for us is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This covers the leaven that is still in us. Because of what Christ did, because God has called us out of this world and given us the understanding that we have, and because we have believed it and accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, committing ourselves to the New Covenant, to learning, and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, becoming more and more like Him, then God accepts us before Him, through Jesus Christ. The blood that He shed covers us covers our sins so that God can then allow us to approach His Throne, and have a relationship with Him. Without Jesus Christ, we would not be able to do this. In the same way, without the sin offering that was given, the wave loaves would not have been acceptable, because they had been made with leaven. But the sin offering makes that possible. What we have here in these two wave loaves is a symbol of us the firstfruits the church of God the 144,000 who are going to be before God and with the Lamb forever. The New Testament confirms our understanding from the Old Testament that the two wave loaves are the firstfruits of God the church of God the ones who rise in the resurrection to be the Bride of Christ. The wave loaves were dedicated to God for the priest who is the priest Jesus Christ. The firstfruits bring honor and glory to God. That is our purpose. We are dedicated to God and to His Priest Jesus Christ and it says exactly that in Revelation 14:4. They are firstfruits to God, and to the Lamb. This is exactly the same thing it says in Leviticus 23:20-21, that we are dedicated to God and to His Priest.

The two loaves offered on the day of Pentecost represent the Old Testament church and the New Testament church. God gave the law to the Old Testament church. To the New Testament church God gave not only the law but also the Spirit. These represent two broad time periods during which God worked with His covenant people. Both the Old and the New are leavened. By giving the law and the Spirit God supplied the tools needed to ripen. The feast of harvest occurs when these tools have been used during the fifty days that lie between the acceptance of the first of the firstfruits and the harvest of the remainder.

The period ends with another waving, the waving of the firstfruits. At the beginning there is the first of the firstfruits, the barley, and then there is the firstfruits themselves, the larger group, the ones in whom leaven is present representing the people of God, the called ones, the elect. This waving of the firstfruits in the form of a loaf of leavened bread pictures the Father's acceptance of very fallible human beings into His Kingdom. So the entire panorama of God's work with His firstfruits is shown from the first of the firstfruits, Jesus Christ, being accepted all the way to the point where all of His brothers and sisters, the children of God, are accepted into the Family of God. The holy day culminates a period of harvest, and in this harvest the firstfruits, the children of God, are emphasized.