Dual Significance1 Corinthians 15:20
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Thoughts for Today:In the Levitical calendar, following Passover was a week of celebration called the Festival of Unleavened Bread. (Exodus 23:15-16: "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.")
During this feast the Israelites waved sheaves of grain harvested from their fields toward heaven. This had dual significance: First, their gratitude to God for His provision; and second, the promise of more to come. (Leviticus 23:10b-11: "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.")
When did Jesus rise? The day following Passover. So what's the significance? Jesus is the Firstfruit because He is evidence of the promise of more to come. Who's next? All of us who are believers. Jesus was not the first to rise from the dead (He raised Lazarus and others), but He is the first who was truly resurrected -- to never die again.
Questions to Ponder:Have you been honoring God with the firstfruit of your harvest? What promises do you hold on to? Is it only for God's provision in this life, or for what is to come in the next?
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Thoughts for Today:In the Levitical calendar, following Passover was a week of celebration called the Festival of Unleavened Bread. (Exodus 23:15-16: "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.")
During this feast the Israelites waved sheaves of grain harvested from their fields toward heaven. This had dual significance: First, their gratitude to God for His provision; and second, the promise of more to come. (Leviticus 23:10b-11: "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.")
When did Jesus rise? The day following Passover. So what's the significance? Jesus is the Firstfruit because He is evidence of the promise of more to come. Who's next? All of us who are believers. Jesus was not the first to rise from the dead (He raised Lazarus and others), but He is the first who was truly resurrected -- to never die again.
Questions to Ponder:Have you been honoring God with the firstfruit of your harvest? What promises do you hold on to? Is it only for God's provision in this life, or for what is to come in the next?
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