Title: The Feast of Harvest, the day to offer the first fruit
There are 3 major feasts in Israel: Passover, The feast of Harvest and the Feast of Ingathering. Passover is the feast celebrating that the people of Israel were saved from the sinful world, Egypt. The Feast of Harvest is the celebration of having the first fruits of the year. The Feast of Ingathering is the thanksgiving celebration after all the harvests are done.
There are a few terms describing the Feast of Harvest
- The Feast of Harvest
In Hebrew, its full name is the Feast of Harvest of the first fruit of wheat. As wheat ripens earlier than rice, the harvest of wheat is considered the beginning of yearly harvest. So, we should give thanks to God for giving us the first fruit from the ground or from our business (Exodus 23:16).
- The Feast of Weeks
Another name is the Feast of Weeks: It lasted for 7 weeks, from the end of Passover or the departure from Egypt. The departure from Egypt happened on the 15th day of Nisan. So, if we calculate 7 weeks, 49 days from 16th day of Nisan, it becomes the 6th day of Sivan (3rd month). It was also the day when God spoke to the people of Israel about the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:18-19). 10 Commandments are the essence of the Word of God. Thus, we can say that the Feast of Harvest is the day we receive the Word of God.
- Pentecost
Pentecost simply means number 50. Pentecost is the Hellenistic term for ‘the Feast of Weeks’. The Bible says that when the day of Pentecost comes, the Holy Spirit came upon them. In other words, when the Feast of weeks and the Feast of Harvest comes, God gave the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (Acts 2:1-4). Therefore, we can say that the Feast of Harvest is the day when we receive the Holy Spirit.
The day of Pentecost is the 6th day of Sivan. It was the day when the 10 Commandments were given to the people of Israel. God wanted to indicate and tell us that the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are closely related (Acts 1:4-5).
God on purpose waited for the Feast of Harvest to come then He gave the 10 Commandments. In the same way, God on purpose waited for the Feast of Harvest then He poured out the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can say that the main mission of the Holy Spirit is to expound the Word of God and reveal the full meaning of the Word of God.
Acts 2:6-8 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
After receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples started speaking in the gift of tongues. People from other regions understood what the disciples were saying and witnessing in their own language, therefore it was the gift of tongue of human language. It was to teach and expound the Word of God to others. This is the main duty of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He will remind you all the Words He had said and preached.
Conclusion:
It is the day for us to become the first fruit before God
Outwardly speaking, the Feast of Harvest of the first fruit is the time we offer God the first fruit from the field or from our business. But spiritually speaking, it is the day we should present ourselves to God as the first fruit.
Exodus 34:19 “The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.
The reason why God ordered to offer the first fruit was because the firstborn belongs to God. Originally, the firstborn of each tribe should be dedicated to serve God. However, because of the incident of the idol worshipping happened at the bottom of Mount Sinai, the tribe of Levites became the tribe that represented and replaced all the firstborns (Nehemiah 3:12).
As the Levites were the people who served and worked for God, they became the firstborn of God means we should serve and work for God. And such people will be gathered as the assembly of the firstborn in heaven, the 144,000 (Hebrews 12:23).
May all the congregation of The Lord’s Covenant Church become the spiritual Levites, God’s firstborn, by receiving the Word of God and being filled with the Holy Spirit, and serve Him for the rest of our lives. Amen!
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 