Feast of Unleavened Bread

Feast of Unleavened Bread

 

Introduction

Next in a series of Harvests & Celebrations studies is Feast of Unleavened Bread. The details concerning the feast of unleavened bread will provide a more meaningful understanding of the historical and spiritual events surrounding Passover.

Signs of the Time

The ecclesiastical year began with the sighting of the first visible crescent of the new moon after the barley crops have nearly reached the stage of Abib.  After the new moon signals the first day of the month of Nisan, referred to as the month of Abib, God’s people would begin counting 14 days until the observance of Passover and the start of the feast of unleavened bread.

Historical Observance

Selection

During the day of preparation for Passover, on the 14th day of the month of Abib, the harvestmen would select a potential first ripe sheaf. The Sanhedrin would examine it, declare that it would be the firstfruits, and bind it with a cord. It would then be taken to the high priest for further examination.

Leviticus 23:10 KJV - "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:"

Holiday Sabbath

Passover concluded at the end of the day, at twilight, on the 14th, and that evening began the 15th day of the month; which was a Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:6-7 KJV - "6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein."

God’s people were not allowed to harvest or eat of the new crop until the firstfruits of the harvest were offered to God.

Leviticus 23:14 KJV - "And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings."

Sheaf Preparation

After the high priest approved the selected and bound first ripe sheaf, they were beaten out, or thrashed; which if not done gently, the kernels would be bruised. The kernels were then parched by fire, ground into flower, and sieved thoroughly. Two tenths of this flour was mixed with oil. When made complete, it was to be offered with an unblemished lamb of the first year and a fourth part of an hin of wine.

Leviticus 23:12-13 KJV - "12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. 13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin."

The Sheaf Wave Offering

The day after the Sabbath was the sheaf wave offering.  The high priest would offer the selected and bound firstfruits of the barley harvest by waving it before the Lord.

Leviticus 23:10-11 KJV - "10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it."

One tenth is said to have been offered to the LORD with the other tenth as provision for the high priest. A quote from the historian Josephus reads:

“But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God; and, casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest.”

— Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 10, Section 5, translated by William Whiston. (Link)

The words, “the morrow after the sabbath”, have been historically and most commonly held on the 16th day of the month, overtime, some religious groups have accepted the tradition of waiting until after the weekly Sabbath.

It is possible that this tradition began as a result of the 16th day of the month also being a Sabbath. Having back to back Sabbaths has brought confusion over which morrow after the Sabbath to bring the sheaf wave offering. Eventually, religious leaders decided that holy days were only allowed to fall on specific days to avoid such concerns.

Counting the Omer

Signs, Seasons, & Set Feasts

The 16th was also the start of the counting of Omer.

• Strong's Hebrew 6016 - עֹמֶר ʻômer; from 6014; properly a heap, i.e. a sheaf; also an omer, as a dry measure

Leviticus 23:15-16 KJV - "15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD."

Both the Barley and Wheat harvests were connected to each other through the days of Omer. It takes 50 days from the time Barley is harvest ready until the time the wheat is ready to be harvested; thus one reason for counting.

Leviticus 23:16 KJV - "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD."

Cultural tradition has it that on the 16 of the month, following the holiday Sabbath, observers all over the world would start counting the days of Omer. Households would speak blessings and say what day of Omer it was. When each week past, it was custom to say both the number of the day, as well as,  how many weeks and additional days it has been. (i.e. “Today is the 23rd day of Omer; which is 3 weeks and 2 days.”) counting continued until the 50th day per the commandment.

Harvesting the Remaining Crop

Scripture shows God’s people eating the old corn on the holiday Sabbath since the rest of the crop was not allowed to be harvested or eaten until the sheaf offering was accepted by God.

Joshua 5:11 KJV - "And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day."

Once the crop was permitted to be harvested, if harvested by the handful, barley was beaten out with a stick, by flail, or by hand against a hard object, then separated from the chaff, and then brought into the storehouse.

Ruth 2:17 KJV - "So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley."

More to Come

The barley harvest and the feast of unleavened bread was the precursor to Christ's spiritual fulfillment and is the precursor to the final harvest that is yet to come: covered next in "Firstfruits Fulfillment".