Leviticus 23:15-22

Leviticus 23:15-22

[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.  [17] Ye shall bring out  of your habitations  two  wave  loaves  of two  tenth deals:  they shall be of fine flour;  they shall be baken  with leaven;  they are the firstfruits  unto the LORD.  [18] And ye shall offer  with the bread  seven  lambs  without blemish  of the first  year,  and one  young  bullock,  and two  rams:  they shall be for a burnt offering  unto the LORD,  with their meat offering,  and their drink offerings,  even an offering made by fire,  of sweet  savour  unto the LORD.  [19] Then ye shall sacrifice  one  kid  of the goats  for a sin offering,  and two  lambs  of the first  year  for a sacrifice  of peace offerings.  [20] And the priest  shall wave  them with the bread  of the firstfruits  for a wave offering  before  the LORD,  with the two  lambs:  they shall be holy  to the LORD  for the priest.  [21] And ye shall proclaim  on the selfsame  day,  that it may be an holy  convocation  unto you: ye shall do  no servile  work  therein: it shall be a statute  for ever  in all your dwellings  throughout your generations.  [22] And when ye reap  the harvest  of your land,  thou shalt not make clean riddance  of the corners  of thy field  when thou reapest,  neither shalt thou gather  any gleaning  of thy harvest:  thou shalt leave  them unto the poor,  and to the stranger:  I am the LORD  your God. 

What does Leviticus 23:15-22 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This festival had several names: Harvest, Weeks (Heb. Shabuoth), and Pentecost (Gr. pentekostos). The Contemporary English Version translated it the Harvest Festival. It fell at the end of the spring harvest50 days after Passover, namely, the day after the end of the seventh week. Pentecost means fiftieth day. This feast was a thanksgiving festival, and it lasted one day. The people offered God the firstfruits of the spring harvest as a thank offering for His provision for their physical and spiritual needs.
The loaves of bread that the Israelites offered to God ( Leviticus 23:17) contained leaven.
". . . in them their daily bread was offered to the Lord, who had blessed the harvest ..." [1]
These were common loaves of daily bread. The Israelites did not cook them specifically for holy purposes. They also presented other accompanying offerings ( Leviticus 23:18-19). The evidence of true gratitude is generosity, so the Israelites were to leave the corners of their fields unharvested so the poor could glean (cf. Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-21).
God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers permanently as the firstfruits of God"s blessings on Christians on the Pentecost following our Lord"s death and resurrection ( Acts 2).
This feast was primarily a time of appreciation for God"s present provisions and care. Likewise our worship should include appreciation for these mercies as well.
"In thanksgiving for God"s bounty, God"s people must give him a token of what his bounty has produced and make provision for the needs of the poor." [2]