Worthy Brief - 10/28/2025
Friend, the wave offering: the sheaf and the savior!
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
On the Feast of Bikkurim (Firstfruits), the priest would lift the first sheaf of the barley harvest and wave it before the Lord “to be accepted on your behalf” (Leviticus 23:11). It was a sacred act — a declaration that the first belonged to God and that the rest of the harvest would be blessed because of it.
Fifteen centuries later, in perfect fulfillment, Yeshua (Jesus) rose from the grave on that very morning. When He appeared to Mary Magdalene, she reached out to embrace Him, but He said, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). Why? Because the true Wave Offering had not yet been presented. Before His followers could touch Him, the Risen Messiah would ascend to the Father, to be accepted on behalf of all who would believe.
In that divine moment, the pattern of Bikkurim was completed. Just as the first sheaf was lifted before God as a sign that the entire harvest belonged to Him, Yeshua was lifted into Heaven as the Firstfruits of resurrection — the assurance that all who are His will rise in like manner. His ascension was not a departure, but a presentation. The Firstfruits was accepted, sanctifying the full harvest of souls that would follow.
Paul later writes that we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Because He was received before the Father, we are received. Because He lives, we live. Because He was the first to rise, we know that the harvest is certain — the firstfruits have already risen, and the rest will follow in glory.
Friend, the sheaf has already been waved. The Firstfruits has been lifted. The Risen One has gone before you and been accepted on your behalf. You are not striving for acceptance — you are living from it. The Father has already said “yes” over your life because of the Son. Let this truth settle deep in your spirit: the harvest is guaranteed. The same power that raised Messiah from the dead will raise you. The same acceptance that welcomed Him welcomes you. Lift your heart like the priest’s sheaf and wave it before the Lord — an offering of worship, gratitude, and surrender. For the Firstfruits has been presented, and because He lives, you are part of the harvest that will surely come.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George & Baht Rivka (Sea of Galilee, Israel)
Editor's Note: As we continue this deep dive into Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day—the climactic culmination of all the feasts—if it feels a bit “meaty,” go back through the earlier devotions. Each one builds line upon line, revealing the profound truth of this day: the ultimate fulfillment when God will tabernacle with us for eternity!
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