The Wave Sheaf Question:
The Day of the Wave Sheaf
On which day was the wave sheaf (Heb. "omer") to be offered? "And he [High Priest] shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow (Heb. mimohorat) after the sabbath..." (
Lev. 23:11).
But which sabbath? The Pharisees (and modern Jews) took this word "sabbath" to mean the first day of Unleavened Bread, which was an annual sabbath. The Essenes understood "sabbath" to mean the first weekly sabbath which followed the seven days of Unleavened Bread.
The Sadducees, and later, the Church of God, took the word "sabbath" to mean the weekly sabbath which (in about nine times out of ten) fell during the seven days of Unleavened Bread.
We know those who count Pentecost from the 15th of Nisan are wrong. They always keep Pentecost on a fixed day, the 6th of Sivan. Had God wanted us to observe Pentecost on the fixed date, He would have plainly told us so. All of the other annual sabbaths are plainly, clearly commanded to be observed annually on a set day of the sacred calendar.
We also know the Essenes were wrong in the way they counted the fifty days to Pentecost — by counting from the first Sunday following the weekly sabbath after the days of Unleavened Bread.
Here, then, is the crucial question: how should we count the days to Pentecost? From the Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread? Or, should Pentecost be counted from the Sunday immediately following the weekly sabbath which must occur during the days of Unleavened Bread? In other words, is it imperative that the weekly "SABBATH" fall during the days of Unleavened Bread? Or is it essential that the SUNDAY following that particular weekly "sabbath" must fall within Unleavened Bread?
These are more crucial questions than might appear at first; for in those years where the last day of Unleavened Bread also happens to fall on a weekly sabbath (producing a "double sabbath"), the offering of the wave sheaf is made to fall after, outside the days of Unleavened Bread. This is, indeed, what is happening this year. This situation will occur three more times during this century: 1977, 1981 and 1994.
Christ Offered up During Unleavened Bread
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong mentioned in a conference (attended by Messrs. GTA, DLA, HLH, AAF, FLB, RFM and Dr. Kuhn — 31 January 1974) that he thought it was imperative that the wave sheaf be offered during the days of Unleavened Bread — since Jesus Christ (the ante-type) was offered up to the Father on a Sunday during those days.
In 31 A.D. Christ was crucified on the daylight part of the 14th of Nisan. This was on a Wednesday. He was resurrected at the end of the sabbath ("the third day") and was offered to the Father as the first "wave sheaf" on a Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread (
John 20:37;
Matt. 28:9;
Lev. 23:14).
It APPEARS that the "omer" must be offered on the Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread.
But, according to the calendar which we have already sent out for 1974, the 'wave sheaf" (Heb. omer) is thrown outside the days of Unleavened Bread: and this appears to be unbiblical.
Is it not therefore imperative that this matter be discussed thoroughly by Mr. Armstrong and the top ministers here at Headquarters? We need to make certain we are following the Bible instructions in this matter.
Any Bible Proof?
Again, we need to ask: Is there any scriptural evidence to show us whether it is the weekly sabbath which must occur during the days of Unleavened Bread, or whether it is the Sunday ("morrow after the sabbath") which must always fall within that seven day period?
It appears that the book of Joshua gives us the answer to this important question: Notice (from the Jewish translation) the wording of
Joshua 5:13,
12: "And they [Israel] did eat of the PRODUCE of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn [grain], in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the PRODUCE of the land: neither had the children of Israel manna any more: but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."
The King James Authorized Version and Young's Literal Translation of the Bible use the words "old corn" in
Joshua 5:11,
12; but at least a dozen other English translations render it as "produce." Still others render it as just "corn," "new corn," "grain," "wheat," "oats," "fruit," or "frumenty."
When these verses are carefully compared with other verses in the book of Joshua they appear to prove that the omer had to have been offered on the day after the Passover, the 15th of Nisan, which would have been (as always) on a Sunday! This would mean that the 14th, the Passover day, would have been on a weekly sabbath that year; for the omer had to be offered "on the morrow after the (weekly) sabbath."
Both the weekly sabbath and the Sunday following it, according to today's sacred calendar, fall within the days of Unleavened Bread in approximately nine out of ten years.
But about every tenth year, when the weekly sabbath coincides with the last day of Unleavened Bread, this causes the wave sheaf Sunday to fall after those days — unless in those years where there is a "double sabbath," the omer is to be offered on the morrow after the weekly sabbath which immediately pecedes the days of Unleavened Bread. This would still keep the "wave sheaf" within the Days of Unleavened Bread.
A careful study of the first six chapters of Joshua appear to make it clear that the children of Israel did in fact not eat of the "old corn" but instead ate of the "produce" or "new corn" (probably barley) of the land of Canaan on the first day of Unleavened Bread in the very year in which they entered the Promised Land.
Here are a few facts which must be borne in mind:
1) The Israelites had been subsisting on "manna" up until the very day on which they first ate of the "produce" of Canaan (
Josh. 5:12). They had not been eating any kind of "corn" or "grain" for forty years.
2) They entered the Promised Land on the "tenth day" of Nisan — just a few days before they were to celebrate their first Passover in the Land of Promise (
Josh. 4:19).
3) All of the males (except a very few of the ancients) were circumcised either later on the 10th of Nisan, or on the next day (
Joshua 5:1-8). And it would have been three or four days before these men would have been healed so they could move about (either to do battle or to procure food). On the "third day" after being circumcised the men would have been painfully "sore" (
Gen. 34:25).
It is, therefore, most unlikely that the Israelitish men would have made any forays into the land of Canaan to procure "corn" for food. And we are expressly told: "And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole" (
Josh. 5:8).
This indicates that the men of Israel did not in fact go out and procure grain between the 10th and 14th of Nisan. had no need for "corn" at this time — since manna from heaven was still a daily occurrence (
Josh. 5:12).
