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THE FESTIVAL OF ANTICIPATION AND GRACE

Counting the Omer is not an event as it is a discipline of anticipation. To understand Counting the Omer, we must first recognize that Passover coincides with the harvest of barley in Israel
Three days after Passover, the Lord prescribed an offering of FirstFruits of the barley harvest.

Lev 23:9-12; 15-17;20-21.

The LORD said to Moses,
"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.
He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

Three days after Passover, the Lord prescribed an offering of FirstFruits of the barley harvest. The priest was to offer as a wave offering a sheaf of new grain along with the other daily offerings. There are many other Firstfruit offerings required of the Lord including the Tithe, which is to be the First of the increase of our Land. God also set apart as His own the firstborn of all the flocks and herds as well as the firstborn children of their families. All children were to be redeemed (Ex 13:13). Remember, it was the firstborn of all the Egyptians both children and animals that were taken by death in the last plague of judgment on the night just before the Passover.

"FirstFruits" of the Bible represents more than just the first in line or the first to happen to appear. The "FirstFruits" are the primary, the premier, the best, and the perfect example of all that is to follow. The Firstfruits offerings are reminders for the people of God that ALL their provision and supply is given by the Lord.

The sheaf of grain waved before the Lord is a "type" or representation of the ressurection of Jesus. Three days after his death on the cross, the Lamb of God emerged from the tomb victorious and alive.

1Cor 15:20-21 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the FirstFruits of those who have fallen asleep. NIV

Christ is the Primary, the Premier, the Best, the Perfect example of all that is to follow. He is the sheaf of the first grain – the firstborn from the dead (Rev. 1:5).