Key Text: Leviticus 23:15-16 (KJV)
"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: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord."
Imagine, if you will, a farmer standing in his field, surrounded by golden wheat swaying gently in the breeze. He's not just admiring the view; he's counting. Day by day, week by week, he's marking time. But why? What's so important about this counting?
This scene takes us right into the heart of our scripture today, found in Leviticus 23:15-16. Now, I know what you might be thinking - Leviticus? That old book full of rules and regulations? But bear with me, because hidden in these verses is a beautiful picture of God's timing and His desire for us to be in sync with His plans.
Let's break it down. God is telling the Israelites to count. Not just any counting, but a very specific count starting from a very specific day. They're to begin counting the day after the Sabbath following Passover. From that day, they're to count seven complete Sabbaths - that's seven weeks. Then, they count one more day, making it a total of fifty days.
Now, why all this counting? What's the big deal about fifty days?
This fifty-day period marks the time between two significant festivals in the Jewish calendar: the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost. The Feast of Firstfruits celebrated the beginning of the barley harvest, while Pentecost marked the end of the grain harvest.
But here's where it gets interesting for us as Seventh-day Adventists. We believe that these Old Testament festivals were more than just agricultural celebrations. They were prophecies - pictures of God's plan of salvation.
The Feast of Firstfruits points to Jesus' resurrection. Just as the first sheaf of the harvest was waved before the Lord, Jesus, risen from the dead, became the "firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). And Pentecost? Well, that's when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, marking the beginning of the Christian church.
So this counting wasn't just about marking time until the next harvest festival. It was about anticipation, preparation, and alignment with God's timetable.
Now, let's think about what this means for us today. We're not ancient Israelites counting down to a harvest festival. But as Christians, we're still called to live in anticipation, to prepare, and to align ourselves with God's timing.
Think about it this way: Have you ever been so excited about an upcoming event that you counted down the days? Maybe it was a wedding, the birth of a child, or a long-awaited vacation. That countdown changed how you lived each day, didn't it? You weren't just passing time; you were preparing, getting ready, filled with anticipation.
That's the kind of mindset God wants us to have as we live our Christian lives. We're counting down to the greatest event of all - the return of Jesus. But it's not a passive waiting. It's an active preparation.
So how do we do this? How do we live in this state of active anticipation?
First, we need to be aware. The Israelites had to pay attention to know when to start counting. They couldn't just go about their daily lives and hope they'd notice when the right time came. In the same way, we need to be aware of the signs of the times. Jesus told us to watch for the signs of His coming (Matthew 24). This doesn't mean obsessing over every news headline, but it does mean living with an awareness that we're in the last days.
Second, we need to be consistent. The Israelites counted every single day for seven weeks. They didn't skip a day or lose track. Our walk with God should have that same consistency. It's not about perfection, but about steady, day-by-day growth in our relationship with Him.
