Chad from Israel sent me the following 6 videos. This 6 part video shows Don Esposito and another lady explaining both the physical and spiritual meanings of the First fruit barley harvest. If you don’t have time to watch all 6 videos, part 4 is the MOST KEY (and not that long to watch either).
Wave Sheaf offering Parts 1-6
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8051331400675761340
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8774530086647096536
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4509344542579192301
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=399708219674851340
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2403265134163066013
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5244473121232407062
--------------------------------------------
I am still learning about how the barley matures, but there are 2 key things I picked up from these videos.
1. Originally the 12 Tribes all brought up their respective omers of barley to the High Priest. But when the 10 northern Tribes (for most part) became lost -- the High Priest eventually set aside a field near Jerusalem where he alone would go and grab the barley (this violated Torah (see Leviticus 23:10), of course -- and was pagan.). This is where the Karaites, such Nehemia Gordon, get this from. They should have, even with the 10 tribes being lost, continued to encourage the tribes that remained to bring up their respective omers of barley as Leviticus 23:10 states.
2. The barley has to fully mature so that, by the time the barley is presented for the first fruit offering it has a fully formed seed within its husk.
A spiritual application would be:
The seed has to be fully formed.
If it is not, then when the Fire of Yah comes to "try it" and "refine it", it will just boil or evaporate away.
This reminds me of Apostle Paul talking about how our works will be tried in the Fire -- and if it is stubble, it will just be burned away.
Those who lack the Ruach, such as Nehemia, are trying to do things without the indwelling of the Ruach, thus they exalt the barley without the fully formed seed.
Also, in the 1st century, the Jewish leadership wanted a RULING KING -- defiantly gripping a barley sheaf that WAS NOT FULLY FORMED. Instead, YahShua came as the suffering Lamb, for only by coming as the Lamb first, and then the King 2000 years later, will the SEED BE FULLY FORMED!!!
In Conclusion:
When Nehemia Gordon only looks at the barley near Jerusalem, he is not only violating the letter of Torah in Leviticus 23:10 but also the spirit of the entire principle behind the aviv barley and what it represents -- namely Messiah YahShua being the Firstfruit from among the dead (see I Cor 15). We need to wait until all the barley is fully mature throughout the land before we can declare it truly aviv.
In Messiah and by His Torah,
Daniel
