What was the first step in the Jewish harvest?
The first step in the Jewish harvest was to go into the field and take a sampling of the early ripening heads of grain. This initial gathering preceded the main harvest, after which the corners and gleanings were left for the poor.
Les teaches that the Jewish harvest had three aspects. First, they would go in and take a sampling of the early ripening heads of grain. Then they would take the main harvest, but they had to leave the corners and their gleanings for the poor, as instructed in Leviticus 19:9. Les connects this harvest pattern to Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 15, where Christ has risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have died, using the Israeli system of harvest as an illustration of the resurrections that are coming.