I am giving you all the best of the fresh olive oil, new wine, and grain, which the Israelites give to the Lord as their First Fruits. The First Fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, belong to you. Every clean person in your house may eat them. Numbers 18:12-13 HCSB

Have you heard that there are 4 Feast Days on Yahweh’s Calendar called First Fruits?

There’s the First Fruits of Barley, First Fruits of Wheat which is Shavuot or, some as some may know, Pentecost.
First Fruits of New Wine and First Fruits of New Oil

In this teaching, we will highlight the Feast of New Oil, and you will see that all these feast days connect in scripture.

Like the Feast of New Wine, not much is know about the day of New Oil. But we know that with Yahweh, there is a purpose to every appointed time on His calendar. Both in the natural and in the spiritual. Let’s explore this topic together.

What is the Feast of New Oil?

We usually see new oil referenced along with the the new grain and new wine as a part of the first fruits offering but the first time we actually see oil mentioned is in Genesis 28, after Jacob had his dream of Yahweh speaking to him in a place where the heavenly connected with the earthly. When he awoke the next morning he anointed the rock where he laid his head. He called that place “the gate of the Heavens” and by pouring oil on top of it, he set it apart, just like the altar in the tabernacle. We see later it used in Exodus not only in service of the the House of Yahweh for the sacrifices and fuel for the lamps but also for the service of the priests in order to consecrating them before they began their ministry. From there Israel is told to bring in these first fruits for the Levites and for their work. Because the levites were to work strictly in the tabernacle it was the duty of the nation to supply for them the materials for their service. In Deuteronomy 18:1-5 ESV,

The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time.

We see in the book of Nehemiah chapter 13 that there were large rooms built in the second temple to store all these goods not only for the duties of the levites but also for being able to care for those in need as commanded in Deuteronomy 14:28-29 from the ESV, “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.”

So, what is the significance of oil? Oil is symbolic of being set apart for a divine purpose. It is given to atone and make one in right standing before Yahweh, to be able to be used by Him in this world to bring the heavenly realm here to earth. Oil is also symbolic of blessing, prosperity and healing. All throughout scripture we see the correlation of being blessed with the good of the land if we are obedient to His commandments and if we fail to do so, then those blessings are removed from us.

And we look forward to the future fulfillment of blessing, provision and healing.

Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The Lord answered and said to his people, Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
– Joel 2:18-27 ESV

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
– Jeremiah 31:12 ESV

How do we know when to observe the Feast of New Oil?

Now we will look at when to observe this day known as New Oil. In the Temple Scroll it says:

You shall count from that day (that day being the previous feast of new wine) seven weeks, seven times seven days, forty-nine days, seven complete weeks, until after the seventh Sabbath: count out fifty days.

So our starting point will be from the First Fruits of New Wine; we need to count 50 days according to the Temple Scroll from there to determine our day for New Oil. For this, let’s take a look at the calendar.

There are many calendars people look to; we follow the Zadokite Calendar that uses many biblical references as well as The Dead Sea Scrolls, Jubilees, and Enoch. Tying these all together, we’ve established what we feel to be the most biblically based calendar inspired by Yahweh. Look for a future video for more explanation.
You can download a copy of this template from our website—the link will be in the description below.

Here we have New Wine now count 7 Sabbaths, and that following day will be the 50th day in the 6th Month on the 22nd day after the weekly Sabbath. This is the biblical day for the First Fruits of New Oil.

What can observing New Oil look like today?

The Temple Scroll gives us direction as to what we should do, … Then offer new oil from the places where the children of Israel dwell, half a hin from each tribe, newly extracted oil after they have eaten, they are to anoint themselves with new oil and eat olives, for on that day they shall have atoned for all the oil of the land before YHWH, as an annual rite once a year. The children of Israel shall rejoice before YHWH wherever they may live; this is an eternal statute for generation after generation.”

So observing New Oil today can simply be gathering together with your community to bring the new oil, eat olives, anoint and pray over each other to be used by Yahweh and praise Yahweh for the produce that He has blessed us with. Take time to gather and praise Him for His faithfulness and lift up His blessings in joyous prayer.

Deuteronomy 14:23 says that we tithe these first fruits to Him so that we learn to fear Him always. In what way has Yahweh installed a holy reverence of Himself to you in your life?

In Hosea 2:8-9, Yahweh turned His back from Israel because they didn’t acknowledge the good provisions that He gave to them. Do you think that if we don’t stop and praise the Father for what He has provided for us, does that equate with giving credit to a false system of worship? What are the things that Yahweh has given you that you should acknowledge Him for?

Oil will soothe and heal your brokenness according to Ezekiel 16:9. Yeshua also told the parable of the good Samaritian, who poured in the oil and the wine on the wounded man until he was healed and restored in Luke 10:25-37. How has Yahweh healed or soothed you?

“If you listen to and are careful to keep these ordinances, the Lord your God will keep His covenant loyalty with you, as He swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless your descendants, and the produce of your land — your grain, new wine, and oil — the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks, in the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you.
Deuteronomy 7:12-13 HCSB