Firstfruits
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And you shall make proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”[1]
FIrstfruits! Now, there is a sermon topic to make eyes to glaze over and people panic as they plot their getaway. Firstfruits is both an event and a promise. Firstfruits is both historical and prophetical. The concept speaks to worship, especially to worship through giving. Though we may not realise it, presenting firstfruits, though associated with and mandated under the Law, speaks pointedly to us as Christians. Though indeed ancient, presenting the firstfruits of one’s labour before the Lord directly addresses our life and practise as Christians.
The presentation of firstfruits by the ancient Israelites was an act of worship. Above all else, the people were receiving instruction in worship as Moses wrote these words. Worship is less a liturgy than it is knowledge that the worshipper is honouring God. There was structure provided in his words, but if all we see is the structure, we miss the heart of his message. Celebration, blessing and joy are marks of true worship.
Celebration — The presentation of firstfruits did not occur just once, rather it was repeated each time there was a new harvest or an increase in goods. Under the Law of Moses, there were three annual festivals—Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Day of Atonement. Every able-bodied male was to present himself at the Temple during these annual festivals. In addition to the prescribed offerings and sacrifices at these annual festivals, the people were encouraged to make freewill offerings as expressions of gratitude to God. The Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost or the Feast of Harvest [see Exodus 23:16], was the second of the Jewish annual festivals. This festival was called the Feast of Weeks because it commemorated the period that occurred between the barley harvest and the wheat harvest, a period of seven weeks.
Pentecost is also called the Day of Firstfruits [see Numbers 28:26], because a major aspect of the celebration was the presentation of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. At the festival, the people were to acknowledge that God gave them rain and that He was the source of the blessing for the harvests they enjoyed. The worshippers acknowledged God’s gift by presenting some of the best of their harvests. The Day of Firstfruits was a day of worship, declared to be a Sabbath in which the people rested from ordinary labour. The presentation of offerings was followed by a communal meal at which the poor, the foreigners and the Levites were invited to share in the blessings God had given.
As I have already noted, the harvests would be carried out for a period of about seven weeks. The presentation of the firstfruits of the barley harvest occurred on the day following the Passover Sabbath, and the firstfruits of the remainder of the harvests were to be brought at Pentecost. Bringing the firstfruits was indeed a harvest festival, but it was more than a harvest festival. It spoke of what was to come. It was a harbinger of blessing. It was a type of spiritual blessing. In Exodus 23:19, and iterated in Exodus 34:26, it is vital to keep in mind that the Day of Firstfruits was one in which God commanded the people of Israel to worship through bringing the firstfruits into the House of the Lord. The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
The firstfruits the people were to bring as a gift were the very best of the grain, wine and oil from their harvest, and the first fleece and firstborn animals. These were brought as an expression of gratitude to God for the increase He gave. Oil, wine, animals and fleece presented as firstfruits were designated for the support of the priests. Grain that was offered as firstfruits was to be roasted, mixed with incense and then burned as an offering to the Lord [see Leviticus 2:14]. Did you notice that firstfruits were to be offered following Passover, and then again at the Feast of Weeks? There were also to be two loaves of bread baked with the grain harvested in that year and offered as firstfruits.
God provided a precise protocol for offering the first of the grains harvested in Leviticus 23:9-14. When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
According to God’s Word in Deuteronomy 26:1-11, the presentation of the firstfruits was not simply an act of depositing the goods in a treasury, but it also provided a teaching moment. Listen to the careful explanation provided by that passage. When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.” Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
And you shall make response before the Lord your God, “A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labour. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.” And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.
Thus, presenting the firstfruits was more than simply a presentation of an offering. It was opportunity to remember the goodness of God, not only throughout the previous growing season, but also throughout the history of the nation. It was also a time of joyous worship. Putting together the Old Testament teaching, you will see that when a Jew living under the Law heard the term “firstfruits,” he or she would know that it spoke of worship—rejoicing in the knowledge of God’s providential goodness.
In a sense, bringing firstfruits is akin to bringing our gifts as an act of worship. Those of you who share our services week-by-week will know that I try to seize the opportunity provided as we present our gifts. I want to provide instruction in the act of worship. I remind the people who are bringing their gifts that presenting our gifts is an act of worship. In giving, the believer acknowledges that God is good and all that is held is held as administrators of God’s grace. God gives, and we administer.
The Jewish worshippers knew that they did not own their land—they were only tenants. God owned the land. They were caretakers. Listen to God in Leviticus 25:23. The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. The Jewish worshipper was confessing through offering his firstfruits that he had no claim on what was held, but rather he was an administrator of the grace of God. That is precisely our situation, though we often imagine that we own what we hold. We have nothing; it is all held for God’s glory.
Outsiders, who do not know God, cannot give as an act of worship since they do not know Him as Lord. Those who are crushed and who thus cannot rejoice in God’s goodness should not give, but they should rather take the opportunity of that portion of the service to recall the goodness of God. The bringing of firstfruits was very much like our giving. It should be a time of worship and rejoicing.
I am often humbled at the contrast in giving I witnessed while watching a service of worship filmed in Angola. The people in that war-torn land had travelled on foot, some for a distance of more than thirty miles, to hear the message of Christ and to worship. As the time of the offering neared, the people began to be visibly excited. When the worship leader called for the people to present their gifts, there were shouts of joy, and the people came to the front one at a time. Dancing and shouting, each brought a gift of cassava root or of yams or perhaps a chicken. Nothing they presented represented great wealth, but seldom have I witnessed such joy in worship. It precisely demonstrated the intent of the instructions presented for presenting the firstfruits.
There is another principle that is apparent as I read about firstfruits. It is the principle that worship of the True and Living God requires our best. Too often we reduce the act of worship to a duty, to a liturgy to be mindlessly performed. However, worship demands that we acknowledge the One we worship as God. Worship expects that we will present the best that we have. It means considering our dress to ensure that we do not appear slovenly or overly casual as we come before the Lord God. Worship means that whatever we present—whether a song, or a word of praise, or a sermon, or a gift—that it represent the best that we can offer. It is to be worthy of the Sovereign God.
Also, we are to take time to worship through presenting what we hold, since we hold it as administrators of the grace of God. I love the way that Moses emphasises this truth in Exodus 34:21-26. Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.
God deserves our best and the first of all that He has entrusted to us. Moreover, that which is the best and the first should be willingly offered to Him as an act of worship. Listen to God, through Malachi, as He rebukes the people at a much later day.
A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, “How have we despised your name?” By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, “How have we polluted you?” By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favour? says the Lord of hosts. And now entreat the favour of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favour to any of you? says the Lord of hosts [Malachi 1:6-9].
Honour God with your best and with the first portion, and He will bless you. When you honour yourself first, when you say you must care for your own interests, when you promote your own interests against those of God, you only cheat yourself. For all that you hold comes from Him. All that you have is because of His mercies to you. Wealth is given so that you can first honour Him through worship.
Blessing — In this text I see God establishing a statute for Israel, and behind the statute is a principle of divine blessing. God was pledging on His sacred honour that there would be plenty to provide for the worshipper, and plenty to supply the work of the Lord, and plenty left over for the poor, if the worshippers honoured Him first.
I am not speaking of the blessing that comes from the knowledge that firstfruits were a type pointing to God’s coming harvest. Israel is described as God’s “firstfruits” [Jeremiah 2:3]. Israel was the first, choice gleanings of God’s great salvation; in Israel all the nations of the earth are to be blessed. They were to be a harbinger of salvation for all the world. Paul likewise speaks of the saved remnant within Israel as “firstfruits” [Romans 11:16]. In the Greek text, the first converts to Christ in a region are identified as “firstfruits” [see Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15]. During the days of the Tribulation, 144,000 Jewish evangelists will penetrate the domain of the Beast with the powerful message of Messiah’s appearance bringing judgement and salvation. These gifted and powerful evangelists are called “firstfruits” [Revelation 14:4]. In every instance, the emphasis is on dedication and blessing, the promise of even greater harvest.
However, behind each of the religious celebrations under the Old Testament economy was a promise. What, then, was promised in the observance of firstfruits? Superficially, the offering of the firstfruits brought God’s continued blessing on anyone making the offering. Proverbs 3:9 presents a promise that has never been rescinded.
Honour the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Blessing attends generosity. It is certainly true that it is more blessed to give than to receive [Acts 20:35], but the blessing promised through giving of the firstfruits was a promise that God would be pleased, and thus take notice of and honour the one honouring Him.
There was an even greater promise of blessing presented through the Feast of firstfruits—the blessing of contentment attending confidence in God’s supply of the worshipper’s needs. We are so acclimatised to this materialistic world, attuned to trying to grab the brass ring as the pony circles the pole, that we are often blind to what is of real worth. One of the greatest blessings God can give is the blessing of contentment.
Listen to the Apostle Paul as he reminds us that there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [1 Timothy 6:6-9].
Unlike a growing chorus of contemporary preachers, I am not persuaded by Scripture that God has somehow promised material wealth. He has promised to supply my needs, else why should I be taught to ask for daily bread [see Matthew 6:11]? God never promised prosperity; though He has promised sufficiency. If I do not have what is sufficient for my needs, perhaps I confuse “needs” with “wants.” Modern Canadians chase the elusive phantom called prosperity, not realising that we have actually arrived. However, God promises sufficiency, and with the supply of our needs, contentment.
We were blessed to have worshipping with us for an altogether too brief period of time a family that made a great impression on me. They made a lifestyle choice that many would say was a handicap, but their choice actually set them free to enjoy life. The husband had a good job, and I suppose he earned a handsome salary. The family deliberately chose to invest their moneys in their family and in the work of God.
The children were a joy to be around—obedient and courteous. This is not to say that they did not laugh and have fun—they were children, after all. On the several occasions that I was in their home, it was filled with laughter and joy. The wife chose to be a mother, investing her life in the precious jewels God had entrusted to her—her children. Their home was furnished simply, and without much of the gadgetry so many of us have decided is necessary for modern life.
I often contrasted that family—choosing to live simply and without great debt—with other families that live with crushing debt. Though they occupy a great home and drive the latest vehicle, the children seldom have the undivided attention of their parents. Though the home is filled with “things,” life is marked with tension and stress.
When I grew up, my family lived in a four-room house with an outdoor privy. We drove a twelve-year old Nash Rambler and filled the tank with gasoline for three dollars. I knew all the kids in the neighbourhood, and if I was naughty, the neighbours cared enough to immediately correct me, and my dad knew my indiscretion before I got home. Though none of us in that neighbourhood were rich, we enjoyed one another’s company and we were friends. People mattered, and things were just things.
Lynda and I got married, and I worked hard and she saved and managed what little we had. Eventually, we were able to buy a little house even while I was completing graduate studies. It was not a big house, but it was certainly bigger than the house that had been my childhood home. I knew a few of the immediate neighbours, but there was a distance that would have been unknown during my childhood. We had more things, but relationships were less vibrant, and perhaps they were less vital to us. As I look back, I realise that even thirty years ago “things,” acquisitions, were displacing people.
Today, I live in a lovely house. It is larger than anything I ever lived in before. That house is filled with “things.” However, I don’t really know the neighbours. Yes, we talk and exchange pleasantries, but we don’t really know one another. The transformation is almost complete from valuing people to valuing things.
In my short life I have moved from living in a community where no one locked their doors to a society in which only fools dare leave a door unlocked. I have watched the transition from a society in which we left the keys in our car, to one in which we dare not leave the doors unlocked, and we always pocked the keys. We are not richer now!
When we bring our best and when we put God first, that which is brought will be blessed by God to accomplish far more than we might have imagined. We need but consider some of the examples provided in the Word of God in order to witness this truth. Moses had nothing but a staff, but with that staff he would conquer the world’s sole superpower of that day than held his brothers in thraldom.
Perhaps you recall the account of Elijah when he was sent to the widow in Zarephath? When he arrived there, he called to the widow to bring him some bread. She replied, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die [1 Kings 17:12].
Elijah responded to her, soothing her fear and urging her to honour the Lord God. Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth ” [1 Kings 17:13, 14].
This widow obeyed the man of God, and the account simply relates that she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah [1 Kings 17:15, 16].
God supplies what is needed for the one who honours Him. We quote the verse, but do we believe it? I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me [Philippians 4:11-13].
Do we trust God? Is He first? Our Lord has said, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things—food, clothing, housing—will be added to you [Matthew 6:33]. I have often contended to this congregation, and I have more recently insisted to the Deacons, that we are responsible to seek the will of God, and when we have determined His will it will be His responsibility to provide what is needed to carry out His will. Let us follow hard after God. Let us seek His will, knowing that He will provide all that is required as we do so, and knowing that we will discover contentment.
Joy — Let’s provide an application so that we can rejoice in all that God has done, so that we can rejoice in the fulfillment of His promise. Though the text does not immediately speak of joy, joy was assuredly a characteristic of Hebrew worship. The feasts of Israel were identified as days of gladness [see Numbers 10:10], or joyous occasions.[2] The gifts of firstfruits were voluntary expressions of joy in all that God had done.
That Jewish worship was noisy and joyous should be obvious from even a casual reading of the Psalms. We are encouraged to serve the Lord with gladness [Psalm 100:2]. We are to praise God with trumpet, with lute and harp, with tambourine and dance, with strings and pipe, with cymbals—including loud clashing cymbals [Psalm 150:1-6]. Joy, noisy exultation, is not disrespectful of God; it is the mark of a heart filled with praise. Can you imagine what it would be if the people of God laughed and shouted “Amen!” when God blessed them? Can you imagine shouts of joy as an act of worship?
I’m reminded of an old farmer who attended worship at one of those high and fancy churches. As the preacher preached the message he made a good point about Jesus, and that old farmer just shouted, “Amen!” He just involuntarily said, “Amen!”
The preacher was nonplused, and he lost his place in the sermon. He finally found his place again and began once more to deliver his sermon. Soon, he made another good point about Jesus, and that old farmer just lifted his hand and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
The preacher was so surprised that he couldn’t remember what he was saying. Finally, after an embarrassing pause and frantic searching of his notes, he gained his voice and once again began to preach. He did make another good point about Jesus, and that old farmer just lifted both hands and shouted, “Glory!”
The preacher just lost it. An usher witnessing what was happening and knowing that it was the old farmer making those “outbursts,” walked over to where that old farmer was seated. He tapped him on the shoulder and told him to be quiet.
“But,” the farmer protested, “I’m just praising Jesus.”
“Well,” responded the usher, “You’ll just have to do that quietly.”
“But, but,” started the old farmer, “I’ve got religion.”
That usher just turned red and stammered, “Well you didn’t get it here. Just shut up and be quiet!”
Noisy expressions of joy can—perhaps even should—mark the worship of God’s people. Sing for joy, and shout for joy [see Psalm 32:11]. We are taught in the Word that praise befits the upright [Psalm 33:1].
Now honesty compels me to note that the firstfruits were designated to support the priests and Levites. In bringing these gifts, the people rejoiced in God’s provision, seeing the religious leaders as a demonstration of personal blessing and of national wealth. The priests were not hired, but rather God appointed them and the people demonstrated acceptance by joyous support for the work to which God appointed them.
This is the foundation for supporting the gifted men God appoints to service among His churches. Paul clearly states the case when he cites the Old Testament Law; Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer deserves his wages” [1 Timothy 5:17, 18].
This is but an iteration of 1 Corinthians 9:7-14. Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the ploughman should plough in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The reason the people of God are to support those whom they accept as appointed by God is that through honouring His servants, they honour God. It was the Risen Son of God who gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood [Ephesians 4:11-13].
Most of us preachers will not speak thusly, but I am under command of my King to speak the truth in love. With the Apostle, I state that I do not seek a gift, but I am unapologetic in stating that I seek the fruit that increases to your credit [Philippians 4:17]. Above all else, I long for Christ to be glorified among us and I long for you to enjoy His blessings. If you receive His appointed leaders, support them generously, fully.
I must speak plainly to those who are not Christians, to those who have never believed the message of life and who are yet outsiders. We do not want your money; we want you. We seek your salvation. We seek good for you and blessing.
The Word of God calls you to faith, to life. It is written in the Word, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved… For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].
This is our call, a call to believe the message of life so that you will have a motive to worship. It is a call for the people of God to honour God through bringing their firstfruits—their best and their first. Do this as an act of worship. Do this that Christ may be glorified. Do this that He may continue to bless us. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] The Holman Christian Standard Bible®, (Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)