First fruits - a custom to revive?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 26:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “…behold I have brought the first fruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me. Then shall you set it before the Lord your God. So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.” Deuteronomy 26:10-11


It is one thing to declare that we and all we have belongs to God. It is quite another to demonstrate it with action. The Israelites found this out when they were about to enter Canaan after wandering around in the desert for 40 years.

In today’s passage they were on the border of their new home and Moses was giving them farewell instructions. When they finally entered this land of legendary abundance, they were not supposed to stop trusting God. To illustrate this trust, they were to bring part of their first picking of grapes, olives, figs, wheat – whatever this land of ‘milk and honey’ produced – to God as an offering of first fruits.

Though these first fruit offerings were used to feed the Levites and the poor, that wasn’t their main purpose. Rather it was to remind the Israelites that God continued to be their source of supply. As my old New Bible Dictionary explains it:

“Their purpose was not to consecrate it but to deconsecrate it. All was God’s until the first portion had been offered and accepted in lieu of the whole. Only then was the restriction on the human use of the remains removed.” p. 1117.

Giving an offering of first fruits is no longer part of our tradition. But reviving it might not be a bad idea. There is nothing that drives home a theoretical point like a little action to illustrate it. So if you’ve entrusted yourself to God and yet continue to worry about how your needs are going to be met, maybe you should give yourself a little object lesson and in faith present a first fruit offering of your next cheque. Just saying…

PRAYER: Dear God, “I bring my tithes and offerings into the storehouse, and I believe and confess that You, Lord, open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I honor You, Lord, with the first fruits of my increase. I confess that my storage places are filled with plenty in the name of Jesus.” from Praying with Fire by Barb Billett, p. 91.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Our own firstfruits offering

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "'He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.'" Deuteronomy 26:9

The ceremony described in our reading today is the Offering of Firstfruits. Moses' instructions for it are part of his last talks given to the Israelites shortly before he died. The next big event for them would be entering Canaan, routing its inhabitants, and settling there themselves. They were supposed to give this offering the very first year they grew a crop.

We notice that:

• No specific amount of offering was prescribed. This was not a tenth (tithe). The instructions for the tithe follow (Deuteronomy 26:12-15) and were to start in the third year.  It was just "some," a token amount standing in for the whole crop.

• They were to present this offering to the priest along with a speech. This speech declared God's goodness along with the general story of how they got there (Deuteronomy 26:3-9).

• It was to be a worshipful, joyous event celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and God's faithfulness in bringing them to this place.

• No one was excluded. This ceremony was for "...you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you" - Deuteronomy 26:11.

Wouldn't bringing an offering of firstfruits be a meaningful practice for us to follow? Not as in dutifully adhering to an Old Testament command but as a way of reminding ourselves that we belong to God, reviewing our history with Him, and acknowledging His first place in our lives. For the Israelites it was an offering of produce. For us it would most likely be money, given to our church or the place we are spiritually nurtured.

This would be an especially meaningful thing to do at a time of beginning something new—getting a job, a new job, or a promotion, making our first sale, seeing the first profits of a business venture. It would be an excellent reminder of how we got to this place, how every part of life belongs to God, and how He comes first—even in getting the first of our labour.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for blessing my life. Whether I give an actual firstfruits offering or not, help me to have the thoughtful, thankful, joyful attitude about Your deliverance, provision and blessing that was to accompany this offering. Amen.

MORE: More about the firstfruits offering

Want to read more about the offering of firstfruits? The website gotquestions.org asks: "What was the firstfruits offering? Should Christians give a firstfruits offering today?" It ends:

"In summary, firstfruits symbolizes God’s harvest of souls, it illustrates giving to God from a grateful heart, and it sets a pattern of giving back to Him the first (and the best) of what He has given us. Not being under the Old Testament Law, the Christian is under no further obligation than to give cheerfully and liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)."

Read the entire article HERE.