Value of First #3 / Giving of Fristfruits
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· 10 viewsA fresh outlook on Firstfruits offering. From the History of Firstfruits to a deep understanding of the offering.
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Recap:
The First Fruit
The First Fruit
A first fruit is literally the first fruit or the first evidence of something new.
First of a Kind is labeled as Firstfruits in the bible.
The word firstfruits in the bible verse is also translated beginning in other translations.
If your a firstfruit then you represent the beginning of that kind of fruit to humanity.
It is a name of honor and faith that there will be more of that kind of fruit in the future.
First Fruit is the very first fruit.
It means there is no other like it yet.
Firstfruits is the first fruit before you see any other fruit.
Sometimes it takes 3 to 4 generations to see the fruit.
Churches were first fruits.
The ones in the upper room were a first fruit.
The apostles were a first fruit. (Rom 8:23)
Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20, 1 Corinthians 15:23, 1 Corinthians 16:15, James 1:18, Revelation 14:4
All the examples of Firstfruits in the new testament are of a relational context.
Jesus was the ultimate first fruit. (1 Cor 15:20, 23)
Jesus is THEE Frist Fruit.
How was Jesus a Firstfruits?
If God is Love then, Jesus is the first human to live out what love looks like.
What does Firstfruits look like in my life?
You are destined to be a kind of first fruit by your Father. (James 1:18)
You are a kind of first fruit among humans.
There is something about FIRST that sets the tone for what is to follow.
Jesus was the first human that lived out being Love’s kind and Love’s son.
Jesus was the first human to lay His life down for everyone else and raise from the dead.
After Jesus was the first there are now many fruit to follow.
Our Father wants you to be a First of a Kind.
What kind of a person has He put in your heart to become?
What kind of a person have you longed to discover, but have not seen yet?
Every good and perfect gift has come from your Father and you are one of those gifts.
What words has He spoken and planted in your heart that He is drawing on to become a firstfruit of those words?
Read James 1 and see what Holy Spirit reveals to you.
James 1 is like a road map on becoming a first fruit.
History of Firstfruits
History of Firstfruits
The literal meaning
"Firstfruits" refers to the first portion of the harvest which is given to God. Most notably the firstfruits are:
the first to come in time; a pledge or hope of the greater harvest to follow; and specially dedicated to God.
A first fruit is literally the first fruit or the first evidence of something new.
Where was firstfruits first mentioned in the bible?
1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” 2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Firstfruits was Abel’s idea.
In this story, God is trying to help Cain catch what His brother had caught.
Regard:
- to look at with favor or amazement.
Then he gives it to Moses and His people.
1 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 “Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
Now, this ritual might sound a little weird to us today—but to the people in the Bible, this ceremony was a real way to express their gratitude. They lived in an agricultural society, and they depended on their crops to live. Offering the firstfruits of barley was a way to acknowledge that the crops produced in the land are ultimately a gift from God. Thus, the firstfruits ceremony is an outward expression of gratitude for “new life” and God’s gracious provision.
Offering:
Think about it this way. You planted seeds and took care of them. You used some of last year’s harvest for seed even.
You finally get a harvest and by this time you really need it, but instead you look to God as your life source. You show Him your faith in Him by giving Him the very thing it looks like you need to live.
You don’t know if there will be another harvest any time soon because that is dependent on heaven (sun and rain).
When you see it used in this context, it is easier to see the importance of the word Firstfruit.
The most valuable thing you can give God is the first, when you don’t know there will ever be more.
FIrstfruit is fruit you have in hand:
If you did not get fruit yet then it is not firstfruit.
You would be surprised at how many people try to bribe God.
I will give you this is you give this to me....
One of the coolest things about this gift to God is that you give him the best and first of what He has already given you.
Firstfruit is also known as a wave offering:
This is were you see that gratitude thing.
I picture it this way. I just took what was given to me and I wave it before man and God saying thank You for all that You have given me.
You are my life source. Not the land, Not my job, not even my friends.
You are my life source and Your life flows through all those things.
It is also more than gratitude it is a joyful trust in God over your own ability.
Giving a fristfruit offering is a way of saying thank you and I trust you.
Giving a firstfruit offering is a way of saying I trust You God for everything after this too.
Firstfruit offering is a corporate thing:
Joshua 6
When the children of Israel took Jericho they were told to bring all the silver, gold, bronze, and iron to the treasury of the house of the Lord.
Joshua 6:24
They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
Firstfruits is meant to benefit the body of Christ as a whole, not just your personal life.
Your barns and vats being full has to do with the ability to feed others.
Firstfruit offering was given to the priests:
People often ask me where do I give this kind of offering?
It was for the support of the priests (Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:4).
12 “All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I give them to you.
This is God talking directly to Aaron.
20 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.
God wanted to show the ones who served HIm and His specific tasks that He would provide for them not themselves.
Not only did He provide for them but He wanted them to have the first best.
The priests used these gifts first for God, then their families, then they used the rest for the widows and orphans and those in need.
Tithes and FirstFruits go to the priests.
In todays world Tithes and Firstfruits go to the ones serving the church.
Alms Offering goes to those in need.
Seed Offering goes to good soil that will produce 30, 60, 100 fold.
7 Blessings of Firstfruits:
20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22 “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. 25 “But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 “I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 “I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
7 Blessings of Firstfruits:
He will send Angels to guard you.
He will destroy the ites in your life
He will bless your food and water.
He will remove sickness from your life.
He will protect you from miscarriage and barren lands.
He will turn your enemies backs to you and drive out enemies little by little.
He will make you Fruitful and give you a defined promise land.
Closing:
We have taken a deep dive into the history of First Fruits.
Money really is the easiest in the Kingdom of God.
Everything good and perfect comes from Him.
If we give to Him the first the the best of what He has given us, we are putting all our trust in the Giver the His gifts.
Activation:
How do You want be to be part of Firstfruits this year?
What is my hand or will be in my hand by next week You want me to give?
Read Exodus 23:20-33 this week to declare His blessings over your life.
Pray His Blessings over our FIrstFruits today:
7 Blessings of Firstfruits:
He will send Angels to guard you.
He will destroy the ites in your life
He will bless your food and water.
He will remove sickness from your life.
He will protect you from miscarriage and barren lands.
He will turn your enemies backs to you and drive out enemies little by little.
He will make you Fruitful and give you a defined promise land.
Other resources:
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.
4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,
15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints),
30 “The first of all the first fruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind, from all your contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
Firstfruits
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 7225 רֵאשִׁית
7225 רֵאשִׁית [reʾshiyth /ray·sheeth/] n f. From the same as 7218; TWOT 2097e; GK 8040; 51 occurrences; AV translates as “beginning” 18 times, “firstfruits” 11 times, “first” nine times, “chief” eight times, and translated miscellaneously five times. 1 first, beginning, best, chief. 1A beginning. 1B first. 1C chief. 1D choice part.
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 7218 רֹאשׁ, רֹאשׁ
7218 רֹאשׁ, רֹאשׁ [roʾsh /roshe/] n m. From an unused root apparently meaning to shake; TWOT 2097; GK 8031 and 8034; 598 occurrences; AV translates as “head” 349 times, “chief” 91 times, “top” 73 times, “beginning” 14 times, “company” 12 times, “captain” 10 times, “sum” nine times, “first” six times, “principal” five times, “chapiters” four times, “rulers” twice, and translated miscellaneously 23 times. 1 head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning. 1A head (of man, animals). 1B top, tip (of mountain). 1C height (of stars). 1D chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest). 1E head, front, beginning. 1F chief, choicest, best. 1G head, division, company, band. 1H sum.
Heb 1061 [bikkuwr /bik·koor/]
n m pl. From 1069; TWOT 244e; GK 1137; 18 occurrences; AV translates as “firstfruit” 14 times, “firstripe” twice, “firstripe figs” once, and “hasty fruit” once.
1 first-fruits. 1a the first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was gathered, and offered to God according to the ritual of Pentecost. 1b the bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost. 1c the day of the first-fruits (Pentecost)
Heb [baw-kar/ bakar] A primitive root; TWOT 244; GK 1144;
Four occurrences; AV translates as “firstborn” once, “new fruit” once, “firstling” once, and “first child”.
1 to be born first. 1a (Piel).
1a1 to bear early, new fruit. 1a2 to give the right of the firstborn.1a2a to make as firstborn. 1a2b to constitute as firstborn.
1b (Pual). 1b1to be born a firstling. 1b2 to be made a firstling. 1c (Hiphil) one bearing her first child.
Gk 536 ἀπαρχή [aparche /ap·ar·khay/]
From a compound of 575 and 756; GK 569;
Eight occurrences; AV translates as “firstfruits” eight times.
1 to offer firstlings or firstfruits.
2 to take away the firstfruits of the productions of the earth which was offered to God. The first portion of the dough, from which sacred loaves were to be prepared. Hence term used of persons consecrated to God for all time.
3 persons superior in excellence to others of the same class.
756 ἄρχω [archomai /ar·khom·ahee/] v. Middle voice of 757 (through the implication of precedence); GK 806; 84 occurrences; AV translates as “begin” 83 times, and “rehearse from the beginning” once.
1 to be the first to do (anything), to begin.
2 to be chief, leader, ruler.
3 to begin, make a beginning.
757 ἄρχω [archo /ar·kho/] v. A primary word; GK 806;
Two occurrences; AV translates as “rule over” once, and “reign over” once.
1 to be chief, to lead, to rule.
806 ἄρχομαι (archomai), ἄρχω (archō): vb.; ≡ Str 756 & 757;
1. rule (Mk 10:42; Ro 15:12+);
2. begin, initiate an action, process, state (Mt 4:17), occasionally, in English, this verb is a marker for a change in scene or action, and is considered tautological in English style (Mt 26:37, 74; Lk 4:21; 5:21; 7:15, 24, 38, 49);
3. begin, the beginning of a duration (Ac 1:22; Jn 8:9 v.r.)
569 ἀπαρχή (aparchē), ῆς (ēs), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ DBLHebr 8040, 9556; Str 536;
1. first portion, firstfruits (as an offering to God), (Ro 11:16; Rev 14:4+);
2. first, of a set (Ro 16:5; 1Co 15:20; 16:15; 2Th 2:13+), for another interp, see prior;
3. foretaste, a figurative extension of the offering, this emphasizes the certainty of a coming event (Ro 8:23; 1Co 15:23; Jas 1:18+)
Regard
Strong's H8159 שָׁעָה shâʻâh, shaw-aw' in the following manner: look (5x), respect (3x), dismay (2x), turn (1x), regard (1x), spare (1x), be dim (1x), depart (1x).
To look at or to, regard, gaze at or about
A. (Qal) to gaze at, regard, behold, look about
B. (Hiphil) to look away, cause gaze to turn away
C. (Hithpael) to look in dismay, gaze about (in anxiety)
שָׁעָה shâʻâh, shaw-aw'; a primitive root; to gaze at or about (properly, for help); by implication, to inspect, consider, compassionate, be nonplussed (as looking around in amazement) or bewildered:—depart, be dim, be dismayed, look (away), regard, have respect, spare, turn.
Old Testament:
FIRSTFRUITS Choice examples of a crop harvested first and dedicated to God. In accordance with Mosaic law, individual Israelites brought to the house of the Lord “the choice (that is, “the best”) first fruits of your soil” (Exod. 23:19 NASB; 34:26), including grain, wine, and oil, which were used—except for the grain (Lev. 2:14–16)—for the support of the priests (Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:4). According to Deut. 26:1–11, the offering was brought in a basket to the sanctuary for presentation. The book of Proverbs promises prosperity to those who honor the Lord with the firstfruits (Prov. 3:9–10)
1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” 2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 ‘He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
1 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 “Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
3 “Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’ ”
30 “The first of all the first fruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind, from all your contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
5 As soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.