THE FIRSTFRUIT OFFERING


'And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 
The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.' - Deuteronomy 18 vs 3 - 4 {King James Version}

The firstfruit offering was an Old Testament offering which was to be given by the people of Israel by the commandment of God.

'Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:' - Proverbs 3 vs 9 {KJV}

The firstfruit offering was one among several other offerings which were mandated by the Law of Moses to be given by the people of Israel - a few which are:
  • Sin offering
  • Burnt offering
  • Meat offering

The firstfruit offering was a symbol of ONE who will be offered to preserve the rest. This is salvation. The Old Testament was a dispensation of shadows:

'The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come...' - The Letter to the Hebrews, 10 vs 1a {TLB}

Every practice of the Old Testament was figurative, and one man would fulfil them in behalf of men.

In the Old Testament, the firstfruit offering was commanded to be given as a testimony of preservation from destruction; the firstfruit offering was a testimony that God delivered His people from the destructions of their enemy. Let's take a look at it in the scriptures. Patiently read:

'And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; 
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.  And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.  And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.  And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:  And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:  And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:  And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:  And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.  And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: 
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.' - Deuteronomy 26 vs 1 - 11 {King James Version}

You see that... So the firstfruit was to be given as a testimony that God delivered them from the hand of their enemy and brought them into the land that He promised to give to them, and made them great. Take a look at verse 8 - 10 again to digest this understanding:

'And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:  And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.  And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God...' - {KJV}

You're getting it? Okay.

Now, you need to know something about the Old Testament (the dispensation of the Law of Moses): The Old Testament was a dispensation of shadows. The Laws and Commandments of the Old Testament dispensation had shadows of the dispensation of the grace of God which was to come:

‘The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come...’ - The Letter to the Hebrews, 10 vs 1a {TLB}

Only a shadow! They were not the real stuff, but pointers to the real stuff which was to come. All the practices, commandments, laws, blessings, curses and offerings of the Old Testament including the firstfruit offering were pointers to a coming dispensation, which we are in now, the dispensation of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. The firstfruit offering was a symbol of ONE who will be offered to preserve the rest. This is salvation. The Old Testament was a dispensation of shadows.

Every practice of the Old Testament was figurative, and one man would fulfil them. Christ is that man, the firstfruit (first in rank) offered for the salvation of men (the whole world). In the Old Testament, the firstfruit offering was commanded to be given as a testimony of preservation from destruction; the firstfruit offering was a testimony that God delivered His people from the destructions of their enemy as we have seen above in this teaching. This was a prefigurative testimony that God would save man from destruction (eternal destruction), that a man would be offered up to save the rest men; a man would die so that the remaining men are saved from death (eternal damnation). That man is Jesus. - Selah

Beloved, every practice of the Old Testament was figurative, and one man would fulfil them. Christ is the fulfillment of the firstfruit offering, the proof that God has wrought salvation for man. Remember, the firstfruit was a testimony that God delivered the people from their enemy. Likewise, Christ's resurrection from the dead is a testimony that God has wrought salvation for the whole world.

'Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that he had made us right with God!' - Romans 4 vs 25 {TPT}

  • to prove that He had made us right with God

You see that...

So in the New Testament, the firstfruit is the resurrected Christ - the evidence that God has saved man (as many that believe), just as the firstfruit of the fruits of the land which God gave them in the Old Testament was evidence that God delivered them from Egypt. So Egypt was a prophetic symbol of darkness. The firstfruit of all the fruit of their land was proof that they were delivered from Egypt - because they could only grow fruits in their own land because they escaped Egypt, they were delivered from Egypt. So the firstfruit of all the fruit of their land was a symbol of our deliverance from darkness to Light by one man, Jesus. So Jesus the resurrected Christ, becomes the fulfillment of the firstfruit offering of the Mosaic dispensation. - Selah

Seeing these, you can now understand that the practice of the firstfruit offering in many churches today is a gross demonstration of ignorance. The doctrine of the firstfruit offering was a prefiguration of salvation realities in Christ. From darkness to Light! From destruction to salvation. Simple. A symbol of salvation in Christ Jesus.

Friends, this is it.

Seeing that the firstfruit offering was a symbol of salvation realities in the Christ, and the Christ has come and has fulfilled the symbolism of the firstfruit offering, What are you still doing with the symbol? What do you mean by "I am going to give my firstfruit offering?" You're going to give what? It's good that we practice our Christian faith according to knowledge and not according to ignorant zeal. - Think on that.

The practice of the firstfruit offering in the New Testament is a false practice. In the New Testament, giving is an act of generosity, a generous and cheerful expression of a soul that has been saved by the loving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the Apostle thus instructs:

'Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.' - 2 Corinthians 9 vs 7 {KJV}

  • not because of so called kingdom principles that necessitates you to give

Pay attention!

'Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn’t be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver.' - 2 Corinthians 9 vs 7 {GW}

  • don't give because you feel forced by useless principles

'Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving...' - 2 Corinthians 9 vs 7 {TPT}

  • not from a sense of religious duty, because we are in the New Testament.

Pay attention!

'Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.' - 2 Corinthians 9 vs 7 {BSB}

  • not out of compulsion

So you see dearly beloved, Support your church financially; give to your pastor, it is proper. Give to your brothers and sisters who are in need; give to him that asks you. And also, spend your January salary wisely.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Jenning Uweye
Teacher,
Global Bible Study Community

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