Inside the Bible, we find God’s people used a variety of practices to express their gratitude and appreciation toward God. The first fruits of the harvest often took on special significance as they were brought before God.
Churchgists will give you all you ask on blessings of first fruit in the bible, difference between first fruits and tithes and so much more.
The First Fruits In The Bible
In some Christian texts, Jesus Christ, through his resurrection, is referred to as the first fruits of the dead. The idea of having the First Fruits blessed at the church has been celebrated through the feast of Lammas (Loaf Mass Day) in Western Christianity.
The first fruits in the Bible are defined as the best of a harvest. They are often used in a religious context to represent the best of what an individual has to offer to God and their fellow man.
The term “first fruits” is derived from Numbers 18:12-13, which reads, “This is what you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins and acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.”
The term is also used in Leviticus 23:10-14. “And you shall take [the] first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that Yahweh your God gives you,” it says there.
The Principle Of First Fruits
Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor 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.
Nehemiah 10:35
We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord;
Proverbs 3:9
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
Ezekiel 44:30
And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
1 Corinthians 15:20
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Romans 11:16
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
James 1:18
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Leviticus 23:10-14
“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.
Malachi 3:10
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Exodus 22:29
“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.
Romans 8:23
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
2 Chronicles 31:5
As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
1 Corinthians 15:23
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Exodus 23:19
“The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
blessings of first fruit in the bible
SEVEN BLESSINGS OF FIRST FRUIT OFFERING
“So God is true, He lives and listens.”
When you read any verses from Bible, sometimes it is hard to fully understand it, right until you have a real experience of God’s word and power; then finally you are able to grasp it when God translates the verse directly to your profound soul via the help of the Holy Spirit.
It takes time, though.
The teaching of giving God your very best sacrifice as a form of obedience is one of foundational teachings of the Bible. It is about giving your first fruit offering (Exodus 23:15-19). What is that? It is simply to give your very first income of where God gives you land to work on (your workplace).
In short, the words touched me as I learned to obey. In the verses of Exodus 23:20-, it states that the first fruit offering could activate The Seven Blessings and they are:
1. Angels that will walk in front of you
2. Our enemy is also His enemy
3. Your bread and drink are guaranteed
4. No disease will come near you
5. No miscarriage or infertility in your land
6. Fulfillment of your days of life and long lasted life.
7. Fruitful life and the possession of the promise land
The Timeless Principles in First Fruits Offerings.
First, the first fruits offering teaches that we should honor God first with our best. In fact, the Hebrew word translated “first fruits” can mean, “chief or choicest.” When the Jews would prepare their first fruits offerings, they would go into the fields and orchards and tie a cord around the first and best part of the harvest that they saw ripening in the field in order to indicate what would be given to God.
Second, the first fruits offering teaches us to honor God with the first and the best of any blessing bestowed upon us that will be ongoing in our lives. The first fruits offerings on the seven favored fruits of Israel represented an acknowledgment of God’s ongoing blessing, bestowed upon the upcoming harvest of each crop, to bring each crop to abundance and maturity. This is why this type of offering only needs to be given once each year as a form of honor to God on each form of increase. For example, as you anticipate your annual salary for the year, you would give a first fruits offering once at the beginning of the year.
Third, the first fruits offering teaches that all offerings do not necessarily need to be large amounts of money in order to be honorable. The first fruits offering on the barley harvest was only about 2 quarts; it was only two loaves of wheat bread on the wheat harvest; and it appears to have been only one basket of each of the other seven favored fruits of Israel (all amounts are regardless of the anticipated size of the harvest).
Fourth, the first fruits offering teaches that part of honoring God is also honoring His ministers. Although the first fruits offerings were given to God at the temple, it took the form of the offerings being given to the priest personally for their worship, use, and consumption. It was a method that God ordained to care for the needs of the priesthood whom He had commissioned to be in service to the people.
Ezekiel 44:30 (WEB) The first of all the first fruits of every thing, and every offering of everything, of all your offerings, shall be for the priest. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
Finally, the first fruits offering teaches that giving is not something we do with our material substance only, but it is something we do with our hearts and mouths. In fact, the word translated “offering” is the Hebrew word korban which can mean, “a drawing near to God.” In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, there is a blessing that each Jew was to confess over their first fruits offering, declaring their gratitude that they had come into the land of promise. In the same way, we can use a first fruits offering to declare that God has brought us into every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.
difference between first fruits and tithes
Main Differences Between Tithes and Firstfruits
- Tithes originated in the ancient Near East while firstfruits originated in Israel.
- Tithes were invented for the purpose of exacting taxes while firstfruit originated due to religious reasons.
- Tithe can be in the form of money, grain or meat, whatever is produced by the person. Firstfruit, on the other hand, is always a bundle of grain.
- There’s a specific amount (10%) of tithe to be paid, while any amount of the first harvest can be given to a priest in firstfruit.
- Tithes were a compulsion while firstfruits were considered charitable. Under special circumstances, the tithe amount could be decreased.
