The Facts Concerning Our First Fruits

THE FACTS CONCERNING OUR FIRST FRUITS.

Now I realize as I gave you the title of the message this morning, you immediately assumed that I was going to be preaching about tithing, or faithful stewardship in our giving. And I must say that these verses of Scripture can certainly apply to our stewardship, as far as our giving is concerned. (we’ll study awhile about that) However I believe that the roots of verses 9-10 go much deeper than just our stewardship when it comes to giving. I believe that they can apply to several other areas of our Christian life as well.

You see the term that Solomon uses in verse #9 “first fruits” actually has roots that extends as far back as Exodus chapter 23. In Exodus 23:19 God told the nation of Israel, “The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. You see the first fruits were the choice examples of a crop harvested first, and dedicated to God. In accordance to the Mosaic law, individual Israelites brought to the house of the Lord, the first AND THE BEST of the fruits of the land as an offering to the Lord. The first fruits you see would foreshadow and pledge the ultimate offering of the whole harvest to the Lord.

In fact one of the seven feast days of Israel was called the feast of first fruits, and it consisted of three parts. The Israelites would pluck for instance some of the best barley from the field before the harvest time, then they would bring it before the Priest which in turn would take it into the Tabernacle and waive it before the Lord. That collection of some of the best barley would serve as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord. It in essence made this statement.

God you’re so good, and God you’re so great, before we take any of this barley for ourselves, we want to first of all give it to you. And Lord we’re not going to give you our second best. And Lord we’re not going to give you what’s left over. Oh no! We’re going to give you our first fruits! Only the best is good enough for our great and wonderful God!

Then of course the harvest time would come, and after the harvest the time of gleaning from the field. But before the harvest, and certainly before the gleaning. The best of the first fruits belonged to the Lord.

That’s why that in the book of James 1:18, James refers to the believer as being a kind of first fruits of God’s creatures. Paul in I Corinthians 15:20 spoke of Christ’s resurrection as being the first fruits of them that sleep. That is to say that Christ’s resurrection is an earnest or prototype of resurrections to come. (namely yours and ours) However there will be no resurrection that could ever compare to His resurrection, because His was the best! Without His resurrection we would have no hope of eternal life this morning. And therefore it was Christ’s resurrection that Paul said was the first fruits of them that sleep.

Therefore we can most certainly gather that the term first fruits that Solomon uses here in our text this morning signifies that which is best, and offered to God without reservation as a testimony of one’s dedication to him. I can guarantee you when the offering of first fruits was made. Israel didn’t go around looking for a part of the harvest that was second rater. Oh no friend. When they offered God their first fruits they were giving God no less than their very best.