The Feast Of Firstfruits Series

Feast of First Fruits, Leviticus 23:9-14, (Part-3)

Introduction

The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson Palisades are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in northeast New Jersey and southern New York. Around the turn of the 20th century there was a great conservation effort to preserve this beautiful landscape. The famed philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller had a major role in purchasing much of the land which is currently a nature preserve. The land was up for grabs by investors, nature enthusiasts; there was even a plan in place to relocate the famous “Sing Sing” prison in New York to the area. At one point, while there was pending a bill which had been introduced into Congress to preserve as a military park the splendid and picturesque Palisades of the Hudson, the work of their destruction went forward with great rapidity. The snorting drills which pounded all day long, eating holes in the cliff-top for the explosives, were operated by a large engine, protected by an unpainted shed. This unsightly building added to the hideousness of the scarred and mournful scenery. Within a month the force of men employed was increased from seventy-five to one hundred and eighty, and the demolition went on at a disheartening rate. Heavy boulders, torn from the crags above, were blasted into fragments every few hours, and scores of men were employed loading and sending to the crusher carloads of the rock to be pulverized for road-making. Eventually, In June 1983, the Palisades were designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Parks Service and it is a place which one day in the near future I plan to visit.

At the time when Congress hesitated and the work of destroying this beautiful national treasure sped forth, much damage was done to the site. Indeed, the machinery of industry nearly destroyed this most unique of landscapes. As Congress hesitated to set aside the best for future use and enjoyment, the teeth of industry were eating away one of our most beautiful national treasures. A spot which should be one of nature’s most beautiful pictures became for years, an eyesore, a sordid scene of desolation. How sad that Congress waited so long!

How much more sad it is that so often we, who have received God’s best in Christ, hesitate to give God our best, our firstfruits, the best of the harvest of our lives! Even while there is still day in today, let us not hesitate, may we let go of indecision, abandon our innate propensity to waiver, and give God our best!

Transition

The love of Christ hath a height without a top, a depth without a bottom, a length without an end and a breadth without a limit. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV) Christ is the ultimate prophetic fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits.

He is our redeemer and our King. The long and the short of it is that the Christian life is defined no by what we do, but by what God has done for us in Christ! When we unravel all of the complexities of Christian Theology, Biblical interpretation, and move to the place of practical application; our pilgrimage will lead us to arrive only and finally at the foot of the Cross of Jesus Christ!

Exposition

The Feast of First Fruits was celebrated for centuries, as it still is to this day among orthodox Jewish people, and, as I have already stated, finds its ultimate prophetic fulfillment in Christ. He is the firstfruits of God’s salvation. What does this mean?

In James 1:17-18 the Bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18 ESV)

This means that the God of Sovereign provision, the God who knows the beginning from the end, the God who reigns in the darkness and sends the light, the God who comforts in affliction, who sends both the rain to nourish the crop and the storm which brought it, the God who is always God, chose, of His own sovereign and glorious will to secure an inheritance for Himself… in you… and in you… and in me.

Dear Saints of God, don’t overcomplicate the Gospel and let us never overcomplicate our lives. We are not orphans in this life, but sons and daughters of the Most High God of all creation, who has granted us eternal life, immediate connection, and lasting provision through the ultimate fruit offering of His perfect and spotless and blameless Son; Jesus Christ; divinity cloaked in flesh!