In OT times, after the people had received the land, they were instructed to bring their first fruits to the temple. First fruits are the first peaches or the first oranges of a crop or the first of anything which is grown or produced.
This practice had numerous reasons.
The first was to remind the people about who gave them this land. The land they lived on was not something they had acquired through their efforts or hard work, but rather it was a gift from God.
Secondly, it was a way of saying thank you to God, for all his many gifts. It was a response to God’s goodness to them.
Thirdly, it was a way of sharing around the produce to those who had no other income. This included the Levites; the men dedicated to worship, prayer and teaching Gods word.
Fourthly, it was a way of sharing around the produce with those in need. People who were foreigners or refugees. People for whom things had gone terribly wrong.
We still practice the custom of first fruits in our church today. We call it tithing or giving the first percentage of our money to the Lord for distribution to others. It is taking your income and giving 10% or some other percentage to the Lord, before you spend any of it elsewhere.
Just as in the OT the first fruits remind us who gives us everything we have. It is our way of saying thank you to God. It is a way of sharing with those who have no other income, the pastor and staff who teach, preach and care for us spiritually. And also to those who have had circumstances in life go terribly wrong.
Giving our first fruits is a most blessed practice.
Pastor Robert
