#firstfruits — Word For Wednesday

Exodus 23:19 NLT

“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God.”

The Principle of First Fruits

God is speaking to Moses and establishing moral boundaries and laws for the brand new nation of Israel. In this verse, God is instituting the principle of first fruits. Different crops have different harvest times. God was setting the law for Israel to give Him the first portion of every crop they harvested.

Everything has a harvest

Deuteronomy 26:2 commands the Israelites to take a portion from every crop they harvested and present it to the Lord. Carrying their bounty, they presented their baskets to the priests. Their patriarch Jacob and his clan lived in Egypt, became great in number, and were miraculously rescued from the hand of pharaoh with mighty signs and wonders. They were to remember how God blessed them with this fertile land that flowed with milk and honey. With thoughts filled with the actions of God’ goodness, and hearts filled with gratefulness, the people were to bow down and worship the Lord. The first fruit is a reminder of all the goodness God has demonstrated in our lives.

Other examples of First Fruits

Adam and Eve were the first fruits of the human race. Noah and his family were the first fruits of humanity during the Great Flood. Jesus was the first fruit who resurrected from the dead and lived forever more (1 Cor 5:20). Believers are a first fruit to God.

James 1:18 NIV

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Open the door for blessings

When we plant seeds of faith, a spiritual door is opened for God to be involved in every area of our lives. We can then reap a harvest of blessings. Allow God to be involved in all areas of your life and watch the harvest of His blessings overtake you.