The Ordinance of Firstfruits (2): Debunking the Myths

The Ordinance of Firstfruits (2): Debunking the Myths of ‘Give Everything’

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. – Leviticus 23:10

The Myth of Everything

The first myth of the firstfruits doctrine, which we shall look at today, is the notion that you must give the entirety of your firstfruits to God. God never said that.

There are 32 instances where ‘firstfruit’ is mentioned in the Authorized King James Version (AKJV), the revised King James Version (KJV), and the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible. At no point in those verses did God command that the Israelites – to whom the ordinance was originally handed – should bring the entirety of their first harvests to Him. God did not say that and was not expecting everything.

Let’s dive a little further into the historical context of the time. The Israelites of that era were mostly agrarian people, comprising farmers and livestock keepers. We have dealt with God’s command to those who rear livestock; they must offer the very first male animal that opened the womb to Him. In most cases, animals usually give birth to more than one offspring, but God is not interested in all the first set of children that an animal gives birth to, which could have been described as the firstfruits of such an animal, He only requires the very first one that pops out of the animal. Again, not every one of them.

Now to farmers and firstfruits, farmers usually do not harvest all their produce at once. Harvesting can take several days and weeks to complete, depending on the size of the cultivation. Further, harvesting is also done at different times of the year, depending on the kind of plants as they do not all yield at the same time. Therefore, what God wants from the Israelites in terms of firstfruits are portions of the very first crops they harvested, not every one of them.

How do we know this? Let us look at our reference scripture again:

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. – Leviticus 23:10

A sheaf refers to a bundle of grain stalks that are gathered and tied together after harvesting. It only represents a portion of the firstfruits, and not the entirety of it. Imagine what a sight it must have looked like if all Israelites were to bring the entire firstfruits of their harvest to the house of God. They would have overwhelmed the priests, the Levites, the tabernacle, and the storage.

Even though we have mega cathedrals and a large expanse of lands for worship today, if all the devout who worship at those cathedrals were farmers and livestock keepers, the entirety of their firstfruits would overwhelm the temple and the clergy. The Israelites obviously did not have tabernacles as large as we boast of today, but they were mostly committed to offering their firstfruits because it was neither tedious nor demanding to bring a measure of the them to the tabernacle of meeting, even if they had to travel some distance to the place of worship.

Unlike today that is easier for us to offer our firstfruits in cash, in checks or electronic means, most believers do not do it because they have been overwhelmed by the peddlers of firstfruit doctrine who demand that they give the entirety of their first earning to God or the clergy. This has led to a pushback and rebellion from believers who would have wanted to do it if they were rightly oriented about it.

Let us look at two more biblical references that attest to the quantity of the firstfruits God expects. Please see them below and take note of the highlights:

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. – Exodus 23:19

“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” – Exodus 34:26

The above scriptural references also underscore that the firstfruits God commands and expects from His worshippers are portions of the first harvest, not the whole gamut of their first harvests. The important thing is that the portion being offered to God must be from the very first set of harvest, the firstling, not the second, the third or anything after that.

So, how does this apply in today’s world, particularly to salary earners, traders and business owners? Using the scriptures above, the firstfruit of a salary earner will typically be a percentage of the first wages from his or her new job (this is not to be confused with tithe, which is customarily 10%), and then a percentage of the wages received in January. Not the whole of it.

While there is nothing wrong in giving God the whole of one’s salary, that should be done as a believer’s faith can carry it, not because someone preaches at, blackmails, or compels them to do so. Again, it must be stressed that at no point did God make such a demand in the Bible.

The way firstfuit is preached and communicated in our contemporary society makes many believers feel guilty or unworthy for not willing to give the whole of their first wages to God. That is not right because God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

For traders, business owners, and corporate organizations that want to observe the ordinance of firstfruits, the same principle applies: give a percentage of your first revenue (this is not to be confused with tithe), and then continue to give a percentage of your first proceeds either in January or the new calendar year of your entity.

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstfruits (1): Separating the Truth from Myths and Sentiments
• Understanding God: He Honors Parental Decrees, Good or Bad
• Be Gentle In Judgement
• Opened and Closed
• Coming Out of my Debts

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