The Ordinance of Firstfruits (4): Who Should You Give it to?

The Ordinance of Firstfruits (4): Who Should You Give it to?

As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma. – Leviticus 2:12

Today, we shall look at another confusion surrounding the application of the firstfruits saga in modern Christianity. Specifically, we will try to provide an answer as to whom firstfruits are meant for.

Contemporary demagogues often advocate that firstfruits are meant for pastors, bishops or individuals in clergy roles. Therefore, modern-day Christians who wish to give their firstfruits should write their check or address their envelopes to their pastors or bishops. That is not entirely true.

For context, firstfruits, like firstborns of humans and animals, are the exclusive property of God. They are meant to be offered to God, not mortals. A firstfruit is an offering, too. Another name for an offering is sacrifice. Offerings or sacrifices are meant for the supernatural, not mortals. Further, because of the supernatural nature of offerings, most religions practice them. So, they are not the exclusive preserve of Judaists and Christians alone.

The devout of traditional religions and worshippers of idols also offer sacrifices to their own gods to date, and these people do not go to their shrines, altars, or places of worship with the mind that they are offering their sacrifices to the human custodians of the shrines. Talk of the brazenness of modern Christianity. No! Objects of worship are essentially offered to God, not humans. Any mortal that makes a claim to a sacrifice is also saying he or she is a god or an idol who can receive a token of worship from lesser mortals. In the same vein, any clergy who receives particularly the firstfruit offering unto himself or herself is only playing God.

Let’s look at our reference scripture again:

As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma. – Leviticus 2:12

There are other biblical references, too. Please read them below:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “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. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

– Leviticus 23:9-11

Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase.

– Proverbs 3:9

Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lordat your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.

– Numbers 28:26

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

– Exodus 23:19

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.

– Exodus 34:26

As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma.

– Leviticus 2:12

The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

– Leviticus 23:20

Now, let’s take a closer look at this last passage. God says the firstfruits shall be holy offerings first unto Himself and then for the consumption of the priest. This, therefore, means that the priest is only meant to consume the firstfruits offering, not accept it as the primary recipient. The priest, by collecting a firstfruit, is only doing so in proxy, as a representative of God, not because the firstfruit is meant for him.

But this refers to the chief priest alone, not any other pastoral office. Not even Moses, who was a mighty prophet and was arguably greater in stature and the eyes of God than his chief priest brother, Aaron, was allowed to collect, let alone eat, the firstfruits.

So, who is a priest? Is a priest the same office as a pastor, bishop, prophet, apostle, or other clergy offices? Can they also function as priests or consume firstfruits?

We shall continue the series tomorrow by delineating the offices vis-à-vis the offering of the firstfruits and other offerings.

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstfruits (3): Debunking A Rather Dangerous Myth
• Understanding God: God of Accountability
• Realities in Alphabet
• Light up the Church
• GOD is Not Happy With Punishing People

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