What is the first fruit offering? - Scriptures Explained

The first fruit offering was an offering given by the children of Israel that comprised the very first yield of their labors that they had sown in the field. It also included the fleece gotten from the first shearing of sheep (Exodus 23:19, Deuteronomy 18:4).

The children of Israel were to bring the first fruit to the priest to demonstrate their obedience and reverence for God. It was also a demonstration of their trust in God as their sole source of providence.

By bringing the first fruit offering to the priest, the children of Israel demonstrated their trust in God to make the remainder of the harvest bountiful.

Note that the first fruit offering was brought to the priest, while the tithe was brought to the Levites.

The first fruit offering was to cater to the needs of God’s house as well as the needs of the priests charged with ministering in the house of God.

Scriptures on first fruit offering

Following are scriptures on the first fruit offering as retrieved from the New King James Version (NKJV).

Genesis 4:3-5

“And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.”

According to this account, the brothers brought an offering to the Lord God according to what they had planned in their hearts. We find that Abel had an idea about offering to God the first fruits of his labors, going by the kind of offering he gave. The scripture tells us that while Abel gave the ‘firstborn of his flock’, Cain gave ‘an offering’ of the fruit of the ground.

Some scholars believe that the reason Abel’s offering was accepted was because he offered the first fruit of his labor. However, there is no scriptural proof for this school of thought, so we would rather leave it at that.

Leviticus 2:12

“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.”

As mentioned in this passage, this kind of offering was not to be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma, as was the case with the burnt offerings described in Leviticus chapter one. Also note that what was left of this offering was to be for the priests.

Leviticus 2:14-15

“If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads. And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering.”

This passage describes how the children of Israel were expected to offer the firstfruits of the grain offering to the LORD. The remaining portions of this offering were to be for the priests.

Leviticus 23:10

“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.’”

This passage records the instruction that God gave the children of Israel through Moses concerning the giving of the firstfruits offering. This law was to govern the giving of the first fruit offering when the children of Israel got to the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 18:4

“The firstfruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.”

This passage mentions four kinds of first fruits that the children of Israel were commanded by Moses to bring to the house of God to be received by priests. They included:

The first fruit of grains
The first fruit of new wine
First fruit of oil
First fleece of sheep

Deuteronomy 26:2

“That you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.”

In this scripture, Moses is again instructing the children of Israel to bring the first of the firstfruits to the house of God when they get to the land of promise.

Deuteronomy 26:10

“And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me. Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.”

This scripture describes what was expected of the children of Israel after arriving and occupying the land of promise. They were expected to bring to the priest the first fruits of the produce of their field in honor of God and to show gratitude for His great deliverance from the House of Bondage in Egypt.

Proverbs 3:9

“Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with firstfruits of all your increase;”

In this scripture, a command is given about honoring God with our possessions and the first fruit of our increase, with the promise of receiving a blessing in return. Specifically, obedience to this command guarantees that our barns will be filled with plenty and our vats will always overflow with new wine.

The implication of this scripture is that we will always be assured of God’s constant provision in our lives.

Ezekiel 44:30

“The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also, you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.”

This command was given to Ezekiel with regards to the priests, the Levites, and the sons of Zadok, who were to minister before the LORD because they had remained faithful to God. They were to receive the best of all first fruits of any kind brought to them by the children of Israel as their inheritance, which the LORD God had given them. They were also to receive every sacrifice of any kind from the children of Israel. By obeying the spirit and letter of this commandment, the children of Israel would, in return, receive a blessing from the LORD.

Exodus 22:29

“You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.”

In this scripture, we see Moses exhorting the children of Israel to refrain from dragging their feet when it comes to giving the firstfruits of their produce. Instead, he challenged them to prioritize this offering and submit it whenever it fell due.

This was to ensure that the house of God always had provision to cater to the needs of the priests. In addition, by giving this offering, the children of Israel would demonstrate that they honored God and were thus qualified to receive a blessing from Him.

Exodus 23:16

“And the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.”

This passage gives an account of three important events in the Jewish calendar instituted by God himself through His servant Moses. God instructed the children of Israel to hold three Feasts every year, one of which was the Feast of the Harvest, where they were expected to appear before God with the first fruits of their produce.

By observing the feast, the children of Israel were honoring God as their source of sustenance.

In addition, by observing the feast, the children of Israel showed that they trusted God to provide better climatic conditions for a better harvest by the end of the year.

Exodus 23:19

“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.”

This scripture puts more emphasis on what God said in Exodus 23:16 above.

Exodus 34:26

“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.”

This passage emphasized the importance of giving the first fruit offering in order to secure God’s blessing and also to meet the needs of the priests.

Numbers 18:12-13

“All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine, and all the best of the grain, their firstfruits to the LORD, I have given them to you. Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.”

Again, Moses is reminding the children of Israel that the first fruit had been given to the house of Aaron, who were priests.

2 Chronicles 31:5

“As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.”

The response in this passage was a result of a request that had been made by Hezekiah to provide for the needs of the priests and the Levites. This was to enable them to devote more time to the Law of the Lord.

Nehemiah 10:35

“And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD.”

This passage gives an account of the promise made by Nehemiah, the governor, and the congregation that returned to Jerusalem from exile. The congregation made an oath to follow the law as commanded by God, including the observance of the Feast of the Harvest, the Feast of the Ingathering, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Nehemiah 10:37

“To bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities.”

The explanation for this passage is similar to Nehemiah 10:35 above.

FAQs on first fruit offering

What types of first fruit offerings are there?

There are four types of first fruits mentioned in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy 18:4. They include:

The first fruit of grains
The first fruit of new wine
First fruit of oil
First fleece of sheep

How much should your first fruit offering be?

If you are employed, the very first amount of money you earn after getting a pay raise becomes your first fruit offering. This is because this amount will be the first fruit of your increased salary.

If you are a businessperson, say you start a new line of products, and the profits you earn from selling them become your first fruit offering.

It is all about giving the very first income you earn from any kind of increase.

Is the first fruit offering compulsory?

The first fruit offering IS NOT COMPULSORY. You should never be compelled to give this kind of offering, as that is against what the Bible teaches. According to the scriptures, giving the first fruit offering, just like any other offering, should be done willingly.

In the book of 2 Corinthians 9:7, we read:

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” So if you find yourself being coerced or compelled to give, then know that you are wrongly placed.

What are the benefits of the first fruit offering?

There are several benefits to the first fruit offering.

One of them is found in Proverbs 3:9, where we read: “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

According to this scripture, the giving of the first fruit offering comes with the promise of plentiful supply and an overflow of new wine. What this simply means is that when you honor God with the first fruit of your increase, you are guaranteed an overflow of blessings in your life. This includes the prosperity of your spirit, soul, and body.

In Ezekiel 44:30, we read:

When you give the first fruits of your offering, you are guaranteed a blessing resting upon your house.

In addition, we also give to ensure that the house of God has food. In Malachi 3:8–10, we read:

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings.’ You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me—even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

This scripture tells us that our tithes and offerings will cause God to bless us with abundance. In addition, because of our giving, God promises to bind the devourer for our sake, thus preventing him from destroying the work of our hands.

What is the purpose of the first fruit offering?

The purpose of the first fruit offering was to remember and honor God as the one who enables us to make wealth. We find this in Deuteronomy 8:18, which says:

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

The second reason we give the first fruit offering is so that we can receive the blessing promised by God to those who give this offering. We find this in Ezekiel 44:30, which says:

The other purpose of the first fruit offering was to support the needs of the priests in order to allow them to dedicate their time to the study of the Law of God. We find this in Nehemiah 10:37, which says:

In the modern world, our giving of the first fruit offering is to financially support the eldership of our local churches. This is because there are many needs that require the generous giving of the membership. These include payments for utilities such as electricity and water, among others. We also give in order to support church missions, widows, and orphans.

What is the first fruit wave offering?

The first fruit wave offering appears in Leviticus 23:9–11; it says:

“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 first fruits 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”’.”

This passage gives an account of how the first fruits brought by the children of Israel to the priests were to be handled. After receiving the sheaf of the first fruits, the priest had to wait until the day after the Sabbath and then wave it before the LORD. After doing so, the offering became acceptable to God.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the first fruit offering. We have since established that this offering was instituted by God in the Old Testament. Accordingly, the children of Israel were expected to give this offering as it fell due. The benefits of giving this offering included receiving God’s blessings and prosperity in all that they did.

In the New Testament, the first fruit offering is NOT MANDATORY. This is because, in this dispensation of grace, believers are expected to give willingly and without coercion. In this regard, believers are expected to give as prompted by the Holy Spirit.

What we should always remember is that giving is one of God’s principles still operational on earth. This is because God said that ‘as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest shall never cease‘ (Genesis 8:22). This means that when you give an offering of any type, you will always receive a harvest. Jesus Himself taught that ‘when you give, it will be given back to you‘ (Luke 6:38). So dear reader, giving your offering is NOT A VAIN EXERCISE BUT INSTEAD A PROFITABLE UNDERTAKING WITH A SURE REWARD. So, give and keep giving.

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Biblical teachings on giving

You can buy us coffee as a thank you gesture by clicking on this link: Buy Me a Coffee

Are you a Born Again Christian? If not, kindly say the following prayer from the bottom of your heart, and you will get saved.

Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent of your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/

About
Latest Posts

Follow me

admin

Admin at Scriptures Explained

Hello friend!
My name is Nicodemus. I'm a Kenyan by birth. I got saved over 30 years ago while in high school.
I love studying scriptures in order to enhance my comprehension of God and His plan for mankind.
I have an MBA degree in strategic management and a BSc degree in botany and zoology.
I’m married to a loving lady called Leah. God has gifted us three sons: Wayne, Salem, and Michael.

Follow me