In Leviticus chapter twenty-three, verse ten, the Lord speaks to Moses to tell the children of Israel about bringing the first fruits of their harvest to the priest. Acknowledging that the fruit of the ground came from the Lord occurred in connection with the feast of Unleavened bread. The consecration of the first fruits to the Lord pointed to the New Testament believer’s dedication of life to God. Christians are the first fruits of Christ’s saving work. To continue to share the gospel that He has placed in us is an example of how we live in what we do and say.
Today, for believers, our first fruits would be our tithes and offering. When we produce anything that results from our labor, we must show appreciation to God for His provision and give Him at least one-tenth of what we received. After all, He made heaven and earth, and we would not be in this position if that did not happen. Therefore, our obedience to God by following this command is evidence of gratitude towards Him. Love gives, and the Lord gives us many things, and we, in return, strengthen that bond.
However, the flip side of not giving according to God’s Word is that many professed believers fail to commit and lose out. In Genesis four, verse one, Cain was a tiller of the ground and brought a fruit offering to the Lord. Still, God was not pleased with His offering. Yet, Cain was angry that God asked Him, “why are you so mad?” Cain did not answer the question but went to his brother Abel and talked with him. Obedience is better than sacrifice, and Cain did the latter by taking out his frustration on Abel, which led to murder.
Our first fruits to God develop that covenant which will reap blessings according to how we sow. However, if we as believers disobey, we will only risk the chance of falling into temptation by making choices carnally, which may lead to ruin if we continue along that path.