What Are Firstfruits? Introduction and Commandments

"Firstfruits" are something that the bible mentions several times, and, especially in the New Testament, it seems like a really important concept to understand:

1. Christ is the firstfruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20)
2. God's church "[has] the firstfruits of the Spirit" (Romans 8:23)
3. God's church is called to be the "firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18)
4. The 144,000 of Revelation 14 are "redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4)

What exactly are firstfruits? Why were the New Testament writers making comparisons using this idea? What did they mean by these statements? These are questions that I hope to thoroughly answer in a series of articles between now and Pentecost! In this article, we'll start with an introductory analysis of what firstfruits are and what God commanded to be done with them.

In a general sense, firstfruits are what they sound like: they are the first part of a crop to ripen, whereas the harvest does not come until most of the crop is ripe. The New Testament writers would have been familiar with the concept because it was a focal point of God's law as a part of Old Testament worship. The first mention of "firstfruits" in the bible is found in Exodus 23:15-16, where they are identified with the "Feast of Harvest," which in the New Testament is known as Pentecost:

"You shall keep... the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering, when you have gathered the fruit of your labor from the field." 

God's presentation of the Feasts in this passage reveals a link between Pentecost and the firstfruits of the harvest, while the remaining portion (that is, the harvest itself) is identified with the Feast of Ingathering, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. Additionally, the first actual command concerning what to do with these firstfruits is given in verse 19:

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

Notice that the first of the firstfruits were to be brought to God. As yet, there is no specification as to when the Israelites were to do this, but this is brought to light in Leviticus 23:9-14, which in the NKJV is sub-headed, "The Feast of Firstfruits" (more commonly known within the Church of God as the wave-sheaf offering) as well as Leviticus 23:15-21, referred to as the "Feast of Weeks" (known in the New Testament as Pentecost.) However, I'm going to hold off on expounding the significance of firstfruits to the wave-sheaf offering (even though this occurred today!) and Pentecost. Instead, I'd like to examine the physical commandments that pertain to firstfruits and discuss whether they are relevant for us today.

Firstfruits Were Given to the Priests and Levites

Numbers 18 is better known as the chapter where God gave the tithe of the people to the Levites; however, there is also a passage there stipulating the same for the firstfruits:

Numbers 18:11-13
"This is also yours... all the wave offerings of the children of Israel... All the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer 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"

As with the tithe, the firstfruits are something that is given to God which He then gives to His appointed servants, the Levites.

Firstfruits Were More Than Just Crops

Moreover, there is evidence that the term "fruit" in "firstfruits" was meant in a looser sense than just plant material:

Deuteronomy 18:3-4
And this is the priest's due from the people... The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

To my knowledge, there is no other place in which the fleece of the sheep are commanded to be given for any reason - there were laws concerning the firstborn of any domesticated animals, but nothing about additional products derived from these animals. It follows that the intention of the law of firstfruits, just as I have endeavored to show with tithing, is that the firstfruits of all labor were to be offered to God, not only those which are specifically food products!

Should We Offer Firstfruits today?

Seeing the obvious similarities between firstfruits and tithes, one may wonder whether we should be offering the firstfruits of our labor today. Our income is no longer tied to an agricultural cycle; however, we in the Church of God do bring offerings on the days on which God commanded the offerings of firstfruits - during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which the Feast of Firstfruits occurs during) and also on Pentecost. The focus of those offerings is more frequently associated with a freewill offering that is also commanded to be brought at that time (Deuteronomy 16:16), which would have typically been an animal sacrifice. It doesn't make sense for us to bring either animals nor produce today, but perhaps we should make an effort to be aware that the offerings we bring during these particular Holy Days is not only a freewill offering to God, but also an offering of the firstfruits of our own labor at the beginning of God's year. Furthermore, it's not a bad idea to set aside a special offering of firstfruits whenever we reap benefits from some new endeavor, such as starting a new job.