DOES OUR FIRST FRUITS MEAN ANY MONEY RECEIVED SUCH AS INHERITANCE?

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Firstfruits is a case where the literal meaning of a Biblical word has been changed to a modern concept. This substituting of one word for another is called the fallacy of equivocation.

If you research the term, firstfruits really has nothing to do with money. Firstfruits were literally the first of the produce of plants or trees or livestock (including wool and yes, winel) that came from the Promised Land. God asked the Jewish people to give the firstfruits of the land to Him, because He had given them the land to begin with. These firstfruits were then distributed to the Levites/Priests who did not have a share in the land and depended on these supplies. (Neh 12:44) So, biblically, firstfruits do not appear to have been money; they were produce tied to God's gift of the land of Israel and they had a specific charitable purpose.

Ask yourself: would your church be pleased if you LITERALLY followed this command and brought some wool, wine, grain, vegetables, or figs to the sanctuary?

Sadly, many Old Testament words and commands are honestly being used to MANIPULATE Christians into giving money to churches that are already functioning and looking more like worldly palatial country clubs. I have recently heard of a case where a church refused to give charity to a poor woman with children (a member) without proof that she had paid her tithes! This is the low, Mammon-driven, money-hungry state of some of our churches, and it needs to exposed for what it is. If a Christian demands to worship in a marble-floored palace entertained by a music program that costs tens of thousands of dollars while elderly members of that church can't afford their medicines, something is SERIOUSLY wrong.

Instead of thinking about "firstfruits," just give. Give as God leads you, as long as you are also supporting your family. Give you money, your talents, and your time. If there is one constant other than God Himself, it is that there is no shortage of suffering in this world. God can bless the widow's mite you can afford or your donation of millions; He has a place for both. Support your pastor and church in a respectable manner, and then use the Charity Navigator or word-of-mouth to help others. Some poor working person has a car that needs to be fixed, or some widow can't pay her propane bill, and every teacher can tell you about children who don't have coats and shoes. If you can't give money, then God will show you a place where you can hammer in a loose nail, help a new mother get some rest, or make a quilt for a preemie baby. There are many opportunities to spread the Love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shanna Duck


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Comments

  1. Anonymous3/2/19 9:06 pm

    The First Fruits in Scripture are only for certain agricultural products. Barley is brought at Unleavened Bread, Wheat at Shavuot (May 19, 2018), and the fall crops at Sukkot. This has nothing to do with increase, just the very first harvested from each crop, with very small quantities, like two quarts of barley even thousands of bushels are harvested, or two loaves of bread for wheat harvest. What was important was that each farmer brought the very first that was harvested. The Sh’mita year had no First Fruits offering because no crops were planted. The farmer and others could only pick what came that year on a day to day basis.

    The farmer still has to tithe the increase of that crop, with the tithe entirely different matter. Both First Fruits and tithe are given to the priest for his share of income, so neither First Fruits or Tithe is given to God.

    Blessings, Bill

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3/2/19 9:11 pm

    In Malachi 3:10 ,when God states that “He will pour out a blessing”, from reading and studying the context of tithing, the “pour” means that He will enable the crops to grow and prosper abundantly with water or whatever He decides. It does not mean that if you give your money, that you will get so much back that you won’t be able to receive it all. I’m open for discussion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3/2/19 9:19 pm

    My questions are:
    1) And how exactly does "first fruit" translate into first salary and wages for the year?
    2) Are there biblical examples that shows money can also serve as first fruit?
    3) Are there biblical examples of;
    (a) The Apostles asking/requiring first fruits from Christians?
    (b) Christians (both Jewish & Gentiles) giving first fruits?

    ReplyDelete

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