In Leviticus 23:9-14, we read about the festival of "firstfruits." Israel was told by God to set aside and offer to Him the firstfruits of their harvest:
"When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest ... This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live" (Lev. 23:10, 14)
Why?
Because God is a wise Father, a great teacher, and full of compassion. By having Israel go through this routine, offering the firstfruits of their harvest every year, He was teaching them something about themselves. Why should the first part of the harvest be set aside for God? Because Israel was the "first part" of God's harvest, set aside for Him; remember what God said in Exodus?
Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me."' (Ex. 4:22-23)
Israel was the firstborn son, the firstfruits of God's "harvest of nations." This festival was an annual reminder of how much God loved His firstborn. But of course it doesn't stop there, and God didn't set aside Israel as his firstfruits as an exercise of excluding all the other nations. What happens when you set aside the firstfruits? Paul gives us the answer in Romans:
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. (Rom. 11:16)
If Israel was set aside as God's firstfruits among nations, it was for the purpose of making all the nations holy. And God accomplished that very thing in Jesus, the true firstborn son among sons, the real firstfruits. That's why Paul calls Jesus "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20), quickly adding that we who are "in Christ" will certainly share in His resurrection. That's also why Paul can call Jesus "the firstborn among many brothers" (Rom. 8:29) - those who are in Christ are those "many brothers" (and sisters, of course).
I said a moment ago that the festival of firstfruits also showed that God was full of compassion. It's just something I noticed while re-reading the text today, meditating further on yesterday's sermon. Did you notice that God begins by telling Israel to start this practice "When you enter the land," and then ends in verse 14 by saying "This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live"?
God knew what was coming. He knew His firstborn was going to rebel and turn away from Him, and end up in exile, cast out of the Promised Land. And yet He still wanted them to celebrate this firstfruits festival, even in exile, as if to say, "Even when you're in slavery in the foreign lands and maybe feel like I've abandoned you, keep on celebrating this festival that reminds you of your firstborn-firstfruits status with me. I haven't given up on you."
I noticed that the Leviticus text only says "bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest," not "bring to the priest a sheaf of the best grain you harvest." That makes sense to me. Israel was the firstfruits of the nations, not necessarily because they were the best, but because God chose them to be the first. (Remember Paul's words in Romans 9:16, "it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.") In fact, God made it point to tell Israel in Deuteronomy 9:4-6, "Don't think I'm giving you this land because you're better or more righteous than the other nations - in fact, you're not any better, you're just as stubborn and rebellious as they are. I'm giving it to you because I chose you and I made a promise to your forefathers." (Obviously I'm paraphrasing, but that's the general idea.)
(A point I'd like to remember for myself: you don't have to be the best grain of the harvest in order for God to love you and want you for Himself.)
And so, even in their rebellion and in their exile, God tells them to continue celebrating the festival of firstfruits, to keep in front of their eyes the truth that He has not abandoned them or given up on them, because He is a Father who honors His promises and shows great compassion.
(Another point I'd like to remember for myself: God didn't first love you because of your personal accomplishments, so He's certainly not going to stop loving you because of your failures.)
There's probably a lot here for you and I to cling to and celebrate. If we're in Christ, we're part of those "firstfruits" that belong to God, and - like Israel - it's not because we were any better than anyone else, but simply because He loves us. And also like Israel, if we're part of the "firstfruits," it isn't so that we can hoard the gift, it's so that the firstfruits can make the rest of the harvest holy as well. And if we happen to find ourselves from time-to-time in a bit of "exile" where it's easy to think, however wrongly, that God has lost interest in us (or worse, has turned His back on us out of anger), maybe we need a firstfruits festival of our own to remind us who we are and where we stand.
We are God's firstfruits, and we are brothers and sisters of the firstborn Son of God. As Pastor Don said in the message: "We win." Even when we feel like we're losing, we're still winners - whether we're in the Promised Land or in exile, we're still the firstfruits. So let's take that with us, as Leviticus says, "wherever you live."
Have a great week!
Jacob
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