FAITH AND LOVE ARE OBEDIENCE
Wednesday – April 9, 2025
Video link: https://youtu.be/aYIJM_6Xuo8
Once again, we will be diving into this really popular topic of offerings (sarcasm) but first let’s review our anchor Scripture.
Nehemiah 12:44 (KJV)
44 And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
Before moving into the various offerings, I want to offer a brief note concerning the difference between love in the Old Testament compared to love in the New Testament. There are many words translated as love, but I am talking about the highest as in love of God. From the fall of Adam until the resurrection of the Christ people were spiritually dead. As a brief reminder remember that people are three-part beings, spirit, soul, and body. Both the spirit and soul came from God, and both are of the spirit realm. The spirit and soul are interconnected but are generally independent of one another.
The spirit in an unbeliever is dead, disconnected from God, but the soul (mind, will, emotions) is intact but functioning in darkness. Our physical bodies came from the dust of the earth and interfaces with the soul and spirit. The body cannot live without the spirit of man. The capacity for God level love is contained in the spirit. With the coming of Christ people can be saved, the spirit man is quickened (made alive, a resurrection from the dead) and the capacity for love is again possible as are the other eight fruits of our spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). I pray I have not mudded the water too badly.
We hear much about faith, many teachings on faith but faith is impossible without love (agapē/agapaō). Godly love (agapē/agapaō) at its core is obedience to Scripture, submission to the Word, to God. True submission is doing the things Scripture commands, the Spirit leads us to do, that we may not want to do on first brush. I will now move forward.
THE FIRSTFRUITS OFFERING
Now, let us turn our attention to the various Scriptural offerings starting with the one we hear almost nothing about, the Firstfruits Offering. A complete Bible Study will include a first mention in Scripture of a word or idea. In this case when do we first hear of the Firstfruits Offering? It is in the account of Cain and Able and their offerings found in the following passage.
Genesis 4:3-4 (KJV)
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Others believe this to be a tithe, but I think the use of the words “firstlings and of the fat thereof” identifies this as a firstfruit offering. The tithe does not involve the first or the best, but we will get to that in the tithe section. An alternative explanation that has merit is that this was a sin offering, a forerunner of Passover or the Day of Atonement. The best unblemished animal and the shedding of blood is the only acceptable sacrifice. Before moving on I will now look at two other Scriptures commanding the Firstfruits Offering. As we look at this closer one can plainly see that this offering is prophetic of the coming Christ, the firstfruits from the dead (not just physically but spiritually dead). Because something has been fulfilled does not also mean it is not observed. The Passover looked forward to the coming of the Savior, we observe Communion looking back on the coming of the Christ. Likewise, the Firstfruits Offering looked forward to the resurrection of the dead bodily and spiritually and we celebrate the resurrection of the dead spiritually and bodily.
TAKE HOME:
- The Firstfruits Offering is the first and the best of our income or increase.
- It is an obligatory offering but the amount is between each of us and the Lord.
- The Firstfruits Offering is for the Priests.
Lord willing, I will resume right here tomorrow. Remember, we love you, the Lord loves you, and there is nothing you can do about either one.
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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