FIRSTFRUITS giving
 

What is everyone's thoughts about this plan I heard one minister propose for being blessed?



Tithing is a firstfruits ONE A SENSE, but not technically so.

Solomon mentioned firstfruits.

The hebrew term for HEAVE OFFERINGS is TERUMAH. TERUMAH is the firstfruits.

It is compared above with "the covenant of salt". Salt is known for flavouring other things. One life can flavour another life, for example. In Marriage in Israel, the bride and groom each come with salt to the ceremony. The rabbi pours both into one bag. This indicates the two are never separated. And it also joins them to the man of God in type.

Firstfruits were given as an offering at the first of the year.

You could say the firstfruits offering "flavours" the rest of the offerings of the year. It is given in faith and alloows God to consider that offering as though it were the entire harvest not yet reaped, for the year. So God blesses it and in effect blesses the entire harvest for that year. The offering moves God to do this. Those who do not give this would not be blessed in this way. So it is as though one thinks that if one wants God to bless the entire future year's income, then one should give a good firstfruits offering.

Firstfruits can only be TERUMAH in specific ways.

One must bring it to the Lord's representative in our lives -- whoever your "Melchisedek" is in the ministry. Not to general people in need, or else it is not counted as firstfruits. The minister lifts it up to God and then it becomes TERUMAH.

Deut 26 shows the meaning of firstfruits.

Firstfruits tell where we came from, like our former lives. They remind us of where we came from, and how in God's power we reached the place where we are presently.

Above you can see the offerer speaks to the priest as though speaking to God.

The heave is reckoned as FULLNESS. It counts for the entire harvest. It is given before the rest of the harvest is reaped in order to ensure a blessing on the remainder of the harvest.

For example, Jesus is the Firstfruits, and is thereby the FIRST of many more like Him to come. If Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all men to Him: A firstfruits sort of statement.

Jesus mentioned the TERUMAH in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament it applied to farmers. Every male of the cattle was God's. But whatever was born first was also considered to be God's, except for donkeys. If one wanted to keep the newborn donkey, although it was not considered an offeirng to God, one still had to purchase it, or else its neck would be broken.

In Judaism, the rabbi measures the person's field. 1/40 to 1/60 of the crop would come up for firstfruits. The rabbi would determine which measure should be taken. It was an estimation. Whatever the harvest would be, it was considered that 1/40 - 1/60 would be firstfruits. If one concerned oneself had a bad field, then 1/60 of the estimated future income for that year would be given. If the field was deemed good by the rabbi, 1/40 would be offered.

Many people cheated and only gave 1/60, as though they had bad fields, and only gave the least amount.

The jews consider one has having an EVIL EYE if one always only ever gave 1/60. If one gave the average of 1/50, it was considered MIDDLE EYE. If one gave 1/40 all the time, then their eye was considered FULL OF LIGHT. Jesus picked up on this as follows:

John Gill confiorms this:

Jesus referred to treasures in Heaven when speaking of the evil and good eyes.

He was using FIRSTFRUITS language!

Practically, today, we can apply this to our giving.

Consider our year of 52 weeks. The firstfruits can be ONE WEEK's worth of income as firstfruits for the year. 1/52

It cannot be compulsory, but must be voluntary. But it will bring blessings.

1/40 = 2.5%

If one earns $1000/mo. income, the firstfruits would be $250.

10% tithes go regularly , but firstfruits is only at first of the year.

I'm glad your not saying tithes is firstfruits like so many do. They are different.

They are defintely different!

ye are not far from the kingdom! LOL

I will look closer at what your presented related to firstfruits.

Bump!

Do you recommend a tithe + 2.5?

I remember some time ago there was the "half shekel" teaching that essentially said you could buy healing and forgiveness with a tithe + 5%.

From the examples you gave, the 1/40th doesn't seem to be coming from all the income an Israelite might have, just from the fields.

I am not recommending this. I just heard a man teahc on it and wondered what everyone thought about it.

My oh my. That is insane. Jesus bought my healing by his blood. :)

Correct. It was from their fields. Does the bible indicate a means of income aside from that?

"Casting your bread upon the waters..." that is sending a portion of your harvest to markets afar off. This is incipient capitalism.

Livestock gains would not have been measured by the 1/40 of a field measure. Neither would the work of artisans, craftsmen, smiths, jewelers, potters and fishermen. Not to mention the scribes, lawyers and rabbis and governement officials and the standing army. Also the levy workers and day laborers. I forgot prostitutes. Lots of ways to get an "increase" in those days. Of course all of it was dependant upon the harvest from the field.

I must remind all that the firstfruits is not in addition to tithes every week or biweekly. Firstfruits is done ONCE at the start of the year alone.

bump for anyone else?