Feast of First Fruits: Consecrating the First
The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal. (Exodus 13:1 - 2)
The world seems to be obsessed with the number 1, has anyone else realized that? First birthday. First baby tooth lost. First championship. First born. Whenever there’s a first for anything in life, it’s regarded as special. In fact, that reality isn’t just reserved to the World: it’s a fully biblical concept. The feast of First Fruits is one of the seven feasts that was explained in Leviticus 23, and today, why we should consecrate our firsts to God is important.
Last year, we talked about this concept but in very little detail. Therefore, we will dive into it and try to truly grasp what that means. This can be done by examining two case studies: when you do consecrate and when you do not:
One of the most underrated consecrations of the first born in the Bible is the story of Samuel. We must always remember the fact that Hannah was barren and ridiculed because of it (1 Samuel 1:2, 4 - 7). It’s in that emotion that she murmured as she prayed, begging God to have a child that she would consecrate to Him (1 Samuel 1:11, 22). The results of her faith in Yahweh and consecration led to Samuel, but also to the birth of many more children (1 Samuel 2:21). Samuel also won as well, becoming a servant of the Lord for the nation of Israel who would become a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20) and even lead his brothers into war against the Philistines. The consecration of one child led to the happiness and joy of many more to come, from his siblings to his kin.
On the other hand, there is the story of those who aren’t consecrated. The most notorious of all first born children has to be Cain. As many can recall, the book of Genesis talks about how Yahweh did not want his sacrifice, but preferred that of his younger sibling, Abel (Genesis 4:5). It’s interesting to note that Abel sacrificed “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock”, having understood what that meant and being a shadow of things to come. Cain would be so angry that he would proceed to kill his own brother. That murder would lead to him being cursed by God, who said:
Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.
- Genesis 4:11 - 12
All of this is a result of the lack of consecration. Abel was killed and Cain was cursed. Everyone lost, because the first of anything sets the precedent for everything that follows it.
In conclusion, the power of the first is important. Through a simple read through of the stories of Samuel and Cain, it is easy to understand that consecrating the first of anything is essential to the success of that new stage of life. While both examples were seen in parenthood, this reality extends to all fields of life, as God is complete in His fullness and love.