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115 Bible Verses about Giving First Fruit Offerings
Think about first fruits – that special offering we give to God. It's a way of saying "thank you" and showing our love for Him. In the Bible, it's often talked about with the first harvest or the firstborn livestock. But it's so much deeper than that, isn't it?
Giving our first fruits is really about acknowledging that everything we have comes from God. It's about honoring Him by giving Him the first and the best – not the leftovers. It's an act of trust, like saying, "God, I know you'll provide. I know you're the owner of everything, and I depend on you."
It's a good reminder to put God first in everything – not just our money, but our time, our talents, how we use what we have, even the decisions we make every single day. When we put God first, we're saying, "I trust you, God. I want your guidance in everything I do."
It's like James 1:181 says, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created." That's pretty powerful, to think of ourselves as God's first fruits.
Honor the Lord with your wealth. Give him the best you have.Then you will have all you need. Your barns will be full of grain and your barrels will be flowing over with wine.
But Christ has truly been raised from death—the first one of all those \{believers\} who will be raised from death.
If the first piece of bread is offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, then the tree’s branches are holy too.
“Tell the people of Israel: You will enter the land that I will give you. You will reap its harvest. At that time, you must bring in the first sheaf [399] of your harvest to the priest.The priest will wave the sheaf before the Lord. Then you will be accepted. The priest will wave the sheaf on Sunday morning. [400]
God decided to give us life through the word of truth. He wanted us to be the most important of all the things he made.
“You will soon enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take that land and live there.You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord is giving you. You must take the first crops and put them in baskets. Then take that first part of your harvest to the place the Lord your God chooses to be his special house.
And the first part of the harvest from every kind of crop will be for the priests. You will also give the priests the first of your dough. This will bring blessings to your house.
Not only the world, but we also have been waiting with pain inside us. We have the Spirit {\cf2\super [67]} as the first part of God’s promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his own children. I mean we are waiting for our bodies to be made free.
“And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. These are the things that the people of Israel give to me, the Lord. These are the first things that they gather in their harvest.When the people gather a harvest, they bring all the first things to the Lord. So these things I will give to you. And every person in your family that is clean [237] may eat it.
You must give the priests the first part of your harvest. You must give them the first part of your grain, your new wine, and your oil. You must give the Levites [114] the first wool cut from your sheep.
Jesus said to the followers, “I tell you the truth. When the new world is made, the Son of Man {\cf2\super [270]} will sit on his great throne. And all of you that followed me will also sit on thrones. You will sit on twelve thrones and you will judge the twelve family groups of Israel. {\cf2\super [271]}
“The second holiday will be the Festival of Pentecost. This holiday will be {during the early summer time} when you begin harvesting the crops you planted in your fields.
Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give. A person should not give if it makes him sad. And a person should not give if he thinks he is forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.
You may bring yeast and honey to the Lord as an offering from the first harvest. But yeast and honey must not be burned to go up as a sweet smell on the altar. [14]
“You must give me every male in Israel that is its mother's first child. That means that every firstborn baby {boy} and every firstborn {male} animal will be mine.”
“We also accept the responsibility of bringing the firstfruits from our crops and from every fruit tree. We will bring that fruit to the Lord’s temple {\cf2\super [66]} each year.\par“Just as it is also written in the Law, this is what we will do: We will bring our firstborn sons, and the firstborn cows, sheep, and goats. We will bring those firstborn to the temple of our God. We will bring them to the priests that are serving there.\par“And we will also bring to the storage rooms of the Lord’s temple, {\cf2\super [67]} to the priests, these things: The first of our ground meal, the first of our grain offerings, the firstfruit from all our trees, and first part from our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tenth of our crops to the Levites. Why? Because the Levites collect these things in all the towns where we work.
“At harvest time you should give me the first grain and the first juice from your fruit. Don’t wait until late in the year.
“In the future, you will enter your country. At that time, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, you must wait three years before you can use any of the fruit from that tree. You must not use that fruit.In the fourth year, the fruit from that tree will be the Lord’s. It will be a holy offering of praise to the Lord.Then, in the fifth year, you can eat the fruit from that tree. And the tree will produce more and more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God!
“We also accept the responsibility of bringing the firstfruits from our crops and from every fruit tree. We will bring that fruit to the Lord’s temple {\cf2\super [66]} each year.\par
You will gather grain and grind it into flour to make dough for bread. You must give the first of that dough as a gift to the Lord. It will be like the grain offering that comes from the threshing floor. [194]This rule will continue forever, you must give the first of that dough as a gift to the Lord.
“When you gather your crops at harvest time, you should bring the first of everything you harvest to the house [150] of the Lord your God.
There you must bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one tenth of your crops and animals, [74] your special gifts, any gifts you promised to the Lord, any special gift you want to give, and the first animals born in your herds and flocks.You and your families will eat together at that place, and the Lord your God will be there with you. At that place, you will enjoy sharing the things you worked for. You will remember that the Lord your God blessed you and gave you those good things.
“Celebrate the Festival of Weeks. [348] Use the first grain from the wheat harvest for this festival. And in the fall [349] celebrate the Festival of Harvest. [350]
“Give the Lord the very first crops that you harvest. Bring those things to the house [353] of the Lord your God.
“When you bring a grain offering from the first harvest to the Lord, you must bring roasted heads of grain. They must be crushed heads of fresh grain. This will be your grain offering from the first harvest.
“Every year you must be sure to save one tenth of all the crops that grow in your fields.Then you must go to the place the Lord chooses to be his special house. You will go there to be with the Lord your God. At that place you will eat the tenth of your crops—one tenth of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first animals born in your herds and flocks. In this way, you will always remember to respect the Lord your God.
This rule will continue forever, you must give the first of that dough as a gift to the Lord.
“At the Festival of Firstfruits [343] (the Festival of Weeks) use the new crops to give a grain offering to the Lord. At that time, you must also call a special meeting. You must not do any work on that day.
“And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. These are the things that the people of Israel give to me, the Lord. These are the first things that they gather in their harvest.
At harvest time, [25] Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep. [26]But the Lord did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.
There you must bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one tenth of your crops and animals, [74] your special gifts, any gifts you promised to the Lord, any special gift you want to give, and the first animals born in your herds and flocks.
“A tenth of all crops belong to the Lord. This means the crops from fields and the fruit from trees—a tenth belongs to the Lord.
You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord is giving you. You must take the first crops and put them in baskets. Then take that first part of your harvest to the place the Lord your God chooses to be his special house.
The Lord All-Powerful says, “Try this test. Bring one-tenth of your things to me. Put those things in the treasury. Bring food to my house. Test me! If you do those things, then I will truly bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything.
“The people of Israel will give one tenth of everything they have. So I give that one tenth to all the descendants [247] of Levi. This is their payment for the work that they do while they serve at the Meeting Tent. [248]
A man from Baal Shalishah came and brought bread from the first harvest to the man of God [35] (Elisha). This man brought 20 loaves of barley bread and fresh grain in his sack. Then Elisha said, “Give this food to the people, so that they can eat.”
You must say to the Lord your God, ‘I have taken out of my house the holy part of my harvest. I have given it to the Levites, [164] to the foreigners, and to the orphans and widows. I have followed all the commands you gave me. I have not refused to obey any of your commands. I have not forgotten them.I have not eaten this food when I was sad. [165] I was not unclean when I collected this food. [166] I have not offered any of this food for dead people. I have obeyed you, Lord my God. I have done all the things you commanded me.Look down from your holy home, from heaven, and bless your people Israel. And bless the land that you gave us. You promised our ancestors [167] to give us this land—a land filled with many good things. [168] ’
People all around the country heard about this command. So the people of Israel gave the first part of their harvest of grain, grapes, oil, honey, and all the things they grew in their fields. They brought one tenth of all these many things.
Men were chosen to be in charge of the storerooms on that day. People brought their firstfruits and a tenth of their crops. So the men in charge put those things in the storerooms. The Jewish people were very happy about the priests and Levites on duty. So they brought many things to be put in the storerooms.
The people were supposed to give a part of their crops and things to the priests and Levites. So Hezekiah commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give them their share. In that way, the priests and Levites could spend all of their time doing what the Law told them to do.People all around the country heard about this command. So the people of Israel gave the first part of their harvest of grain, grapes, oil, honey, and all the things they grew in their fields. They brought one tenth of all these many things.
God killed all the firstborn {\cf2\super [450]} sons in Egypt.\par He killed every firstborn in Ham’s {\cf2\super [451]} family.\par
And I made sure that people will bring gifts of wood and firstfruits at the right times.
Gather special gifts for the Lord. Each of you should decide in your heart what you will give. And then you should bring that gift to the Lord. Bring gold, silver, and bronze [356] ;
The Levites will not sell or trade any of this land. They will not be able to sell any of this land. They must not cut up this part of the country! Why? Because this land belongs to the Lord—it is very special. It is the best part of the land.
Then Moses sent this message throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the holy place.” So the people were forced to stop giving more.The people had brought more than enough things to finish the work {of building God’s holy place}.
Remember this: The person who plants little will harvest only a little. But the person who plants much will harvest much.Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give. A person should not give if it makes him sad. And a person should not give if he thinks he is forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.
But every man will be raised to life in the right order. Christ was first to be raised. Then when Christ comes again, the people who belong to Christ will be raised to life.
Give to other people, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to other people is the way God will give to you.”
I have all the things I need. I have even more than I need. I have all I need because Epaphroditus brought your gift to me. Your gift is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice {\cf2\super [24]} offered to God. God accepts that sacrifice and it pleases him.
If a person gives freely, then he will gain even more. But if a person refuses to give, then he will become poor.A person who gives freely will profit. If you help others, then you will gain more for yourself.
And don’t forget to do good for other people. And share with other people. These are the sacrifices that please God.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [341]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [342]} You give God one tenth of everything you own—even your mint, dill, and cummin. {\cf2\super [343]} But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.
“{The priests will} take every tenth animal from a person’s cows or sheep. Every tenth animal will belong to the Lord.The owner should not worry if the chosen animal is good or bad. He should not change the animal for another animal. If he decides to change it for another animal, then both animals will belong to the Lord. That animal can’t be bought back.”
On the first day of every week each one of you should save as much money as you can from what you are blessed with. You should put this money in a special place and keep it there. Then you will not have to gather your money after I come.
“You will soon enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take that land and live there.You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord is giving you. You must take the first crops and put them in baskets. Then take that first part of your harvest to the place the Lord your God chooses to be his special house.Go to the priest that is serving at that time. Tell him, ‘The Lord promised our ancestors that he would give us some land. Today I come to announce to the Lord your God that I have come to that land!’“Then the priest will take the basket from you. He will put it down in front of the altar [156] of the Lord your God.Then there before the Lord your God you will say: ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean. [157] He went down into Egypt and stayed there. When he went there, he had only a few people in his family. But in Egypt he became a great nation—a powerful nation with many people.The Egyptians treated us badly. They made us slaves. They hurt us and forced us to work very hard.Then we prayed to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, [158] and complained about them. And the Lord heard us. He saw our trouble, our hard work, and our suffering.Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power and strength. He used great miracles and wonders. He did amazing things.So he brought us to this place. He gave us this land—a land filled with many good things. [159]Now, Lord, I bring you the first harvest from the land that you gave me.’Then you must {have a meal together and} enjoy all the good things that the Lord your God has given to you and your family. You must share those things with the Levites [160] and the foreigners living among you.
Jesus saw some rich people putting their gifts for God into the temple money box. {\cf2\super [329]}Then Jesus saw a poor widow. {\cf2\super [330]} She put two small copper coins into the box.Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people.The rich people have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor. But she gave all she had. And she needed that money to help her live.”
They all received the things they needed. Everyone that owned fields (land) or houses sold them for money. They brought the moneyand gave it to the apostles. Then each person was given the things he needed.
I always showed you that you should work like I did and help people that are weak. I taught you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, ‘You will be happier when you give than when you receive.’”
So brothers and sisters, I beg you to do something. God has shown us great mercy. So offer your lives as a living sacrifice {\cf2\super [130]} to God. Your offering must be only for God and will be pleasing to him. This offering of yourselves is the spiritual way for you to worship (serve) God.
All these things didn’t come\par from me and my people!\par All these things come from you.\par We are only giving back to you\par things that came from you.\par
If you want to give, then your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you don’t have.
The earth and everything on it\par belong to the Lord.\par The world and all its people\par belong to him.\par
My God is very rich with the glory of Christ Jesus. God will use his riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.
So bring your thank offerings {\cf2\super [301]} \par \{to share with the other worshipers\}\par and come to be with God.\par You made promises to God Most High,\par so give him the things you promised.\par
I am setting this stone up as a memorial stone. It will show that this is a holy place for God. And I will give God one tenth of all he gives me.”
Whenever you can, do good things for people who need help.If your neighbor asks you for something and you have it, then give it to him right then! Don’t tell him, “Come back tomorrow and get it.”
The Lord my Master says, “People must come to my holy mountain—the high mountain in Israel—to serve me! The whole family of Israel will be on their land—they will be there in their country. That is the place you can come to ask me for advice. And you must come to that place to bring me your offerings. You must bring the first part of your crops to me there in that place. You must bring all your holy gifts to me in that place.
Give this command to the people who are rich with the things this world has. Tell them not to be proud. Tell those rich people to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted. But God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy.Tell the rich people to do good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. And tell them to be happy to give and ready to share.
All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds. They brought pins, [372] earrings, rings, and other jewelry. They all gave their jewelry to the Lord. This was a special offering to the Lord.
God is the One who gives seed to the person who plants. And he gives bread for food. And God will give you \{spiritual\} seed and make your seed grow. He will make a great harvest from your goodness (giving).God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God.
Sell the things you have and give that money to people that need it. The riches of this world don’t continue. So get the kind of riches that continue. Get the treasure of heaven. That treasure continues forever. Thieves can’t steal your treasure in heaven, and moths can’t destroy it.Your heart will be where your treasure is.
The Lord All-Powerful said, “Children honor their father. Servants honor their masters. I am your Father, so why don’t you honor me? I am your Master, so why don’t you respect me? You priests don’t respect my name.”\{The Lord said,\} “You bring unclean {\cf2\super [5]} bread to my altar!”You bring blind animals as sacrifices. {\cf2\super [6]} And that is wrong! You bring sick and crippled animals for sacrifices. And that is wrong! Try giving those sick animals as a gift to your governor. Would he accept those sick animals? No! He would not accept those gifts!” The Lord All-Powerful said these things!
Heal sick people. Give dead people life again. Heal those people that have leprosy. {\cf2\super [124]} Force demons {\cf2\super [125]} to leave people. I give you these powers freely. So help other people freely.
The Lord makes some people poor, and he makes other people rich. The Lord humbles some people, and he honors other people.The Lord raises poor people from the dust. He takes away their sadness. [22] The Lord makes poor people important. He seats them with princes and at the places for honored guests. The Lord made the whole world! And the whole world belongs to him! [23]
It is good for a person\par to be kind and generous.\par It is good for a person\par to be fair in his business.\par
Also with these women were: Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s {\cf2\super [148]} helper), Suzanna, and many other women. These women used their own money to help Jesus and his apostles.
An evil man quickly borrows money\par and never pays it back.\par But a good man gives freely to other people.\par
Then their father Israel said, “If it is really true, then take Benjamin with you. But take some gifts to the governor. Take some of the things we have been able to gather in our land. Take him some honey, pistachio nuts, almonds, gum, and myrrh. [245]
All the leaders and the people were happy. They brought their money and put it in the box. They continued giving until the box was full.Then the Levites would take the box to the king’s officials. They saw that the box was full of money. The king’s secretary and the leading priest’s officer came and took the money out of the box. Then they took the box back to its place again. They did this often and gathered much money.
Every person who is at least 20 years old will be counted. And every person counted must give the Lord this offering.Rich people must not give more than 1Ú2 shekel. And poor people must not give less than 1Ú2 shekel. All people will make the same offering to the Lord. This will be a payment for your life.
Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks for the Lord your God. Do this by bringing him some special gift you want to bring. Decide how much to give by thinking about how much the Lord your God has blessed you.
The people of Israel and the Levites must bring their gifts to the storerooms. They are to bring their gifts of grain, new wine, and oil. All the things for the temple are kept in those storerooms. And that is where the priests that are on duty stay. And also the singers and gatekeepers stay there.\par
“Go to Bethel and sin! Go to Gilgal {\cf2\super [51]} and sin even more. Offer your sacrifices in the morning. Bring a tenth of your crops for the three-day holiday.And offer a thank offering made with yeast. Tell everyone about the freewill offerings. {\cf2\super [52]} Israel, you love to do those things. So go and do them.” The Lord said \{this\}.
Go to the priest that is serving at that time. Tell him, ‘The Lord promised our ancestors that he would give us some land. Today I come to announce to the Lord your God that I have come to that land!’“Then the priest will take the basket from you. He will put it down in front of the altar [156] of the Lord your God.
Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself gave you responsibility over all the special gifts people give to me. All the holy [235] gifts that the people of Israel give to me, I give to you. You and your sons can share in these gifts. They will always belong to you.
When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing this ceremony?’you will say, ‘This Passover is to honor the Lord. Why? Because when we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over [74] the houses of Israel. The Lord killed the Egyptians, but he saved the people in our houses. So now the people bow down and worship the Lord.’”
Those are the laws about burnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, fellowship offerings, and about the choosing of priests.
\{God says,\} “Why do you continue giving me all these sacrifices? {\cf2\super [7]} I have had enough of your sacrifices of goats and fat from bulls, sheep, and goats.“When you people come to meet with me, you trample (walk on) everything in my yard. Who told you to do this?“Don’t continue bringing worthless sacrifices to me. I hate the incense {\cf2\super [8]} you give me. I can’t bear your feasts for the New Moon, {\cf2\super [9]} the Sabbath, {\cf2\super [10]} and your holidays. I hate the evil you do during your holy meetings.With my whole self I hate your monthly meetings and councils. These meetings have become like heavy weights to me. And I am tired of carrying those weights.“You people will raise your arms to pray to me—but I will refuse to look at you. You people will say more and more prayers—but I will refuse to listen to you. Why? Because your hands are covered with blood.“Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Stop doing the bad things you do. I don’t want to see those bad things. Stop doing wrong!Learn to do good things. Be fair with other people. Punish the people that hurt others. Help the children that have no parents. Help the women whose husbands are dead.”
“When you give to poor people, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t do like the hypocrites {\cf2\super [73]} do. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues {\cf2\super [74]} and on the streets. They want other people to give honor to them. I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward.So when you give to poor people, give very secretly. Don’t let any person know what you are doing.Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.
You don’t really want sacrifices. {\cf2\super [305]} \par So why should I give sacrifices\par that you don’t even want!\parThe sacrifice that God wants\par is an humble spirit. {\cf2\super [306]} \par God, you will not turn away a person\par who comes with an humble, submissive heart. {\cf2\super [307]} \par
Zacchaeus said to the Lord (Jesus), “I want to do good. I will give half of my money to the poor. If I have cheated any person, I will pay that person back four times more!”
Suppose a believer is rich enough to have all the things he needs. He sees his brother \{in Christ\} who is poor and does not have the things he needs. What if the believer who has things does not help the poor brother? Then the believer who has the things he needs does not have God’s love in his heart.
The person that causes trouble for poor people shows that he does not respect God—God made both people. But if a person is kind to poor people, then he shows honor to God.
“Then the king will answer, ‘I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, {\cf2\super [389]} you also did for me.’
When the Box of the Agreement {\cf2\super [180]} arrived at the City of David, {\cf2\super [181]} Michal looked through a window. Michal was Saul’s daughter. She saw King David dancing and playing around. And she lost her respect for David—\{she thought he was being foolish\}.
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.
Then there will be plenty of goat milk for you and your family and enough to keep servant girls healthy.
Share with God’s people that need help. Look for people that need help, and welcome those people into your homes.
A person who helps poor people succeed\par will get many blessings. {\cf2\super [256]} \par When trouble comes,\par the Lord will save that person.\par
Each man should give as much as he can. He should decide how much to give by thinking about how much the Lord has given him.
We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest \{of eternal life\} at the right time. We must not give up!When we have the opportunity to do good to any person, we should do it. But we should give special attention to the people that are in the family of believers (the church).
In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that people will see the good things you do. Live so that people will praise your Father in heaven.
Offer sacrifices {\cf2\super [566]} to the Lord\par to thank him for all he did.\par Gladly tell what the Lord has done.\par
“When a person gives a grain offering to the Lord God, his offering must be made from fine flour. The person must pour oil on this flour and put frankincense [9] on it.Then he must bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He must take a handful of the fine flour with the oil and frankincense in it. Then the priest must burn this memorial offering on the altar. [10] It is an offering made by fire. Its smell pleases the Lord.The grain offering that is left will belong to Aaron and his sons. This offering made by fire to the Lord is very holy.
All the believers stayed together. They shared everything.The believers sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those people who needed it.
\{You are not like God\}—you are evil. But you know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those people that ask him.
You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us. And so we want you to also be rich in this gift of giving.