GENEROUS 2012
FIRSTFRUITS
DR. JIM DIXON
OCTOBER 28, 2012
1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-25
Who do you think Albert Broccoli was? Albert Broccoli was the producer, sometimes co-producer, of the James Bond movies, beginning with Dr. No in 1962. Albert Broccoli died in Beverly Hills in 1996, and his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, now produces all the James Bond movies, including the one that’s about to come out called Skyfall. If you go on the internet and if you read certain books, even if you listen to certain radio shows, you may have heard the story that the ancestors of Albert Broccoli and Barbara Broccoli actually created the vegetable called broccoli and they gave it their family name. And according to that story, it was the broccoli family that brought the broccoli vegetable into the world late in the 18th century and early in the 19th century.
Now, the problem is that story simply isn’t true. That’s a nice story, but it’s not true. The truth is, those who research such things know that the broccoli vegetable, which is in the same family with cauliflower and cabbage and kale, is maybe traced back to the Roman Empire. So broccoli’s been around for a long, long time. And what experts believe is that the Broccoli family actually took their name from the vegetable, which centuries ago they farmed. They do believe that there’s evidence that it was the broccoli family that first brought broccoli seeds to the United States of America. And that was late in the 18th century and early in the 19th century.
Now, if broccoli had existed in the Jewish world, in the Old Testament era, it would be a great test of your generosity towards God. In fact, all vegetables, not just broccoli, test our generosity towards God (or at least in Old Testament times they did). They tested our generosity towards God. And to understand this, we need to look at a few biblical teachings.
The first teaching concerns the biblical meaning of firstborn, firstling, and first fruit. You’ve heard those words, firstborn, firstling, and first fruit. And in the Old Testament, these represent two related Hebrew words. They represent, first of all, the Hebrew word “bekor,” and then also the Hebrew word “bikkurim.” Bekor means firstborn or firstling. Firstborn had to do with your kids, your firstborn child. Normally they spoke of their firstborn son. And then firstling has to do with the animals in your herds or in your flocks. And for instance, the first lambs that are born to your flock are called firstlings.
So you have firstborn and firstlings, and it’s the word bekor in the Hebrew. And then the first fruits, that’s the Hebrew word, bikkurim. And now these Hebrew words are brought into the New Testament and into the Greek language, in the form of “aparche” and “prototokos.” But the meaning is the same in both the Old and the New Testament.
Now, these words firstborn, firstling, and first fruit, are used sometimes in the Bible figuratively. So Israel’s called the first fruit of God. Look at Jeremiah chapter two, verse three. Israel’s called the first fruit of God, the first fruit of God’s harvest on the earth, so that God planned to harvest the Earth’s people and He began with the Jews. They’re the first fruits. And of course, the apostles are called the first fruits of the church. You see that in a variety of new Testament passages, including Romans 16 and 1 Corinthians 16. That’s because the church is founded on the work of the apostles, and the foundation of the church is poured in the blood of the apostles. They offered their very lives to God in service of the church, and in founding the church, we saw two weeks ago how many of the original apostles and early disciples died and how Matthew had been martyred in Ethiopia, run through with the sword, how Mark had died in Egypt, in Africa, taking the gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaiming Christ. They hated him. They tied him up to a team of horses. They dragged him through the streets of Alexandria in Egypt, and he died on those streets. He died for Christ a martyr’s death.
We saw how Luke died in the land of Greece, taking the gospel of Christ to Greece and how Luke was hanged there. We saw how John the Apostle did not die a martyr’s death, but he almost did as he was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. Then later he was incarcerated on the island of Patmos because of his testimony for Jesus Christ.
We saw how James, the greater, one of the 12 disciples, one of the early apostles, was executed by Herod, Agrippa the first, as recorded in the 12th chapter of Acts. And we saw how James, the brother of Christ, the great head of the Jerusalem church, was pushed off the pinnacle of the temple and fell more than a hundred feet to his death. He was pushed off by an angry, unbelieving mob. He was still alive when he hit the bottom, and they stoned him to death there.
We know that Peter was crucified in Rome, perhaps upside down. Paul the Apostle was beheaded outside of Rome on the Ostian Way. We know that the early disciples and apostles gave their lives. Philip was strung from a pillar in Hierapolis, near Laodicea, near Colossi, giving his testimony for Christ, telling the people about Christ. Even doubting Thomas, who would not believe, ultimately did believe, and he took the gospel to India, and he died there a martyr’s death, run through with a lance in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on the coast of India.
These were the first fruits of the church. They were first in time and maybe even first in quality, because these words, bekor and bikkurim can mean both first in time or first in quality. And this is also true of a aparche and prototokos. In the Bible, Jesus is called the firstborn. In the Hebrew, that’s bekor. In the Greek, it’s prototokos. He’s the firstborn. What does it mean when we say Jesus is the firstborn? Well, in Colossians one verse 15, it says, “He is the firstborn of all creation.” This doesn’t mean that He was the first to be born. This is speaking of the Jewish rights of primogenitor. The Jewish right of primogenitor is the right of the firstborn in terms of authority. In the land of Israel and the Jewish family, the firstborn son was given the rights of primogenitor, the rights of the authority. When the patriarch died, the firstborn son would become the next patriarch. So when Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, that means He rules everything made. He is Lord of all.
And of course, that’s why in Revelation chapter one, verse five, Jesus speaks and introduces Himself as the faithful one, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the nations of earth. It’s an amazing self-declaration. And of course, Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. It says in Colossians 1:18 He is the firstborn from the dead. And that’s first in time. You might be thinking, well, wait a minute. Jesus wasn’t the first to be risen from the dead. There were others risen from the dead in the Old Testament, and of course, in the New Testament Jesus himself raised Lazarus from the dead. He raised the widow son of the village of Nain. He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. So how is He the firstborn from the dead?
The answer is that those others were raised from the dead only to die again a natural death. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but He just gave him a normal earthly body. It’s the same thing with the widow son of the village of Nain and the daughter of Jairus the high priest. They were raised, but just given normal, temporal bodies, and they still died natural deaths. Jesus rose with an eternal, indestructible body, and He’s the firstborn from the dead in that He is the prototype of what is promised to us. We will rise with bodies like His. So He is the firstborn.
So we have these titles used figuratively in the Bible, but it’s all based on the ranching and farming life of Israel. The whole concept of firstborn, firstling, and first fruits really goes back to many statements made in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. So I want to briefly try to capitalize what the Bible teaches us about the first fruits and the firstlings with regard to God.
Now, even the firstborn sons of Israel were offered to God. I mean, we see that in a number of passages in the Old Testament. If you’re a Jewish family, your firstborn son technically was offered to God. This is acknowledgement that God is Lord of all, and God is Creator. So you offered your firstborn son in the service of God. Some firstborn sons were offered in the service of God at the temple. Most Jewish families, however, redeemed their firstborn son from a lifetime of vocational service to God through an offering or a gift at the temple. And there was a period of time in Israel where all the firstborn sons of Israel were viewed as redeemed already by the tribe of Levi, because the tribe of Levi was the tribe that served God vocationally. They served the work of God on earth and the temple of God, the whole synagogue system, was all served by this tribe. So for much of Israel’s history if you were born of the tribe of Judah, or you were born of the tribe of Reuben, you wouldn’t have to offer your firstborn in the service of God because the tribe of Levi was already doing this.
And of course, the tribe of Levi could not own land. They were set apart for God in the service of God, but they were the only tribe not allowed to own land. So they could not have flocks, they could not have herds, and they could not plant orchards. They could not plant fields. They could not harvest grain. They were dependent upon the other tribes, the other Jews, to provide for them that they might continue to serve God.
So you have this situation where God says, “I want the firstlings to be given to Me.” So if you were a keeper of sheep like Abel, you were to bring the firstlings to God. And if you were a planter of fields, if you were a tiller of the soil, you were to bring the first fruits of your harvest. Whatever your crop, you were to bring it in. And if you were planting orchards, you were to bring the fruit, the grain, the vegetables, the fruit, and the animals. The firstlings and the first fruits all were to be brought to God.
There was the annual first fruits that were brought to God every year. There were the festival first fruits that were brought to Jerusalem in the time of the festivals and offered to God and in celebration of God’s provision of the land of milk and honey. Then there was the fourth year first fruits. To understand that you understand that if you planted an orchard, you could not harvest it in the first three years, and the likelihood is it wouldn’t produce in the first three years anyway. But the fourth year was considered the year of first fruits. In that fourth year you are to harvest it and give it to the Lord. And then the fifth year and beyond it was yours to enjoy. So this was the principle of the first fruits. And when you gave these things to the Lord, you gave them to the temple and to the house of God, and you gave them to those who served the house of God, the priest and the Levites, because this was used for their livelihood. So it was given to the Lord, but it was given to the Lord by giving it to those who served the Lord.
So this is how the whole system worked. Every Jewish man and woman, even Jewish children, understood that if you honored the Lord with your first fruits and with your firstlings, the Lord would bless you.
Now, that’s why we have a passage like Proverbs chapter three verses nine and 10, where it says, “Honor the Lord with your substance. Honor the Lord with your wealth. Honor the Lord with the first fruits, with the first fruits of your produce, the first fruits of your income.” Honor the Lord. Then your barns will be filled to plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine. The principle there, which is found all throughout the Bible, is the principle of reciprocity—that if we honor God, He blesses us.
Now, it doesn’t mean that His blessing will necessarily be financial. It doesn’t mean that His blessings will necessarily be material. His blessings might be relational. He might bless you and make you rich in friends. His blessings might have to do with your health. He might give you many years longevity. His blessings might have to do with ministry, and His anointing would be upon you as you serve Him on this earth. But He blesses those who make Him a priority. He blesses those who place Him first. If you put God first, if you think of Him first, if you give to Him first, life tends to work better.
This teaching is throughout the Bible, and it’s Old Testament and New Testament. Really it’s why in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, the Apostle Paul says to the Christians, “I want each one of you every week on the first day of the week to set aside your gifts for God, your gifts for the saints, your gifts for the church.” You have to understand this principle of making God first. So you go back to Genesis four, and you look at Cain and Abel, and the question is often asked, well, what did Cain do wrong? I mean, why did God like Abel’s gift? And why did God not like Cain’s gift?
Now, you can look in the scholarly literature and find a lot of different answers. Some will say, well, it was because Abel had faith. And certainly that is true. We read it in Hebrews chapter 11 that by faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice more acceptable than Cain. So you have that teaching in Hebrews 11 that indeed Abel’s gift was more acceptable to God because something was wrong with Cain’s faith. It’s also true, and I think it’s a corollary and very similar, that something was wrong with Cain’s heart. You’ll find a lot of commentaries will say, well, something was wrong in Cain’s heart. I think that’s true. God looks on the heart. God looks on the inside, and God liked what he saw when he looked in Abel’s heart, but not when He looked in Cain’s heart.
Now, other commentaries will say, well, it’s because Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought a grain offering. Now, there are provisions for both in the Bible, but it is true that in a sacrificial system, atonement is based on blood sacrifice. But in fairness, in Genesis four, the sacrificial system hadn’t even been instituted yet. Then also when we look at that passage in Genesis four fairly, Abel was a keeper of sheep. Of course he brought a blood sacrifice. Cain was a tiller of the ground. He brought a grain offering.
So it seems to me it’s very possible the issue is first fruit and firstlings. What does it say of Abel? It says he brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And of course, when he brought an offering to God, the blood was sprinkled, the fat was burned, and the meat was given to, in the case of the Jewish religious system, for food to the Levites and to the priests. But clearly Abel brought of his best, the firstlings of his flock. So he brought the first and the best.
Now, with regard to Cain, it doesn’t say that. It just says he brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, but it doesn’t say whether he brought first fruits. So that might’ve been the issue. But what we understand biblically is God does look at that and God looks at that in our life. So ask yourself the question, am I giving Him my first? Am I giving Him my best? I mean, as you budget (and hopefully you do budget(, do you start with God? Do you sit down and do you say, okay, what are we gonna give to God? Let’s start there and then see what God does to bless the rest. But let’s start with God. Let’s make Him first.
Is that how you do it? Because that’s how you’re supposed to do it. Do you give Him your best? Now, in the Old Testament, we not only have the principle of the firstborn and the firstlings and the first fruit, but we have the principle of the tithe. And sometimes the principle of the tithe and the principle of the first fruits were joined. So you are expected to tithe your first 10%. You’re expected to tithe your first fruits. So sometimes they were joined, sometimes they were separated. But if you look at the whole principle of the tithe in general, you start with Leviticus 27, and then you look in Numbers chapter 18, and then you go to Deuteronomy chapter 14. Those are the three key chapters to examine the tithe. You see that there really were three tithes.
There was the Levitical tithe, which was brought to the house of God for those who served God’s house. So that tithe was binding on all people. And then there was also the family tithe, which in a sense was given back to yourself and to your family. The family tithe was collected as a second tithe based on the 90% leftover, and it was taken to Jerusalem for the great festivals to celebrate before God. And you used that money from that tithe for celebration at the great festivals, and you invited the poor to join you, and you invited the Levites to join you, but it was a celebration for the families of Israel. So in a sense, this was a way of saying thank you to God through a festive celebration. And of course, it’s sometimes called a celebratory tithe.
Now, there was a third tithe that was collected every third year. And this third tithe that was collected every third year was the poverty tithe that was specifically for the poor. And it was only collected every third year on an annual basis. It probably amounted to three and a third, but we don’t know exactly how these tithes worked. We do know that when you look at the whole history of Israel, it was the Levitical tithe that was really binding. So we always say to folks, a minimal standard of giving is that 10%. As Christians, as followers of Christ, we’re not under the law, we’re under grace, but we make Christ first. So a minimal standard of giving would be that Levitical tithe.
It’s a tragedy today that such a high percentage of Christians give such a low percentage of their income to the cause of heaven on earth, to the church of Jesus Christ, to missionary organizations, to parachurch organizations like Young Life, Campus Crusade for Christ, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, all these great ministries. They’re all underfunded because we don’t make God first place in our heart.
The church of Jesus Christ globally suffers because of this. And I just want to say to you as we kinda wrap the service up, so much is at stake. I mean, the task before the kingdom of Christ, the task for the church of Jesus Christ at this time in our generation is dire. The need is so great. There are so many who are without Christ, so many who are lost. There’s so much ministry that is needed and there’s so much poverty, and we need to be generous. We need to start with God, and then let God bless our lives as we spread out our generosity.
I was taught that by my parents. I wonder what goes on in your family. I wonder what you were taught by your parents. I wonder what you’re teaching your kids. My mom and dad were just wonderful parents and they were very hardworking. My mom was a homemaker. She served many hours at the church. My dad was an elder. My mom was a deacon, and they served at the church, but my mom just had a servant’s heart towards us kids. So for me and for my brothers, we always knew mom was there. It seems like today every kid has their own bedroom. I don’t know how that became a reality, how that morphing took place. When I was a kid, it seemed like everybody’s in one bedroom. I know the three of us boys were in one bedroom until my brother, Gary, got a little older and he took my dad’s study. As he got into middle school and high school, dad gave his study up for Gary. But for many years, we were all in this one bedroom. It was the time when you had bunk beds and stuff. But for a period of time, once Gary moved out, my brother Greg and I shared the same bedroom and we had our beds side by side. And my mother would come between the beds almost every night. And she would talk to us as she scratched our backs. She’d kneel down between the beds, scratch our backs for about a half hour, sometimes an hour, just talking to us as we went to sleep.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, wow, were you guys spoiled? And we were. We really were. And then she’d go into Gary’s bedroom and scratch his back. But that’s the servant hearted mom that we had. And of course, my dad was so hardworking and a pretty smart guy. I mean, he was accepted at Caltech. He went to UCLA because it was more affordable and graduated from UCLA and went to work for the State Board of Equalization as a CPA in California. But when we moved up to La Cañada, my mom and dad bought a home up there and I think it cost them about $15,000, which in 1950 was a lot of money. And I think it was too much for my dad. I’m not sure my dad really could afford it. So he worked pretty much two jobs and he worked late at night and he was a financial manager for people like Cole Porter and Jose Iturbi because he needed to make extra money just to make ends meet.
I know that we didn’t eat well. We didn’t eat high on the hog. We didn’t have a lot of meat. We had this stuff that came in a can and it wasn’t Spam. Spam was great. I mean, this was not Spam. Spam was a treat. This stuff was called Proteina, and I don’t know whether anybody here has ever eaten Proteina. It came in a can, and it was a soy-based product that was a meat substitute, a soy-based product soaked in tomato sauce. And it just slid out of the can and whatever you ate with it was ruined.
My mom would slice it up, and I just remember eating this Proteina stuff instead of meat. And the reality is, even though times were kind of hard, my mom and dad tithed. The first rock was God. And they taught us that the first rock was God. They gave to the church, they gave to the cause of heaven, the cause of Christ. And they did it first. And then as God prospered them through the years, they began to double tithe, because they knew that it was just a minimal standard of giving. And they taught us that way. They brought us up that way, and we were taught to tithe our allowance.
It was something that happened generationally. And it’s just hard to get anything out of anybody now, even if people claim to believe in Christ and have received Him as Lord and Savior. So we’re doing this three week series, Generous. We start with God. So much is at stake, so much. Let’s close with a word of prayer.