When God gave me the names of Jehovah for the month of November, He also gave me the blogs for December - the Feasts. He gave them in this order: Of Weeks, Pentecost, Threshing Floor, and Easter. There are times when God moves that I understand and there are other movements that I don't. I didn't understand 2 of these as feasts - Threshing Floor and Easter. But Of Weeks and Pentecost, I had studied.
"Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is celebrated seven weeks after Passover, commemorating the first fruits of the harvest and associated with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai! It's taken from Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28, where two wheat loaves were offered In the tabernacle, representing the “choicest fruits”—an offering of thanks to God for Israel’s bounty—a festival of first fruits! On the morning of the first day of Shavuot, many gather in the synagogue to read Exodus 19 and 20, which describes the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. All stand when the Ten Commandments are read—commemorating this important day in the Jewish tradition." (Courtesy of : Museum of the Bible, Book Minute).
Leviticus 23 is full of feasts. If you have the time, read it. Here is what I liked about the Feast of Weeks. It is the feast that tells us to give our first fruit. Give our best to God. Many times we will give God the leftovers. After we pay our bills, we pay tithes. After we spend time with family, we spend time with God. After we love on ourselves, then we love on God. After we speak of the goodness of people, then we speak of the goodness of God. These are first fruits. We need to give these to God first.
Here is another thing that we are to do during the Feast of Weeks - "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God." (Lev. 23:22 NIV). The feast is for all people, no matter what financial class they belong to. When you go to reap your harvest, leave some for another. We sometimes forget that we can and should help each other as we get wrapped up in our own needs and wants. This philosophy isn't just for a holiday season.
As I was driving to work today, I began to speak to God about First Fruits. I asked this question to our Creator: Why is it so hard for people to give our first fruits? The answer I got was simple and revealing. Doubt. God brought back to my remembrance a portion of scripture, "God help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). My next question to God was so if I give you my doubt, my unbelief, what am I giving? God's answer stopped me. He reminded me of Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV): "15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Doubt is that lukewarm place. It is neither hot nor cold. God plainly says that He prefers us to be one of the other but not both. Doubt is what stops us from being, giving, doing what thus says the Lord. It squeezes life out of us and paralyzes us with lies on who we are and the purpose for our lives.
The New Year is coming up and you have a choice on whether to give God your First Fruit - trust in Him or not. You get to choose today, which First Fruit you will give to God.
Be A Blessing and Not Just Blessed
- Nakya