The Torah’s ancient scrolls are more than a single book – they’re five separate books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These scrolls were handwritten on animal skin by trained scribes with utmost precision. If a single mistake was made, the entire scroll would be destroyed and recreated. Reading from these scrolls is an honor and a blessing, connecting us to the traditions of Moses and the Jewish people.
As Israel’s harvest season comes to a close, the nation prepares to celebrate the Fall Feast Days. This period begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and culminates in Simchat Torah, where the yearly cycle of reading the Torah from start to finish is completed. After finishing the cycle, the community starts anew, refreshed and renewed in God’s promises and blessings.
“And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it…”
Deuteronomy 26:1
Can you feel the weight of those words? Imagine the people of Israel, standing on the banks of the Jordan, seeing the Land of Promise spread before them. After years of desert wandering, after waiting and longing, they were finally about to step into what God had spoken so long ago. What a moment! Their parents had dreamed of it, their grandparents had prayed for it, and now their eyes saw it with their own.
And yet Moses reminds them: This is not your achievement. It is God’s gift. Every vineyard, every fig tree, every well of water all flows from His covenant love.
Dear friends, the same is true for us. Each of us is on a journey with God, walking toward promises He has spoken over our lives. Some promises we have already seen fulfilled; others we still wait for with hope. But we know this: our inheritance is not earned—it is received, because He is faithful.
Giving God Our First and Best
One of the first things God asked of His people in the Land was this: bring your firstfruits—the very first part of the harvest—to Him.
Picture a farmer holding a single ripe peach, the first of the season. Before he even tasted it, before he knew how plentiful the rest of the harvest might be, he carried it to the sanctuary. There, basket in hand, he declared:
“I declare today to the Lord that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.”
What a tender, powerful act of trust! It was as if they were saying, “Lord, You brought us here. You are my source. Before I enjoy the fruit, I give it back to You, because everything I have is Yours.”
Friends, this is not just an ancient ritual; it is a living principle. God delights in our first and best—not what’s left over after everything else, but the very first of our time, our increase, our affection. When we give Him the first, we are declaring that our whole lives belong to Him, and He is faithful to bless what remains.
Yeshua, Firstfruit of Resurrection
All of this, of course, points to something greater. Paul reminds us:
“But now Messiah is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
1 Cor. 15:20
Every basket of firstfruits carried to Jerusalem was whispering of Yeshua. He is the first to rise from the grave—the sign and the guarantee that the harvest of resurrection is real. Just as that first ripe fig meant the rest were coming, so Messiah’s empty tomb means life is coming for us all.
Beloved, what a hope we carry into Shabbat! Because He lives, we too shall live. Death does not get the final word—life does. And that life is already flowing in us through Him.
A Declaration for This Week
As Israel once lifted their baskets and declared God’s faithfulness, we can lift our voices too. Why not let these words become your declaration this week?
“Lord, You are faithful to every promise.”
“You have brought me into the inheritance You prepared for me.”
“My life, my work, my family—first and best—belong to You.”
Say it aloud. Whisper it in prayer. Teach it to your children. Let it shape the rhythm of your home. When you declare His goodness, it sets the tone for your whole “harvest.”
A Prayer for You
Abba, our Father,
Thank You for every promise You have spoken.
Thank You for Yeshua, our Firstfruit, who guarantees the harvest to come.
Teach us to give You our first and best—not out of duty, but out of love.
Keep us walking in Your blessing, and let our lives shine as a testimony of Your faithfulness.
Amen.
Dear friends, as you light the candles and welcome this Shabbat, may you feel the nearness of the Lord. May you rest in His promises, rejoice in His faithfulness, and find joy in giving Him your firstfruits.
Shabbat Shalom and every blessing from our hearts to yours,
Pastor Israel Pochtar