Verse: Romans 11:16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
Read pp. 62-78 Messiah in the Feasts of Israel by Sam Nadler
YHWH says they are mine.
Exodus 6:6-7
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ESV
Redeem – Strong’s OT:1350 ga'al (gaw-al'); a primitive root, to redeem (according to the
Oriental law of kinship), i.e. to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry his
widow, etc.)
KJV - in any wise, at all, avenger, deliver, (do, perform the part of near, next) kinsfolk (-man),
purchase, ransom, redeem (-er), revenger.
The language used in Exodus has deeper meaning than what we might first realize. The concept
conveyed through the word “redeem” (ga’al) connotes that the original “relative” of Israel is YHWH
Himself, and He is taking action to restore the property, privilege, and status of His family. This idea was
established long before Israel was “found” in Egypt. It was established when YHWH made a covenant
with Abraham to create a nation born from the line of Abraham’s firstborn, Isaac, and establish them in
their own land. YHWH also vowed to be a friend to their friends and an enemy to their enemies.
To redeem means to “buy back” and restore to the original status. Israel did not “buy” favor with YHWH
with the sacrifice of the lambs and the blood placed on the doorposts. The lambs and the blood were
covenant welcome tokens r His children. Anyone who trusted in YHWH for the sparing of their firstborn
of the sons and the livestock and who displayed the covenant welcome on their doors were considered
by YHWH to be the children of Israel.
First Fruits is a memorial to God’s continuing faithfulness.
Exodus 13:1-2
The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the
womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." ESV
The consecration of all the first fruits then is a reminder of the great deliverance YHWH did on behalf of
His family. It is a remembrance, a token, and a constant cultural reminder of God’s original promises to
keep and provide for everything they needed and every inheritance promise not yet completed. It is a
reminder of God’s faithfulness to His Word.
Exodus 13:13-16
Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your
son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'By a strong hand the Lord brought
us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go,
the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn
of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the
firstborn of my sons I redeem.' It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your
eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt." ESV
All the first fruits offerings are not tokens given to earn favor from God, but tokens to remind us of His
faithfulness. They remind us of how God showed Himself strong on our behalf when He destroyed our enemies in Egypt.
Be sure to see the reading “First Fruits” pp. 62-78 in Messiah in the Feasts of Israel by Sam Nadler for a clear description of the foreshadowing and the historical events of the resurrection of our Messiah Jesus during the Feast of Unleavened Bread following the day of Passover.
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