On the day of Pentecost thousands were added to the Church. They were the firstfruits. The word “firstfruits” refers to the season’s first ripened fruit. People who live in cold climates eagerly look forward to the first strawberries in early spring. After the snow melts, the tender shoots of rhubarb which emerge from the ground make delicious pie. The firstfruits are wonderful, and people always want them for their own enjoyment. But what does God say? “The firstfruits are Mine. The firstfruits of all the earth are Mine. The male that opens the womb is Mine.” Honor Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow… Proverbs 3:9–10. God always has a special interest in the firstfruit; to Him it is very significant. The believer is to give God that which is first, no matter how delightful it may be to him.
Today, with God’s baptism of fire being restored, the day of firstfruits takes on even greater significance. As we come before the Lord like a wave offering, the Holy Spirit is indicating, “Here are the firstfruits of the Kingdom. Here are the first ones to come forth unto the Lord to be the kings and priests and heralds of the gospel of the Kingdom that is to usher in a whole new age.”
“ ‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.’ ” Numbers 28:26. Hebrews 9:14 says that we are to repent from dead works. God help us to see this. God does not honor busywork. You cannot merit favor by observing rituals or performing acts of penance. You come into what God has for you because God loves you and has given His Son for you. You must accept what He has done without trying to add to it by your own effort. All you can do is to believe and accept it with full faith in your heart. It is like the Sabbath rest where we cease from our labors and enter into His rest, for He has completed and perfected that which concerns us.
In Numbers 28:27 we read, “ ‘And you shall offer a burnt offering for a soothing aroma…’ ” The world does not seek after soothing aromas. Modern women search the perfume counters for scents labeled with words such as “temptation” and “ecstasy”; they do not want a soothing aroma. Human beings do not understand God’s original purpose in availing Himself of an incense. The anointing oil made according to the formula in Exodus 30 had a pungent aroma, but it did not stimulate. The biblical perfumes, the anointing oil, and the incense that was burned were meant to be soothing. The idea is to come before the presence of the Lord with an incense that is soothing to God, since there is already so much that displeases Him.
The worship in the Tabernacle must have been an unforgettable sight. Imagine coming into the outer court and facing the altar where burnt offerings were made. In some offerings the entire animal, including the hide, was burned; in others, the entrails were piled up to be taken outside the camp and burned. We tend to think of the Old Testament priests as men who performed intricate religious rituals. Actually, they were more like butchers. The ministering priests went from the altar of sacrifice to the laver of brass, polished so brightly that they could see their reflection as they washed themselves clean. Then they passed into the holy place, where the entire scene changed. It contained the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, and the golden lampstands. Thus they entered into another phase in their approach to God; from the holy place it was only a step into the holy of holies.
When we think of the Old Testament sacrifices and how offensive they were, we are reminded that God Himself did not like the sacrifice for our sins. When His Son was hanging upon the cross, dying for our sins, He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me” (Mark 15:34)? Even the Father Himself had to turn away; He could not look upon that ultimate sacrifice.
On the day of Pentecost, we enter into the beauty of the aroma of a sweet smell coming up to God. Passover with all its obnoxious qualities is over, for the judgments of God have been heaped upon Jesus. The Lord laid upon Him the sin of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All that God sent His Son to do and to suffer for us has run its course. Now we are like two loaves of bread waved before the Lord. As the aroma of a sweet smell comes up, the Father is pleased, because someone has paid the price. Someone stood in our place in the hour of judgment. We can be pleasing to God as we stand before Him, for we have become His righteousness through Jesus Christ the Lord.
Pentecost is the marvelous day of firstfruits. Acts 2 tells of Peter saying to the multitude, “You with wicked hands have taken and slain the Lord of glory.” Then the people cried out, “What shall we do to be saved?” The answer was, “Repent.” So they entered into repentance, and the work of the cross became effective in their lives. Those who had been shouting, “Crucify Him!” a few days before, now possessed great joy. They became the firstfruits to come forth in the Church during the Feast of Pentecost.
God still works the same way. He includes us in His grace so that when we come before the Lord, He will look down upon us and smile. How can He smile at us? Why would He love us? He loves us because His Son took our place in judgment and identified with everything that is wrong with us. The Word says, …he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 1:6. What a tremendous truth, that God made it possible for us to have access to Him!
God is a consuming fire, and He cannot look upon sin. Your sins had to be laid upon someone else so that you could come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). For anyone to come boldly to God in his unworthiness was never heard of in all the Old Testament. But now, by the blood of Jesus Christ, you can come boldly to God. Those who are able ministers of the new covenant do not claim to be worthy. We claim absolutely no worthiness except through the blood of Jesus Christ and through the judgments of God that were visited upon Him for our sake.
Never lose the freshness of your deep respect for what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you by His precious blood. Do not ever let it be anything else to you but the most impressive fact of all history. The most glorious plan that the Father ever devised is the way He redeems sinners to Himself and makes them His sons and daughters. Never lose your sense of unworthiness after the flesh. But neither should you lose the awareness that you are accepted by the Father and that you no longer need to shrink back in self-condemnation. You can come boldly because God loved you and made provision for His Son to take the full penalty of judgment on your behalf.
This is the theme from Genesis to Revelation: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain…” Revelation 5:12. He has redeemed us out of all nations and kindreds and presented unto Himself a Kingdom of kings and priests. Holy is His name, and worthy of praise and adoration. We are His children. We who were afar off have been made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ. No longer are we strangers and aliens from the promises and covenants of God (Ephesians 2:12–13). We have been brought into the household of faith, set to do His will, set to serve Him and love Him with all our hearts.
Oh, the precious blood of Jesus Christ! How can we ever understand what He has done for us and how much He loves us! How can we but dedicate ourselves to magnify Him and glorify His name! Once the realization of this is upon us, eternity seems too short to give Him praise and honor.
Let there be no doubt in your heart about the Book He has given to you. Most precious is the Word that the Lord has given to tell how He has opened the door for you to come into sonship. Do not be discouraged if you are having a problem, for the Lord has provided for it. Just seek Him with all your heart, and He will help you. Someone else took your place in judgment. A complete transference was made: your iniquity was laid upon Him, and His righteousness was given to you. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. II Corinthians 5:21. This is a fantastic truth. Just imagine God looking at you and seeing His righteousness. What a tremendous price was required to make it possible!