First-fruits

First-fruits (bikkurim in Hebrew) were the initial portion of each crop harvest, presented to God before the rest could be used. The offering of first-fruits expressed acknowledgment that the land and its produce belonged to God — Israel's harvests were gifts from him, not merely the product of human labor. The Mosaic law specified several first-fruit observances: the offering of the first sheaf of barley at Passover season (the "wave sheaf," Leviticus 23:10-11), and the two loaves of wheat bread at Pentecost as the first-fruits of the wheat harvest (Leviticus 23:17).

Individual Israelites were also required to bring a basket of first-fruits to the sanctuary annually, accompanied by a liturgical confession summarizing Israel's redemptive history (Deuteronomy 26:1-11) — one of the earliest credal formulas in Scripture. First-fruits carried the implicit faith that the rest of the harvest would follow. Paul exploits this logic in 1 Corinthians 15:20: Christ's resurrection is the "first-fruits" of those who have fallen asleep, guaranteeing that the full harvest of resurrection will follow. The Holy Spirit is also called the "first-fruits" (Romans 8:23) — the present experience of the Spirit as the guarantee of full eschatological redemption.