The Firstfruits of the Old and New Covenants: The Fulfillment of God’s Salvation Plan (Deut. 26:1-11)

When you have come into the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you as a heritage, and have taken possession and settled in it, 2 you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land the Lord, your God, is giving you; put them in a basket and go to the place which the Lord, your God, will choose as the dwelling place for his name. 3 There you shall go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “Today I acknowledge to the Lord, my God, that I have indeed come into the land which the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall then take the basket from your hands and set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. 5 Then you shall declare in the presence of the Lord, your God, “My father was a refugee Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as a resident alien. But there he became a nation great, strong and numerous. 6 When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing harsh servitude upon us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression. 8 Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders, 9 and brought us to this place, and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 Now, therefore, I have brought the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, Lord, have given me.” You shall set them before the Lord, your God, and you shall bow down before the Lord, your God. 11 Then you and your household, together with the Levite and the resident aliens who live among you, shall celebrate with all these good things which the Lord, your God, has given you.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 outlines the ritual for presenting the choicest firstfruits of the harvest (Ex. 23:19) to God in thanksgiving.  When the Israelites enter the Promised Land, they are to bring the firstfruits to the priest and recount God’s saving actions—delivering them from slavery in Egypt and bringing them into the land of abundance.  This act is a recognition of God’s provision and faithfulness to His covenant.

The passage emphasizes God’s active role in salvation history, where He delivers His people and provides for them.  Offering the firstfruits symbolizes Israel's acknowledgment that all blessings come from God, and serves as a covenantal response to His faithfulness (cf. Deut. 26:8-9).  It is also an expression of gratitude, acknowledging God’s ultimate plan for His people.

In 1 Corinthians 15:20, St. Paul refers to Christ as "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," implying that Christ's resurrection is the first in a series of resurrections for those who belong to Him.  Just as the firstfruits in Deuteronomy point to the promise of a full harvest, Christ's resurrection guarantees the final, glorified resurrection of believers.  The offering of the firstfruits in the Old Testament is symbolic of the greater fulfillment of God's promises in Christ, who, through His death and resurrection, completes God’s salvific plan, conquering sin and death and opening the way for believers to be resurrected and fully restored to communion with God.

Matthew 26:29 connects the idea of offering with thanksgiving when Jesus, in the context of the Last Supper, speaks of drinking the fruit of the vine in His Father’s Kingdom.  The "fruit of the vine" symbolizes both the Old Testament offerings and the New Covenant established through Jesus’ body and blood.  In Romans 8:23, St. Paul speaks of believers awaiting the redemption of their bodies, drawing a parallel to the Israelites’ hope in the fullness of their inheritance in the Promised Land.  Just as the Israelites longed for the final fulfillment of God’s promise of rest and restoration, Christians now await the final resurrection and the fullness of God’s kingdom.

The theme of God's faithful provision is carried into the New Testament, particularly in the offering of the Body and Blood of Christ, where the faithful offer Christ Himself as the ultimate thanksgiving offering (cf. Luke 22:19). The firstfruits in Deuteronomy point to Christ as the first offering of salvation, and the Church’s offerings extend this ritual, acknowledging Christ's ultimate gift of Himself.

Almighty God, we thank You for Your abundant blessings and faithfulness, as You delivered Your people from slavery and led them into the Promised Land.  We praise You for the ultimate gift of salvation through the resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the firstfruits of the new life we await.  Strengthen our hearts to offer ourselves to You in gratitude and hope, trusting in Your promise of eternal life.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

                                                       

Sources

• McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
• Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
• Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
• Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
• Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
• Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
• Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
• Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.