The Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 15 continues to discuss God’s best ways for Israel to live in The Promised Land.   

THE FIRSTBORN OF ALL ANIMALS

As we follow our study through Deuteronomy, and hit the middle of Chapter 15, we hear of God’s plan for the firstborn of all of the animals. We have discussed the subject many times in this blog. If you wish to review some of the past lessons; you might want to click here: https://wordpress.com/post/theinseasonlifestyle.com/18875.

This seems to be a passage often stumbled over or skipped or forgotten.  It shouldn’t be that way.  This passage is very critical to our understanding as children of God’s Kingdom.

I’ll try to make this scripture passage a little simpler with a real-life illustration.  Consider or imagine that you are on vacation in a completely new place and you arrive in front of a sign proclaiming the next turn to be an important historical site. 

Do you pull off the road and visit the site and/or enjoy the new adventure that it presents to you? 

Or do you ignore the sign and continue to drive?

If you ignore the sign pointing to the important place, you might regret it later.  This is a place that you may never pass through again. 

This particular scripture passage is like one of those places in time where you need to take the time to stop on the road; or you will miss something that you might not ever get to see again. 

Yes; you will hear people speak of it; but you will not get the full effect and meaning of that place because you did not take the time to actually experience it for yourself.    

Here in this passage we begin to realize how sanctified and sacred the firstborn of Israel were to God. 

All the “first things” of their abundant gift of life in the promised land fell into a special category; a set aside and honored place. 

God had a unique plan for all of the firstborn of the nation; and below is the scripture reference where it was proclaimed to them. 

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE FIRSTBORN

Deuteronomy 15:19-22

¹⁹ Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep. ²⁰ Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. ²¹ If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. ²² You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. ²³ But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

What on earth would this passage of scripture mean to us today?

Didn’t this rule of life go away with the Old Testament?

Not really!

Farmers; listen up!

The firstborn male of your herds and flocks STILL belongs to God. 

You really DO need to set them apart and not use them for common labor on your farms. 

Just as the first wages paid to a city-dweller also belongs to the work of God; so do the first and best of your livestock. 

Today you may sell them and give the money to a work of God; and/or donate them as offerings to furnish food supplies for God’s people feasting during God’s Holy Days. 

ANCIENT TIMES VS. MODERN TIMES

In ancient times, once a year; these specific animals were to be offered in a sacrifice to God.  The offerings were made while dwelling in the vicinity of the Sanctuary; and/or the Temple, and they were to be eaten in that area before the LORD. 

Today we do not have the Temple.  Our Sanctuaries are our own bodies; the Temples for the dwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

This part of Moses’s reminder to the ancient people goes all the way back to the definition of the meaning of the “firstborn” to God. 

We can think about and view this meaning of the “firstborn” from several different perspectives and time periods of history. 

First, in accordance with Exodus 4:22 all of the firstborn of Israel were to be God’s firstborn and keeping this ritual in the proper way honors that fact.   

Usually when we find a scripturally defined ritual that honors God; we can look later for another way that it will be honoring to God in a later period of time; such as the modern-day world where we live today.  This ancient ritual was no exception to the rule; it carried great symbolism and meaning for those living on this side of the cross.   

The continual on-going process of examining what the scriptures teach us with all of these ancient rituals for sacrifice and offerings makes me think of the story of Cain and Abel and the fact that Abel always offered the “first” and the “best” of his flocks in offerings to God.  We know that this order pleased God and God always accepted Abel’s offerings. 

Whether we are referring to past history, the present times, or even looking into the future; the act of honoring God properly always pleases God.   If a sacrifice or offering DOES NOT please God it cannot even be called an offering.

TYPES AND SHADOWS TEACHING NEW AND BETTER WAYS

The proper way to honor God is sometimes defined by what side of the cross you were born under. 

The old ways were simply a shadow of the new.    The old was a pattern that God taught us first so that we could better understand the new things that were to come.  The new was simply a continuation of the old in a better way that was more efficient.

This offering of the firstborn was originally set up to be an annual reminder to all generations of the time when God redeemed Israel, as His firstborn.  The total redemption of Israel was a long and continuing transition which started with The first Passover. 

We can clearly see from the scriptures that God meant for every firstborn of all the flocks of Israel to be set-aside and NOT used for “ordinary” purposes.  They were to be brought to the altar of God as a set-apart and sanctified offering to God. 

HOW DID THIS WORK?

The firstborn was examined to be sure there were no blemishes or defects.

When the time for offering first-fruits sacrifices came around (annually), each family would take their firstborn animal to the temple or the Sanctuary and have it slaughtered there as an offering to God.  

Before it was offered, the blood of the animal was poured out on the ground. 

When the sacrifice was burned on the altar, a portion of the sacrifice went to the family that brought the animal.  This was for them to enjoy in a joyful feast before the LORD. 

So; let’s break this down a bit. 

WHAT EXACTLY DID THIS MEAN?

Here in this passage of Deuteronomy we begin to realize how sanctified and how sacred the firstborn of Israel is to God.  All the “first things” fell into a special category; a set aside and honored place. 

We have already examined this meaning when it comes to agricultural crops (firstfruits); now we are looking at what it means for the firstborn animals.

God commands that the first-fruits of everything be given to Him. 

Now God is ordaining that these “firstborn” of the animals for food be devoted to Him. 

That happened first.  It was the ancient significance

Now; think of later and the time of Jesus. 

Jesus came to earth as God’s “firstborn Son.” 

In our study passage we hear that the livestock of Israel fell under the laws of the “firstborn.”  This portion of all the livestock was to be set aside to commemorate the deliverance that God brought to the people of Israel by taking the firstborn of Egypt in the plagues. (Exodus 13:14-16.)

THE FIRSTBORN WERE TO BE A PART OF DELIVERANCE FOR THE PEOPLE

These firstborns of the livestock were all males that came from flocks.  The minute they were born they were set apart for a holy and sanctified purpose. 

Are you already thinking of the picture of Jesus which we see here? 

He was the firstborn Son of Mary, and He was declared “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” 

The firstborn of the flock was special and NOT to be used for normal, everyday, common purposes.

Jesus came to live like us and he dwelled with mankind, but He did not become like mankind.

He was special. 

Jesus did not sin. 

No imperfections were found within Him. His DNA came from God; not Adam.  He was different, set-apart and holy.  No personal or individual sins were committed by Him.   

His only purpose in being with us was to lay down his life to do the Father’s will.  He became a part of the story of deliverance of God’s people. 

A SACRIFICE WHERE GOD’S NAME HAD BEEN PLACED

In the days before Jesus a family with a first-born bull, or sheep would bring it to the place that God had established for His Name to dwell.  In Temple times this would have been Jerusalem.

The animal would be offered and portions of the burnt sacrifice would be given to the priests, other portions were then given to the family to eat in a feast before God. 

In this act of feasting on the sacrifice, the person offering the sacrifice became one with the sacrifice that had been offered to God. 

Jesus was crucified on a hill in Jerusalem; like an offering unto the LORD. 

It is through Him that we become One with God the Father.  He brings our sanctification unto God. 

For the people of old; this process happened annually. 

With the sacrifice of Jesus, we now have perpetual salvation. 

The firstborn of the flocks of the ancient people were shadows and types of God’s firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin; but came to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21.)

THE CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN

There is one very important verse in the scriptures that describe what the believer should always know and understand about this offering of the firstborn and it is found in Hebrews 12:22-24:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

This verse speaks of our future in God’s Kingdom; and the words that Moses was speaking to God’s children in this passage of today’s study would begin to set the pattern of this Kingdom. 

Israel is always a shadow and type of The Kingdom of God and it was very important to Moses that the people follow God’s specific instructions as God begins to build a people into a great and holy nation in the Land of Promise. 

With this knowledge behind them; they are almost ready to cross the river.