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The First Fruit and 3rd-Year Tithe Recitals
Ki Tavo "When you come in"
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
Isaiah 60:1-22
Psalm 51
1 Corinthians 15
Photo by Austin Pacheco on
Unsplash
This week's Torah portion is Ki Tavo, "When you come in..." Some mitzvot can be performed outside of the Land of Israel, practiced and rehearsed at their appointed times. Certain things, however, can only be fulfilled INSIDE the Land of Israel. Ki Tavo establishes the "Fifth Redemption," one that can only take place within the Land of Israel when its farmers are at peace.
Here is the preamble to the First Fruit recital:
...when
you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it,
that
you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put
it
in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.
You
shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, '
I declare this day to the LORD my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us
.' (Dt 26:1-3)
While this recitation may be rehearsed each year at Shavuot or Sukkot, it can only be realized as fulfillment of prophecy on two levels: a) when Israel has rest from her enemies and can bring in first fruits from the literal ground b) when the righteous have entered the Garden, resurrected, and once more guard and work the ground according to the original commandments. All that precedes these two conditions is an in-process rehearsal, obedience to study and hear all the mitzvot, not simply the ones that an individual may do now.
This recitation is followed by a longer one. The recitation was traditionally made from Shavuot to Sukkot. After Sukkot, the basket could be brought, but not the recitation, for it had to be in a "time of joy."
At Shavuot there were sufficient first fruits to make the recitation. Shavuot is the axis of the seven feasts. As the axis, Shavuot concludes the Pesach and initiates the joy of Sukkot.
The seven feasts each have their own themes and times, yet they form one cohesive unit, like the menorah. This is where chiasms demonstrate order and teach lessons without words. How something is placed is often the teaching.
A chiastic
structure divides a text
into two halves and the themes of the first half of the story are repeated in the second half of the story
in reverse order.
Furthermore, the two halves of the chiastic structure "point" to the most important element of the structure, the central axis. The prophecies of the feast recitations are related to a chiastic structure:
Theme
1
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 4
Central Axis
Theme 4'
Theme 3'
Theme 2'
Theme 1'
Here is an example of how a
chiasm is
written that demonstrates how each item is mirrored on the other side. While the example above used themes, sometime those themes are in verses, statements, or even whole chapters. These are
chiastic chapters
from the Book of Daniel:
A. Daniel 2: Four Gentile world empires
B. Daniel 3: Gentile persecution of Israel
C. Daniel 4: Divine providence over Gentiles
C'. Daniel 5: Divine providence over Gentiles
B'. Daniel 6: Gentile persecution of Israel
A'. Daniel 7: Four Gentile world
empires
Now here is an example of how the feasts are chiastic thematically:
Feast Some matching themes
Passover
1
Tell the
story
, chametz
removal
Chag
HaMatzah
2
Fasting c
hametz
, chametz removal
Firstfruits
of Barley
3
First fruits of Land's
resurrection
Shavuot/Giving of Torah/Wheat
Yom
Teruah
3' Resurrection
firstfruits
trumpets
Yom Ha
Kippurim
2' Fasting, sin removal
Sukkot 1'
Tell the
story,
removal of "holies"
Now, take a look at the
Arami Oved Avi, the nickname of the following passage that is recited over first fruits beginning at Shavuot and valid until the end of Sukkot:
You
shall answer and say before the LORD your God, '
My father was a wandering Aramean
, and he went down to Egypt and
sojourned
there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O LORD have given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God; and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household
." (Dt 26:5-11)
One can only speak prophetically if he is not a resident farmer in the Land of Israel presenting first fruits at "this place." Again, yes, we may practice! The critical thing to notice in the recitation, however, is that it is a story, a synopsis of all the events and miracles that occurred for the farmer to even bring the first fruit. If this story sounds familiar, it is because it is recited at Passover as part of the haggadah, which means "telling." The story starts with Jacob in the Land of Lavan, and continues to the redemption from Egypt. Although Passoveris not the time of the first fruit recitation, it starts the narration and fulfills the obligation to tell the story to your children.
We prepare to do something before we are actually able to do it. We rehearse before the recital. The story must be told to children on Passover night. This same story is told at Shavuot and Sukkot when Israel dwells in the Land and farms it.
A quick glance at the themes of the Feast chiasm above is a story within a story: By the power of the Torah/Word, a sinless, holy people, a first fruits will be resurrected from the dead to follow the sinless, holy First Fruit from the dead, the Living Word.
Those who are ingathered at the resurrection will be collected into a special place and given rest in the Presence of Adonai. That place is Israel, "this place." It is the fully elevated Israel, the Garden of Eden, that the world cannot see. The second recitation, which is for 3rd-year tithes, makes some significant declarations about the removal of the holy portion:
- according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments.
- I have not eaten of it while mourning
- nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean
- nor offered any of it to the dead
The central axis is the giving of the Torah commandments, Shavuot. It branches to the other appointed times. It is also the axis of the tithe recitation, which points out that the tithe has not contacted the realm of death in any way. The tithe is another representation of resurrection to the Garden of Eden. It is a prophecy of the ingathering of the righteous. At Passover, we tell the story and remove the chametz from the personal house; at Sukkot, we tell the story and remove the holies from the personal house. We bring those holies along with every other farmer and rejoice. In this, the storytelling becomes an act of great joy in worship. It is the sacrifice and tithe that demonstrates our faith in the resurrection.
The NASB translates Arami oved Avi as:
'
My father was a wandering Aramean...' There is another translation, though, and the the opening line of the Arami oved Avi from Artscroll is:
"An Aramean
would have destroyed my father
, and he descended to Egypt and sojourned there..."
The Aramean was Lavan, who tried to destroy Jacob through planting family discord by substituting Leah for Rachel, introducing idols to Jacob's family, cheating Jacob, making him perform the most dangerous work, and even pursuing him to do him harm when he tried to leave. He never considered Jacob's family and wealth Jacob's, but Lavan's own. Adonai intervened, and Lavan turned back. A heap of stones between them testified that Lavan could never pursue Jacob beyond the stones.
The Aramean represents every evil work of Abaddon, or Sheol, and death.
Oved means lost, destroyed, the root of Abaddon, and the
avdah, or destruction, that Pharaoh's advisors tell him has become Egypt after the plagues. Lavan, Pharaoh...the list of destroyers is long, but yet, here is the Israelite farmer at the ingathering, testifying that no curse could befall an Israelite who keeps the commandments.
Heaps of stones are plastered and inscribed with the words of the Torah at Gilgal, the Jordan, and Mount Ebal. The Israelites face one another at Mounts Gerizim and Ebal and recite the blessings and curses. So near one another, yet between them stand the Levites. The Levites mark the place between life and death, obedience and sin. On his journey to Lavan in Aram, Jacob sleeps on a pillar of stone and sees a ladder to his father's Father's House above. He promises to return and worship if:
If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father's house in
safety...
Last week's lesson taught us that the food and garments are the commandments of the Torah. Jacob wants to maintain his relationship to the God of his fathers even in the exile of Aram. That's just it. We can all return to our Father's house in safety because He will supply us clothes to wear and food to eat. The heaps of stones and what is written upon them testify that when we regather to "this place," no enemy may pursue us. They cannot rise up against us.
Do not let your heart be troubled
;
believe
in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many dwelling places
; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you
.
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
And
you know the way where I am going.
Thomas said
to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"
Jesus said
to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me
." (
Jn
14:1-6)
Yeshua is the Word, the Way to the place. He is the food, the garment, and the House when we wander out of the Land, and he will return us to the Father's House. He prepares the inheritance of the children. The pursuer and destroyer cannot "rise up" as the Torah blessing states.
So let's go back to the certification declaration that precedes the
Arami Oved Avi
:
'
I declare this day to the LORD my God that I have entered the land
which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.' (Dt 26:1-3
)
The Passover is a deep investigation of the first four forms of redemption. The Passover cups represent the forms of redemption promised to Israel when they left Egypt (Ex 6:6-8):
1. Veh-hotzeitei "I will take you out of Egypt" (
yotzei
-to go out)
2. Veh-hitzalti "I will rescue you" from its deathly consequences (
natzal
-
to pluck away, take or strip away)
3. Veh-gaalti "I will redeem you" (gaal
)
2. Veh-lakakhti" I will take you" (
lakach-
take away or take and attach to one's self)
1. Veh-heiveiti "I will bring you in" to the Land of Israel, (
bo
- to enter, come in) [restore
you to the Garden]
The axis of the Five Forms of Redemption is
gaal, or "redeem." All five promises are forms of redemption, but only the Fifth Form of Redemption may be fulfilled in the Land of Israel, and the Recitals of Ki Tavo, "When You Come In" are an annual reminder that this redemption is promised two ways:
Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage.
I will
also
redeem you
with
an outstretched arm
and with great judgments
.' (verse 6)
Adonai promised to bring Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, but He also promised them a later redemption. "An outstretched arm" is a metaphor for long-term prophetic fulfillment, just
as
"
mighty
hand" is a metaphor for immediate action. There will be an immediate redemption, AND a long-term redemption. Paul writes of this to the Corinthians:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised
;
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified
against
God that He raised
Christ
, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised
.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
and
if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
Then
those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished
.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christall will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
For
He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
The
last enemy that will be abolished is death
. (1 Co 15:13-25)
When you cross over the Jordan to the Father's House, no enemy can follow. Heaps of stones will testify, and the Rock of Ages will watch over His Word to perform it. Keep reciting His Word. Practice! Practice!
Spotlight on Israel
Registration is CLOSED for Sukkot 2019, but put Sukkot 2020 in Israel on your calendar!
Our spotlight testimonial of Israel this week is Marie Olmstead, a passionate student and the most endearing personality you'll ever meet! The love and joy of Yeshua just radiates from her! You want Marie living next door to you in the Kingdom. Marie writes:
"Israel and New Zealand had been at the top of my travel list for YEARS. I had long wondered if I would ever make it to either of them. It's not like I could just jump on a plane to Israel and fly by the seat of my pants whilst I was there, so I knew it would have to be the perfect situation for me to go.
I'd been
part of Hollisa's online Torah class for a year when the opportunity arose to join her group in Tamar for Passover. When I heard about it, my spirit was stirred and the desire to go almost too much to bear. "Could God really be making a way for me?! Would now be the time? Please, God, please direct me." - was the cry of my heart.
I leapt at the chance. I am often thanking God I went and am savoring my time in The Land and treasure the connections and relationships made there.
To have walked in the desert where Moshe and the Israelites wandered and received mana; to have hiked to and around the area where Miriam is said to have been buried where "Miriam's Springs" are named after her and to have searched out and seen them, wading in up to the top of my legs, recording their sound on my iPhone and finding their headwaters emerging FROM A ROCK!!! I've now seen the beginning of a huge prophecy being fulfilled before my eyes, from Ezekiel, to life returning to the Dead Sea (
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/commentary-dead-sea-comes-to-life/) as actual sinkholes created from the freshwater flowing down, removing the salt from the earth, allowing areas for fish to begin to live; the time spent with wonderful people who journeyed there was priceless.
I enjoyed: making and sharing meals together, hiking to Prayer Mountain where I found sea shells amongst the rocks because the Arabah (the desert where Tamar is located) was once under water (so strange to find shells in the desert!), to decorate for Passover with my twin personality (I literally met someone so similar to me it's ridiculous and now we're bonded for life because of this trip and all our fun experiences together - seriously priceless). I will never forget the humbling and heart-wrenching experience at Masada (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, look up the story), going to Shiloh where the Tabernacle stood for 369 years, and literally seeing sites and being in the places that are all throughout scripture. God has caused His name to dwell in Israel and has set it apart to tell of His wonder and greatness.
As His daughter, it was such an honor and a privilege to have walked in the actual places, with new friends who are like-minded, to make oh-so-real the place that I look forward to where my Messiah will rule and reign. Israel, the place where SO MUCH has happened and where much is still yet to unfold. I am and will be forever grateful for that experience and I look forward to returning again soon. I have so much more to see."
A New BEKY Book is Coming!
50,000 Degrees and Cloudy: A Better Resurrection
Today I proofed the layout of the new BEKY Book on the Resurrection,
50,000 DEGREES AND CLOUDY. The cover is being adjusted to the size now (270 pages!) then the file will be uploaded to KDP for a final proof and publication.
I don't think you'll find a better TORAH-BASED book on the ingathering. Perfect for those who are grieving over loved ones. Just in time for the high holy days! We'll post here when it is ready for order.
A good preparation is Pharisee: Friend or Foe? in paperback, which traces the development of the resurrection doctrine from the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms at Pharisee paperback ,
the REVIVE TV series at
Pharisee Video Series,
or on ROKU.
LaMalah Children's Centre
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WE HAD AN AWESOME 4TH QUARTER OFFERING.
Right on time! We received the funds needed for the extra needs and to fund Sukkot for the Kenyan congregations. We shared updates from LaMalah last week in a special edition of our newsletter. If you would like to donate to the Children's Centre or other Torah-based orphanages through The Creation Gospel, click on the Donate link below. It will say The Olive Branch Messianic Congregation on your receipt. Our local congregation is the non-profit covering for our ministry. Checks or money orders may be sent to:
The Creation Gospel
PO Box 846
East Bernstadt, KY 40729
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