Ever since the Pilgrim fathers ave thanks for their safe passage to a new land and their first harvest in 1621, the celebration of Thanksgiving has become a firmly entrenched tradition for Americans. Individuals from all over the country endeavor to rejoin their families on the fourth Thursday in November to commemorate what was originally intended to recall the blessings of God. Unfortunately, the aspect of thanksgiving to God has given way, in many cases, to a day of self-indulgent gluttony among those with the means to do so. For the less fortunate, the lonely, or those from broken homes, the day is often one of sadness and regret.
The Puritans however, being for the most part a devout and Bible-loving people, based their harvest festival upon what they considered to be a scriptural precedent:
“And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee and shalt put in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there” (Deut. 26:1,2).
The agricultural calendar
The importance of the agricultural year is seen when one recognizes that the regulations for it are mentioned immediately after the redemptive Passover laws of the firstborn in Leviticus 23. It is significant that the law clearly intended a link between the two.
From the first harvest on the Israelites were commanded to bring the first fruit to the Lord in recognition they were only tenants of the land and the produce grown from it rightly belonged to God. In fact, they were forbidden to partake of the earth’s bounty until the requirements of the law were fulfilled. “And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Lev. 23:14).
Concurrent with this rite for the individual Israelite, the law demanded harvest observance on a national basis. A single sheath from the first crop (most probably barley) was waved before the Lord by the priest on behalf of the people as an act of consecration. Although but a single sheath, its multiple ears of grain signified the nation as a whole, acknowledging their utter dependence upon the Lord and their readiness to honor their holy calling as the firstborn of God. Implicit in the very name, “first fruits,” was the concept they were but the first of many nations who would be born of God.
Grain offerings
Seven weeks after the beginning of the initial harvest, by which time the wheat harvest would also be complete, two loaves baked with leaven were waved in consecration before the Lord. The whole loaves spoke of works and service dedicated to God and the joy derived from the knowledge that despite sin (symbolized by the leaven), they were acceptable to God.
The culmination of the agricultural year was the feast of ingathering, also known as the feast of tabernacles. It was seven days of joyful thanksgiving during which the temporary dwellings made of lush branches of fruitful trees served to remind them of their deliverance from Egypt, their wanderings in the wilderness and their subsequent settlement in the fertile land.
Shadow of things to come
Exhortation abounds for us in these things. We know that the law was but a shadow of things to come (Heb. 10:1). Christ was the first fruit to spring from the ground of death, to be followed by those who are faithful at his coming (I Cor. 15:23). From the God-given natural harvest came bread to sustain mortal life. From Him also came the bread of the spirit — that living bread — the partaking of which would give life eternal: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51).
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the antitype of all the sacrificial animals that were necessary to accompany the
bloodless offering of fruit and grains. He was lifted up in consecration, dedicating his life that had been one of work and service to his Heavenly Father.
Countless blessings
Like Israel of old, we have countless blessings for which to render thanks to God. It is a good exercise to occasionally take stock and remind ourselves of them. We are free to have in our possession the most precious of treasures, the Bible. We are at liberty to read it, thereby learning the principles and precepts of acceptable worship, being able to put them into practice in our lives without fear of persecution. Our homes, our families and our ecclesial companions are all gifts from the Lord.
It is so easy to take these things for granted and even to become discontented with them. This is especially true of our homes. The house or apartment which we were initially thrilled to have can so easily become passé in our minds. Before very long we are thinking, “This room is too small for the new furniture we plan to buy” or “The decor is all wrong.” Maybe we feel the need to move to a bigger house. As one wise, elderly brother once reminded us, “Another room is one more to clean and decorate!” Why should we be taken up in the craze of the age for bigger and better, especially if the motivation is to possess and impress rather than to fit the needs of a growing family?
Putting things into perspective
One way to overcome temptation in this regard is to think of the words of Jesus: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20).
This certainly puts things into perspective and helps us to stop and reevaluate our situation carefully. The awareness of the dangers of covetousness can serve to defuse acquisitive desire and lead to contentment with our lot.
Water and modern-day amenities are items we take for granted. When was the last time we gave thanks for the blessing of having this wonderful resource piped into our home? For those who live in the Great Lakes area of North America, it is difficult to imagine the trials of water shortage. Only recently a young person, writing home from the missionary field in Nairobi, related to her shocked parents the fact that the one communal tap in the area in which she was working had not yielded one drop of water for five days. There are now parts of the Caribbean where acute water shortage is also a cause of great concern.
No doubt these environmental problems are all part of the picture of the last days. Nevertheless, we should not fail to be thankful and render praise for the abundance of supplies received from the hands of the Lord on a daily basis.
Ecclesial benefits
Now let us turn our focus to that of the ecclesial home and the benefits for us therein. In a world where acknowledgement and trust in God is looked upon as somewhat unusual, how comforting is the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ who share our hopes and aspirations for the kingdom. We are strengthened to know that there are so many who take an interest in our lives and are active in their demonstration of love and support, especially in time of need.
We also give thanks for the formal structure of the meeting: serving brethren who plan all things with care and see that everything is done in order, Sunday school teachers who prepare lessons for our little ones, the many exhorters whose offerings vary in thought and style. All of these are striving to feed their fellows with the spiritual food necessary for their walk to the kingdom.
Joyful thanksgiving
Reflection on the privileges and blessings received from the Maker of heaven and earth will lead us, as it did the Pilgrim fathers, to fall upon our knees in joyful thanksgiving. Some of us have traversed the seas to settle in a new land, to join others native to this soil. But whatever the case, we are all seeking a country promised long ago to a man named Abraham and his seed. We all have a responsibility to produce the fruits of righteousness and to present them, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, as our thank offering to God.
It is with humility that we now contemplate the emblems on the table before us, remembering Paul’s admonition, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:7).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One