For example, Jehovah called on each one to bring the firstfruits of produce to His priesthood at the central place of worship that he established. Included were the firstfruits of the womb (human and animal), the firstfruits of each harvest from the ground, yes, and even the first of the shorn wool from the flock. (Ex. 22:29, 30; 23:19; Deut. 18:4) These firstfruits were something distinct from the tithes or tenth parts that Jehovah required for the support of clean, acceptable worship.

Every male firstborn that opened the womb, among humans and animals, was to be sanctified to Jehovah. (Ex. 13:2) However, the firstborn males of humans and of those animals that were not acceptable for sacrificial use were to be redeemed by parent or owner on a minimum payment of five silver shekels, or slightly less than $2.40, United States funds. (Num. 18:15-17) The principle here indicated was later plainly expressed by God through his prophet Ezekiel: “All the souls​—to me they belong.”​—Ezek. 18:4.

On the other hand, the firstborn bull or lamb or goat could not be so redeemed or purchased back. Their blood must be sprinkled on the altar. The blood of those animals represented the lifeblood of the man Jesus Christ, voluntarily offered as a sacrifice for sinful humankind.​—Heb. 9:6-14; Rev. 7:14.

NO FIXED AMOUNT

As to the firstfruits of the ground, and the first shearings of the flock, it is noteworthy that Jehovah left it to each one to determine the quantity. The amount was left indefinite just as in the requirement to leave gleanings of their harvest for the benefit of the poor.​—Lev. 19:9, 10.

Each family, each person who had a possession in the God-given land, was expected to bring or send these firstfruits as a recognition of their having received all from their God. The quantity’s being left to each one’s judgment introduced a test of their appreciation. Did they keep in mind that Jehovah their God had liberated them from slavery in Egypt? Did they bear in mind that he gave them a land with wells they had not dug, orchards they had not planted, everything essential for their physical well-being?

Yes, they had a generous God, one who was also concerned about their spiritual welfare, their attitude toward true worship. Referring to the offerings of the firstfruits, Jehovah cautioned them through his servant Moses: “Your full produce and the overflow of your press you must not give hesitantly.” (Ex. 22:29) It was not the amount given that was important, but rather the spirit in which the gift was presented. To be hesitant might well indicate a loss of appreciation on their part, a lack of appreciation for all the benefits conferred on them by God.

Among the ancient Israelites the offering of the firstborn and of the firstfruits was a sanctifying of these representative gifts. Without that eager, unhesitant bringing of such gifts before Jehovah, how could there be an expectation of Jehovah’s blessing on the subsequent family or on the harvesting of the crops?

God-fearing parents such as the parents of Samson and Samuel not only brought up their children “in the discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah,” but also gladly yielded up the firstborn son to even more direct service of Jehovah.​—Eph. 6:4, Kingdom Interlinear.