Eat the corn; leave the manna

Without leaving the manna, you can’t have a Pentecost. Manna is an easy pick, but corn is a deliberate plant. In the wilderness, manna required no sowing, no waiting, no cultivating, just gathering. But in Canaan, God introduced His people to a new rhythm: the rhythm of planting, tending, waiting, and harvesting.

With corn came something manna could never offer: the firstfruits. With manna, there was nothing to bring before the Lord. But with corn, God invited His people to participate in worship through offering the first bundle of harvested grain. The priest would wave it before the Lord, along with a lamb for a burnt offering, grain offering, and sin offering, marking the beginning of the Feast of Weeks…what we now know as Pentecost. You see: without leaving the manna, you can’t step into Pentecost.

You cannot walk into your season of firstfruits while grasping the manna meant for the wilderness. There comes a moment when God shifts His people from “picking” to “planting,” from daily dependence to disciplined stewardship, from wilderness survival to promised-land productivity. There are seasons in our lives where God calls us to make that shift: A shift that leads to harvest. A shift that leads to Pentecost. A shift that requires responsibility, learning, cultivation, and trust.

Planting requires preserved seed. It requires preparing the ground. It requires patience during the waiting season. But God will send the rain, don’t worry about that. When the harvest comes, the principle of firstfruits teaches us to acknowledge God with gratitude for the beginning, and trust Him for the rest.

Is the Lord dealing with you about stepping into Pentecost? Is He asking you to stop picking manna and start planting? To move from what is easy to what is intentional? To leave the familiar wilderness so you can enter the fruitful land?

Trust His wisdom. He knows exactly what lies ahead. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you… thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” When you leave the manna, you gain the harvest. When you plant the corn, you enter Pentecost.