Leviticus 19:23-25

Lev 19:23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you will regard its fruit as if it had a foreskin. Three years it will be uncircumcised to you; it must not be eaten.
Lev 19:24 And in the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to Yahveh.
Lev 19:25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am Yahveh your God.

uncircumcised trees

The Israelites were instructed to wait four years before they could harvest the trees of Canaan as personal produce. During the third year they could harvest them as a kind of first-fruits offering to Yahveh, but not for themselves. But until then, they were to regard the trees as uncircumcised, not a part of the covenant, and not to be touched.

This may appear to be an unfair inconvenience. After all, wasn’t God giving them the land? Why would he withhold the fruit trees? But the giver always deserves to put conditions on the gift. They were God’s fruit trees, and he has the authority to determine when they could be enjoyed by the Israelites.

There is a maturity that people gain when they are allowed to see a blessing they can experience later, but must wait until the appropriate time for it. Sadly, our generation seems to have lost the ability to manifest that maturity.

LORD, teach us to trust your timing, to be patient for all your blessings.