Firstborn

Our cattle arrived as yearlings in July 2011, ten heifers and one bull.  May 9, 2013 our first calf was born.  This firstborn calf was a true miracle, a gift from God, which has now been repeated a number of times over the past three calving seasons.

Our firstborn calf at mom's side on 5/9/13, a gift from God.
Our firstborn calf at mom’s side on 5/9/13, a gift from God.

In the Old Testament the firstborn refers to animals and belong to the Lord.  Firstfruits refers to what comes from the soil.  Both the firstborn and firstfruits are a gift from God, we cannot create livestock or crops, only God.  To claim a calf or a grape is the result of evolution is not observable science.  It has been observed over the past 100 years, billions of chicken eggs have hatched in the USA and every time a chicken comes out, no evolution into a different “being”.

Sure we work to be good stewards of this cow herd.  We plan daily access to water, mineral and forages but beyond that, God and the cows do the rest.  When we have intervened, with good intentions, the results have been mixed.  What looked like benefits of our intervention at the time, long term has resulted in handicaps.   For one explanation of this reality see “Antifragile” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.  We are always trying to move toward the natural order that God has designed.  This is difficult, we humans like to get involved and think we are doing some good when we just cannot anticipate all the variables.

grassfed beef
Firstborn calf grazing with mom at his side as a grown steer 10/10/15. Our herd is mainly polled. This firstborn calf is the only animal to express horns to date.

Back to our Old Testament discussion.  This claim by God for the firstborn was to point people toward the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  Prior to Jesus death and resurrection, people had God’s promise of a Savior to look forward to for their salvation.  Today we have the historical truth (evidence based on manuscript, archeological, prophecy and statistics) to look back that the promise has been fulfilled for our salvation.

On October 13, 2015 our firstborn calf will be butchered as a 29 month old steer.  We thank God for the opportunity he gave us to raise these animals and pray that the harvest will reach those who are in need of the nourishment provided.  All glory to God, Amen.