23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. 

24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal. 

25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.

This is an interesting bit of instruction God gives the Israelites. When they would first come into the land of Canaan for their inheritance, they were not to immediately eat fruit from their newly planted trees. Most scholars agree that this did not only apply to the first groves that were planted either, but to all trees that were planted throughout Israel’s generations. The fruit would be unclean to them for three years. God called it uncircumcised. The fourth year would be clean but needed to be given to the Lord. Only on the fifth year could they start to eat the fruit for themselves.

Several commentators have noted that it is common in tree cultivation to not use the first years of fruit as they are small and poor for eating, but if one cuts the buds before they can fully grow during those first years, the tree will learn to bear fuller and better fruit. Thus, it seems likely that the Israelites were going out and literally “circumcising” the trees, cutting off their first buds during those formative years.

This instruction is part of the universal pattern of delayed gratification, where one must prolong what is wanted immediately so that it can be had more fully and more rightly later. So much of wise living is learning self-denial in its time, be it in going through your studies, saving money, turning down premarital sex, or just waiting for the world to turn in your favor. And then, when the long waited for blessings do arrive, let the first harvest be consecrated to the Lord. Then the measure of patience is full, we can enjoy our fruit with a full heart, and God will bless all future yields.