God gave a specific land to the people of Israel, at the crossroads of the world, and called them to be standing stones, witnesses to the one true God. It was a land of milk & honey (fit for both the shepherd & farmer) that shaped them: in the desert they were shaped into dependence & trust in God; in the breadbasket of Israel, they were rewarded with prosperity. But this brought with it an important principle and action: the principle of first fruits. 

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-15; Leviticus 23:9-22