AM Bible Study Group; December 21, 2011
Deuteronomy 26:1-19
Theme: Moses instructs the people to begin honoring God’s goodness to them with thanks and rejoicing as soon as they take possession of the land.
This chapter closes the long section of Moses’ recitation of the law to God’s people. It began in chapter 12; and interestingly, it ends with much the same emphasis as that with which it began. In chapter 12, the Jewish people were commanded to make sure that they were separated from the paganism around them (vv. 2-7), to be sure to worship at the place where God chooses to place His name (i.e., were the tabernacle comes to rest; vv. 8-14), to eat the sacrifices where God appointed them to be eaten (vv. 15-28), and to again be sure that they not practice the habits of the people around them (vv. 29-32). Here, at the close of this section of Deuteronomy, we find the same general themes being stressed.
There is a difference, however. At the beginning of this section, those emphases were stated in the prohibitive sense of avoiding the habits of the pagan peoples around them. Here, however, they are stated in the positive sense of rendering genuine gratitude to God for what He has given, and behaving as His special people. Note that they were to be sure to honor God when they came into the land . . .
I. BY THE FIRST OFFERING OF THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE LAND (vv. 1-11).
A. It was typical of the pagan peoples of that time to make offerings to the false god Baal from the fruit of the land. But to insure that His people would not do this, God instructed them to be sure to make an offering to Him—and to no one else—of the first- fruits of the land soon after they entered it and took possession of it (vv. 1-2). The law already commanded that the first-fruits be given regularly (annually) as a perpetual offering to the Lord (see Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9-14); and this was to be given for the support of the priests who served in the temple (Numbers 18:12-15; Deuteronomy 18:3-5). But here, the emphasis is on making sure that the people do this right away— as soon as they begin to live in the land—to establish that God be honored with the best of what He has given them.
B. There was a specific pattern to be followed:
1. They were to go to the one who was the priest in those days (that is, the high priest), and say, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us" (v. 3). This acknowledged before God’s appointed representative that God had indeed kept His promise!
2. The priest was then to take the basket of the first-fruits of the land from them and set it before the altar of the Lord (v. 4); thus offering it to God on the offerer’s behalf. Those first-fruits were a sacred offering to Him; and they were to be treated as His.
3. Then the offerer was to acknowledge that the offering was made in clear connection with God’s faithfulness in real history—that God rescued Jacob from nearly perishing (v. 5a; see Genesis 43:1-2), that God brought him and his small band of people to Egypt where they became a mighty nation (v. 5b), that God delivered the Israelites from their bondage (vv. 6-8), and brought them to the land that He had promised Jacob—"a land flowing with milk and honey" (v. 9; see Exodus 3:8, 17), and that the offering was now being made in gratitude for God’s faithfulness to His promise and in a spirit of worship (v. 10).
C. This was said to be the procedure they were to follow to "rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your houses, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you" (v. 11). Imagine! God commanded rejoicing in the good things He gave! It pleases Him greatly when we joyfully offer Him the thanks He is due!
II. BY THE FIRST OF THE THIRD-YEAR TITHE FOR THE POOR (vv. 12-15).
A. They were also to faithfully remember the every-third-year tithe (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29). This is a distinct offering from that of the first-fruits. It was to be a tenth of the produce given every three years specifically to meet the needs of the Levites, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow within their land (v. 12).
B. Note that this too was to follow a carefully established pattern that acknowledged God’s faithfulness:
1. Once it is given, they were to say to God, "I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments, nor have I forgotten them" (v. 13). Note that this tithe was considered something very wrong to keep. It was something that didn’t belong to them, but to God,; and so it needed to be "removed" from their home.
2. This was to be done with a careful searching of the heart. There were many pagan practices that were associated with offerings among the peoples of the surrounding nations; and they were to be sure to have nothing to do with them in this sacred offering—no eating of it while in mourning, nor handling it while unclean, nor giving any of it for the dead (v. 14). They were to be sure they were obedient to the Lord in keeping all that He commanded.
3. It was then that they were to appeal to God for His continued blessings on them and on the land (v. 15). They were to affirm that it was, indeed, "a land flowing with milk and honey"—as was evidenced by the richness from which they were able to make an offering. Their obedience would help insure God’s continued blessings in the future.
III. BY HEEDING THE CALL TO LIVE AS GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE (vv. 16-19).
A. Here, at the close of the recitation of the law, Moses offered up a general exhortation concerning the commands that God has given; and urges the people to be careful to observe them (v.16). Note too that the people, in doing all this, thus proclaim the Lord to be their God and that they will walk with Him (v. 17; see also Exodus 19:5-6).
B. In response, God has proclaimed them to be His special people (v. 18); and that He will exalt them above all the nations—honoring them as His "holy [that is, set-apart] people.
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We have an even greater cause to respond with these positive expressions of gratitude to the God who has saved us. The blessings He gave to Israel of old were temporal; but they were a picture of the blessings we enjoy in Christ that are eternal. And so; Paul wrote, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:11-14).