Offering of First Fruits And Thanksgiving
November 16, 2019
Commentary
When Israel took possession of the promised land (v. 1) they were to celebrate two rituals. There were the “offering of the first fruits” (vv. 2-11) and the “tithe in the third year” (vv. 12-15). It seems that they were to be practiced only one time, the one after Israel’s first harvest and the other after being in the land for three years. The purpose was to celebrate Israel’s transition from a nomadic existence to a settled community.
Moses commands the people to bring the first fruits of the land and present them to the Lord at the designated place of worship as a symbol that they had finally conquered the land. The offering of the fruit was a practical confession by the Israelites that they were indebted to God for the gift of the land. The first ritual consisted of taking the first fruits of the initial harvest and presenting them to the priest at the central sanctuary.
The “tithe of the third year” consisted of a positive statement (v. 13), a negative statement (v. 14) and a prayer for blessing (v. 15). It seems that this confession was probably made in people’s homes, rather than a sanctuary. A person was to cleanse his house by making sure that everything was tithed, such as cattle, crops etc. was paid.
Application
The personal confession of God’s dealing with His people helped them remember what God had done for them. How often have you put into clear, and concise words what God has done for you? He not only gave me eternal life, but He gave me new hope, new purpose, and new goals in this life. It is my desire to share this good news with everyone I can.
Deuteronomy 26:1– 19 (NET)
1 When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it, 2 you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he chooses to locate his name. 3 You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord promised to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest will then take the basket from you and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number, but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor. 7 So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression. 8 Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power, as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders. 9 Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him. 11 You will celebrate all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family, along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.
12 When you finish tithing all your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages. 13 Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred offering from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten your commandments. 14 I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead; I have obeyed you and have done everything you have commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
16 Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul. 17 Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him. 18 And today the Lord has declared you to be his special people (as he already promised you) so you may keep all his commandments. 19 Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he has said.
Illustration:
In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to meet Edward Heath, then a youngmember of Parliament, about whom Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial a few days earlier. “My dear chap,” said the publisher, embarrassed by the encounter. “I’ve been thinking it over, and I was wrong. Here and now, I wish to apologize.” “Very well,” grunted Heath. “But the next time, I wish you’d insult me in the washroom and apologize in your newspaper." (Today in the Word, October 1, 1993)