What do the Israelites need to do after they settled in Canaan?
Deuteronomy 26:1-15 (NIV)
Firstfruits and Tithes
26 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Preface
The scriptures describe what the Israelites must do with their first harvest. They must take it and place it before the alter as designated by the specific instructions and not only this, on the year they must give the tithe to the Levites, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. It was to remember God’s intervention in their journey to this promised land and to give thanks for the abundance that has been blessed upon them. As we read these scriptures and as we have received God’s love, what must we do?
What do the Israelites need to do after they settled in Canaan?
1.We must not forget God’s grace.
When we forget the grace of God, pride comes.(1 Corinthians 15:10)
In the past, Israel was a slave to Egypt.
1) What is God’s grace?
It is the life we have received to be able to wake up in the morning.
It is the fact that we are His children
It is the loved ones around us.
It is the wisdom and understanding to be able to live and prosper in this
world
a) It is the grace of God that Israel has harvested. (Ps 50:14; Rome 1:2)
b) Remember the ancestors' labor when harvesting.
c) We must thank God for his grace.
2. We must thank God for his grace.
1) The harvest was given by God(Deut 26:12-15)
2) Use what you gave to God as He commanded you..
3) Confess that you used it as the Lord's command.
3. We must share with one another.
It does not have to be done.
Jesus says to give to the poor.
1) What do we share
Love
Our most important possessions
Our lives
Our joy
2) Who do we need to share with?
With our neighbors
Those who need our help.
Application
1. Everything we have is from God
Everything we have is from God. It belongs to God. Therefore, God fills all our needs and so we must remember His grace and give thanks for His grace and share with each other what we have received.
2. Did the people of Israel live according to God's will?
Did the Israelites really follow God’s instructions after they arrived in Canaan?
They did not. They forgot His commands. They did not fear him. Did they give thanks? They tried
3. So what must we do?
We immigrated to the US to find something better. We formed this church to find a life of faith. We have slowly built up a life for ourselves. However, the point we must think about is, do we think we did this on our own?
4. Believe in God’s guidance and entrust yourself to Him.
What I do is not by my strength but by the strength of the Lord that resides in me and by the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.(Gal 2:20)
