Deuteronomy Chapter 26
There would come a day when all of Israel would remember the words spoken to them by Moses on this day. They would be standing in fields of great harvest that the Lord had promised them and living in houses that they did not build. And as their hands took hold of the first crops ready to be harvested, a smile would form on their faces as they thought about how beautiful the grace and love of our heavenly Father is. The generation before them had to work so hard to satisfy the whims of the Egyptians, but they would get to enjoy the fruits of their own labor in their own land. That first year of their first harvest would have been so exciting, their hearts swollen with gratitude for what the Lord had done.
Deuteronomy 26:16-19 “This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.”
Let's Reflect
1. How were the Israelites instructed to honor God once they harvested their first crops in the promised land?
2. According to verse 5 the Israelites began in Egypt as just a small family (about 70 people). What had transpired over the years?
3. According to verse 11 when they brought the fruit of the land to the place of worship, what were they instructed to do?
4. Their tithes were collected and kept in their homes, then given to the temple every 3 years. That’s a long time to keep collecting and not be tempted to take from it in times of hardship. But they were to honor God with their tithes. They were to trust that He was going to take care of them and supply their every need. When a man was obedient to God in the way prescribed, he certainly could ask of God without shame. What could he ask of God? See verse 15.
5. Considering everything that is happening in our country we can clearly see where we have gone wrong when we read verses 16-19. What would you say that we have not done as a country?
6. What promise did God make to those who keep his commandments, rules, and listen to His voice?
7. In verse 18 we learn that God had a name for the nation of Israel. What was that name?
