Monday 11/7/22

A Prayer of Thanks

📺️ Deuteronomy 26 🔊

¹And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

 ²That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

 ³And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

 ⁴And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.

 ⁵And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

 ⁶And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

 ⁷And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

 ⁸And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

 ⁹And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

 ¹⁰And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

 ¹¹And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

 ¹²When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

 ¹³Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

 ¹⁴I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

 ¹⁵Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

 ¹⁶This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

 ¹⁷Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:

 ¹⁸And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

 ¹⁹And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Moses 

Date Penned: (1407 BC)

Overview: To Remind and Rededicate Israel to the Lord (c 1-34)

Theme: Principles for Godly Living (c 5-28)

Message: Prayers to God (v 1-19)

Deuteronomy 26 Commentary

(26:1-11) The Firstfruits - The offering of the first crops of the harvest, or firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14), was a reminder to the people of everything God had provided for them. When they arrived in the Promised Land, the people were to recite a confession of faith that would retell the story of their small beginnings in Egypt, their growth into a mighty nation, and their journey to claim and conquer the land given to them by God.

(26:5-10) Remembering the Goodness of God - This recitation of God's dealings with his people helped the people remember what he had done for them. What is the history of your relationship with God? Can you put into clear and concise words what God has done for you? Find a friend with whom you can share your spiritual journey. Telling your stories to each other will help you clearly understand your personal spiritual history as well as encourage and inspire you both.

(26:5) The Syrians - The Syrians were among the ancestors of Abraham, Jacob's grandfather. Jacob also spent many years working in Syria for his uncle Laban to earn his wives, Rachel and Leah (Genesis 29-31).

(26:12) Offerings - This law is repeated from 14:28-29. The people were to give their tithe to those in need every third year. This amounts to one-third of their giving on a three-year cycle. Though we are not under this law today, the New Testament reminds us not to forget the poor. Consider giving one-third of your annual contribution to overseas ministries or to relief for the poor, orphans, and widows.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Deuteronomy with Chapter 26 and we see  the end of this 5th set of principles that Moses is giving this new generation of Israel - Laws for Human Relationships. In our text to day we see the Prayers to God thanking him for His provisions and deliverance. Here Israel was reminded to give their first fruits and symbol of thanksgiving and were to recite a prayer as a remembrance to what God has done. In doing so Israel was to stay humble before the Lord lest they forget the Lord as the former generation did. In making application today we are to remember the Lord. Tithing, Thanksgiving, giving Grace before meals are all a part of this process to teach the next generation of the Lord lest they forget. It reminds me of being a young boy and being in the hospital for 2 weeks with bad kidney stones. Each day my dad would bring me a new toy. By the end of my stay I would be upset at the nice toys I received. I was unthankful and did not even acknowledge the gift or the giver. Now that my dad has passed I remember all the times we had and am regretful that I didn't acknowledge all that he did for me. Now when I think of my Heavenly father and the day I meet him face to face I don't want to have this feeling of unthankfulness but rather a heart of thanks. How about you? Do you acknowledge and give thanks to our Lord Jesus? Let us learn from today's text giving thanks lest are future generations forget the Lord.