Image from cityofdavidng.org
When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lordyour God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house. (Deuteronomy 26: 1-11)
May this be a wonderful Wednesday for you, dear Friend! I pray you are warm and safe; weather forecasts look better in the days ahead for us here in Texas. Again, please check on your loved ones who might be alone. Stay safe in this weather. Care for one another!
What a marvelous act of worship to return to our loving and providing God the first fruits of our labor. As I have shared with you, my mother taught me all about tithing and returning to God the first of my labors. In Israel's history, the story shared above is how it came to be. The Lord has fulfilled His promise to His people as He had first promised to Abraham and Sarah. And His instruction is that when the people entered into the land they were to return their visible thanks to God. God had promised a land of milk and honey, and that's what He delivered. And God prescribed the ritual of taking a basket and to put in it the first fruits of the land. Not the leftovers or the afterthought of "Oh yeah, God did this, guess I better give back a part of that." God wanted the basket filled with the first and best fruits, and He also wanted the hearts filled with joy; the prescribed ritual was a reminder of God's actions that freed and blessed them. "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, who entered Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in numbers, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous..." and the rest of the story. The ritual reminds them of the bitterness of being enslaved and tortured, and how it was God who delivered them.
Giving to God should be a celebration that involves all the family. Fridays when we had moved to Houston were paydays for my dad. He alone worked outside the home and when he was paid, he would come pick up the entire family, we would pile into the car and drive to Krogers and buy the groceries for the week. After a week of the closely followed ritual of school and homework, for me riding a city bus to my school, to leave the weekly routine and be out with the family was a joyful experience. I know that my mother paid the bills, writing the family's tithe check and presenting it on Sunday. Our litany would have said, A wandering Hispanic down on his luck and what seemed like nothing promising in Kingsville, made his way to Houston where he found employment. After six months of living on his own and coming home every weekend, he was able to move his entire family to Houston; where a new world of opportunity was opened to them.
The Jews were asked to celebrate with everyone around them. The Levites and the aliens who reside among you, together you will celebrate with all that God has shared with you and your house. God's provision was for all people; the celebration is for all people. This tradition carried over and Paul wrote about it when in 2 Corinthians he spoke of God loving a cheerful giver. Earlier the Lord Himself spoke of the faith of the widow who gave a penny, her all, in faith and gratitude and trust in the Lord.
How will you celebrate the fruits of your labor and the gifts that God has shared with you? Who will you include in your celebration?
PRAYER: Loving Father, we are indeed blessed. All that we have has come from Your loving arms. Help us to recapture the joy of celebration in our act of worshiping You through our tithing and giving. Help us to include all people in our returning thanks to You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone with the blessings God has shared with you.
Eradio Valverde
