Title: Remembering the Giver
Scripture: Deut 26:1-11
As we give our offerings, we should rejoice in all that God has given us.
1. H_________________, vv. 1-3, 9
Israel is one of the tiniest nations on earth... only about __________ sq. miles. BUT
God actually gave them a land that had great P____________ economically.
Our homeland became known as a land of O_____________.
God has given us a great land as our homeland, and when we bring our offerings to Him, we need to acknowledge that He is the giver of our homeland.
II. P_____________________, vv. 9-10
“a land flowing with milk and honey.” - means that the people would find great A___________________ in the land.
Most countries have some kind of N__________________ resources...We know that they are only natural because G_____ put them there. God has provided us with what we need to live.
Philippians 4: 19, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus taught in the Model Prayer to ask God to provide our daily B___________, or our daily needs. And then, He went on to tell us not to worry about these daily needs in Matthew 6:25-34.
As we give our offerings, we need to acknowledge that God gives by providing for our needs.
III. D__________________, v. 5-9
The story of Joseph and the Exodus.
We are all slaves to S_______ and it deserves punishment.
While we were still sinners, God showed His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for us, to P________ for our sins. God is a great G____________, and when we give our offerings, we need to purposefully acknowledge that He is the giver of all good things.
Deut. 26: 11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
Title: Remembering the Giver
Scripture: Deut 26:1-11
1 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 forefathers 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, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD , the God of our fathers, 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 miraculous 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, O LORD , have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.
11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. (NIV)
As we give our offerings, we should rejoice in all that God has given us.
Let’s look at some of the things that God gives.
1. Homeland
Look at these phrases:
1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you...
2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you...
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 forefathers to give us."
9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;
In these verses we see that God gave them the land of Israel. Now, this is taking place before they have actually received it, but ultimately gave them the land.
In our own culture, land can often be very valuable, or it can become worthless. If there is gold or oil on the land, it can be worth a lot of money. If it’s located on a lake or river, or on a beach, it can be valuable. If it’s going to be used for some kind of construction project—a housing development, or a business district. There are people in our country who have made millions and billions of dollars because of land its value.
But you let a piece of land be declared as the habitat for some nearly extinct plant or animal life, and you’re stuck with it.
Israel is a small piece of land. Israel is one of the tiniest nations on the face of the earth... only about 8,000 sq. miles, 2½ times the size of Rhode. It is only 260 miles at its longest, 60 miles at its widest.
But because of the Mediterranean Sea, people often transported their products by land around the edge of the Sea going back and forth from Europe to Africa. And from China and other places in the East, they followed trade routes that came to and down through Israel. And as they say, “Location, location, location! It’s everything.”
God actually gave them a land that had great potential economically. And it’s called a land flowing with milk and honey. So, it seemed to have great potential for producing crops, as well.
We can’t help but make a parallel with our own country. After the early settling of North America, the New World became known as a land of opportunity. Many people have become very wealthy throughout the history of our country. And there are examples of people who are dirt poor who have become rich.
Just by being born in the United States, you are likely to be wealthier than most people in the world today.
It’s expensive, but we have some of the best health care in the world. Some of the greatest advances in technology and in most every field imaginable have come from our country.
God has given us a great land as our homeland, and when we bring our offerings to Him, we need to acknowledge that He is the giver of our homeland.
A second thing that God has given are…
II. Provisions, vv. 9-10
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, O LORD , have given me.
First, look at the phrase, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Obviously, milk and honey don’t come from the dirt. We often use words like: “This is a land flowing with people, or money…” This is a phrase used to mean that the people would find great abundance in the land.
Israel is blessed with seven species of fruits and crops typical of the region – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives and dates. Because of where it sits geographically, it has plains, mountains, desert, a lot of streams that take water to the Mediterranean sea, the sea of the Galilee, or the Dead Sea.
Israel depends on rains and springs for farming and every day use. So, the Bible sees the dependence on rain as a religious one. God brings the rain. We need rain. So, we need to remain faithful to God.
Most countries have some kind of natural resources, whether it’s the forests, or minerals in the ground, precious metals or stones, oil, animal life, farmland. Any number of things can be resources. Our country has a multitude of natural resources. And that has allowed our country to grow and become the world power that we are.
We call them natural, but we know that they are only natural because God put them there. God has provided us with what we need to live.
Paul writes that God is concerned for our basic daily needs (but not our greed). in Philippians 4: 19, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” This promise was made in connection with the financial support the Philippians had sent to Paul for his missionary ministry. He was assuring them that their giving would never cause them lack. God would supply their needs.
Jesus taught in the Model Prayer to ask God to provide our daily bread, or our daily needs. And then, He went on to tell us not to worry about these daily needs.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? [God provides for the birds. Aren’t you more valuable to Him than they are? Your heavenly Father knows what you need. So trust Him ]
As we give our offerings, we need to acknowledge that God gives by providing for our needs.
Then, a third thing mentioned here. God gives...
III. Deliverance, v. 5-9
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, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD , the God of our fathers, 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 miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;
You know the story of Joseph: How his brothers didn’t like him very much because he was favored by his father. And how they sold him into slavery. He was wrongly imprisoned. Then, when he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, he was placed in a very powerful position and given the job of storing up food in the 7 good years, so there would be plenty for the 7 years of famine. His brothers came to buy food, and he ultimately brought the family to Egypt. That in itself was an act of deliverance by God—delivering them from death by starvation.
Over the next 400 years, they grew in numbers and were made slaves, for fear that they would overpower the Egyptians. They cried out to God for help, and God raised up Moses. And through Moses, God delivered His people from slavery.
Every year this deliverance is remembered in the celebration of Passover, as they take a young, healthy lamb, and sacrifice it.
God delivered them from REAL slavery. And they make an offering to acknowledge what God did for them.
But the Exodus is really a foreshadowing of another kind of deliverance that God wants to provide. We are all slaves to sin. Paul reminds us that there is none righteous; none that seek God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” and in many passages he speaks of how sin makes us its slaves.
And he tells us that that sin is just like crimes being committed against God. They deserve punishment. And even our goodness cannot measure up. And can’t remove our own sin.
And while we were still sinners, God showed His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for us, to pay for our sins. God gives us a way to be delivered.
When we bring our offerings to God, we need to acknowledge that God has given us the greatest, most valuable gift of all—His Son, Jesus.
I realize that this passage isn’t talking about the tithe, the ten percent that we are to regularly give. As we give our tithe, we need to acknowledge that God is the giver of all good things.
This is a special offering, an intentional offering that is to be given at the beginning of harvest.
Now, in our culture, most of us are not involved in agriculture for a livelihood. We work in an economy where the pay is constant year round. If you own your own business, you may experience what you may consider, “the beginning of the season.”
When I was in Texas in seminary, I was a partner in a landscaping business—lawn mowing business. We had a definite time when the lawn mowing season started. Many businesses work that way. But there are many that don’t. And because of that, we may fail to see how the command for this firstfruits offering applies to us.
But I believe we wouldn’t be going wrong to say that, when you are hit with the reality that God has blessed you greatly—that God has given you a great homeland, that God has provided greatly for your needs, and God has given a way of salvation—that may be a time to offer to God the firstfruit offering.
We are blessed. God is a great giver, and when we give our offerings, we need to purposefully acknowledge that He is the giver of all good things. Look at verse 11:
11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
I hope that giving your tithes and offerings is a time to rejoice for all that God has given you. And I encourage you to lift up a prayer of thanks and praise every time you give.
