Scripture Reading(s)
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
26:1 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,
26:2 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.
26:3 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.”
26:4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God,
26:5 you shall make this response before the LORD your 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.
26:6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us,
26:7 we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
26:8 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;
26:9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
26:10 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.
26:11 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.
Reflections
The Lord established days of celebration for the Israelites. They celebrated the harvest, deliverance from the Egyptians, and many other things. The reason is because it is important to remember our past. It is important to know where we came from, how we got here, and who to thank for it. A thankful heart is a happy and content heart.
The Lord instructed the Israelites and us by extension, to “celebrate the bounty that the Lord God has given you and to your house.”
This week we are given an opportunity to gather with our friends and family and celebrate all that God has done for us. Do not go by this week without considering all God has done for us and count all of our blessings.
Being thankful is something that we always need to strive hard to practice in the Christian life. God had provided so much for the nation of Israel. He had lead them through a hard and long journey and looking back, they could easily and plainly trace Gods hand moving in their lives.
The response now was to be thankful. It was to show God the overwhelming gratitude towards all that God had done for them.
Look back on your own life and recall all the times God has shown His faithfulness in your own life. Take the time to thank God for all that He’s done and use those things as an anchor to help ground you in remembering to continually have a thankful heart.
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