Humans are forgetful. We can remember many details of our day at the end of the day, but as soon as the next day, many details get lost from our minds. As the weeks, months, and years go by, we remember less and less of those things that happened in the past.
The same was true of the Israelites. Yahweh performed many powerful deeds to help Israel. But over time, they would tend to forget those deeds. In today’s Scripture reading, we will see that Moses commanded Israel to remember what Yahweh did in the past, so that they would be confident that Yahweh would act on their behalf in the future. It is a good idea for us to do the same.
The context of the 26th chapter of Deuteronomy is that Israel was on the east bank of the Jordan River, ready to cross the river into Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses spoke a long monologue in which he reviewed Israel’s history and their law.
Deut. 26:1 ¶ “Then it will be, when you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance and you possess it and live in it,
Notice the word “when”. The instructions in today’s passage were to be carried out after Israel entered the Promised Land and took possession of it.
Deut. 26:2 that you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground which you bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses for His name to dwell.
Deut. 26:3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days and say to him, ‘I declare this day to Yahweh my God that I have entered the land which Yahweh swore to our fathers to give us.’
Deut. 26:4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God.
Deut. 26:5 And you shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty, and populous nation.
Look at the words “father” and “Aramean”.
Noah’s son Shem had five sons: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. The Arameans were descendants of Aram (see Genesis 10:21). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were descendants of Arpachshad (see Genesis 11). When Abraham left Ur to go to Canaan, he stopped partway and lived in Haran for many years. Haran was in the territory of the Arameans. Abraham’s servant went to the Arameans to find a wife for Isaac, meaning Isaac married an Aramean. Jacob lived among the Arameans and married Aramean sisters: Leah and Rachel.
Jacob was part Aramean. He wandered between Canaan, Aram, and Egypt. When Jacob moved to Egypt, he only had 70 descendants, but 400 years later his descendants numbered 600,000 men.
Deut. 26:6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us and imposed hard slave labor on us.
Deut. 26:7 Then we cried out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression;
Deut. 26:8 and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders;
Deut. 26:9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
This history of Israel is recorded in Exodus and Numbers.
One of the things we see frequently throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy is an exhortation to the Israelites to remember their history. They were to remember everything Yahweh did for them. Remembering Yahweh’s power would give them confidence as they entered the Promised Land and encountered cities and people groups who were much bigger and stronger than them.
This is a good practice for us. Throughout our lives, God has provided for us in many ways. It is easy to forget the past, which means we forget God’s history of providing for our needs, sometimes in somewhat miraculous ways. When we forget what God did in the past, it is easy to doubt He will provide in the future. Thus, when we encounter obstacles and setbacks, it is easy to become discouraged and pessimistic. The more we remind ourselves of what God did in the past, the easier it will be to face the future.
Deut. 26:10 So now behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which You, O Yahweh, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before Yahweh your God;
Deut. 26:11 and you and the Levite and the sojourner who is among you shall be glad in all the good which Yahweh your God has given you and your household.
Deut. 26:12 ¶ “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the orphan, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be satisfied.
Don’t miss the word “give”. Part of the purpose of this exercise was to provide for the Levites, sojourners, orphans, and widows.
Deut. 26:13 Then you shall say before Yahweh your God, ‘I have purged the sacred portion from my house, and I also have given it to the Levite and the sojourner, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not trespassed against or forgotten any of Your commandments.
Look at the words “not trespassed” and “forgotten”. Another purpose of this exercise was to provide a tangible way for the Israelites to prove that they had remembered Yahweh’s commandments and obeyed them.
Deut. 26:14 I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I purged any of it while I was unclean, nor have I given any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.
Deut. 26:15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the ground which You have given to us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’
Humans forget. Thus, we forget what Yahweh did for us in the past. That causes us to be pessimistic about the future. Moses implored Israel to remember everything Yahweh did for them in bringing them out of Egypt with power so that they could be confident when they faced obstacles in the Promised Land. We should do the same. Let us not forget all the ways God provides for us, so that we can face the future with confidence.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”