βAnd the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched armβ¦And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this landβ¦And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which Thou, O LORD, hast given meβ¦And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto theeβ (Deut. 26:8-11).
Deuteronomy 26 instructs Israel how, after they entered the Promised Land and conquered it, they were to bring the first fruits from their first harvest that they reaped from the land and to present it to the Lord in worship and thanksgiving (Deut. 26:1-2). Now this was told to IsraelΒ beforeΒ they entered the land, but these instructions were given in full expectation that theyΒ wouldΒ conquer and possess the land as God said they would (Deut. 6:1; 7:1-2). God is faithful, and when He makes a promise, itβs as good as done. Joshua wrote years later:
βAnd the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt thereinβ¦There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to passβ (Josh. 21:43-45).
Having trusted Christ as our Savior, God says weβre heaven bound. One day when we stand in Godβs heaven, dwelling in the presence of God, blessed and exalted in Christ, weβll also say, βNot one thing failed of any good thing the Lord spoke unto us. All came to pass.β We should start thanking Him now for this by faith!
These are good things to remember as we observe Thanksgiving. We have a deliverance to remember and thank God for, a deliverance from sin by the sacrifice of our Savior. Christ delivered us from the bondage of our sins with strength, βwith an outstretched armβ on the Cross, and βwith a mighty handβ that was pierced for our sins. God redeemed us and brought usΒ outΒ of the bondage of our sins, and He is faithful and He will bring usΒ inΒ to our hope of heaven one day. Like Israel of old, we should recognize how God has provided for us and has worked in our lives. We should praise Him together because of His goodness to us, thanking Him and rejoicing in βevery good thingβ which the Lord has given unto us. source
