βAnd thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among youβ (Deuteronomy 26:11).
The special offering delineated in todayβs Scripture and its context serves to instruct Israel concerning a most basic principle. Notice: β[1] β¦.the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritanceβ¦ [2] β¦thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee,β¦. [3] β¦I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give usβ¦. [8] And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: [9] And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. [10] β¦I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given meβ¦. [11] β¦rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto theeβ¦.β
Friend, do you see the constant emphasis on what the LORD (JEHOVAH God) has done for Israel? By offering this sacrifice, the Jews are reminded of Godβs provisions for them. They had not gained that land by their own efforts. Simply in His grace God had promised it to their father Abraham many centuries earlier (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:1-21).
Additionally, their father Jacob and his family were ready to die of starvation in Canaan, but God had sent Joseph into Egypt ahead of time so Israel (a tribe of 70 souls) would migrate southward and survive (Genesis chapters 46-47). Eventually, they became Egyptian slaves. The Israelites could not deliver themselves from harsh Egyptian bondage. Forty years prior to todayβs Scripture, Almighty God had given their ancestors victory over Egypt and Satan. They had refused to enter the Promised Land and died in the wilderness. However, now, in todayβs Scripture, 40 years later, this new generation of Jews can enter Godβs land, where Abraham had once lived, to now enjoy its bountiful harvestsβ¦ source
