Deuteronomy 26 - Remember & Be Content

Introduction

[READING - Deuteronomy 26:1-15]

Deuteronomy 26:1–15 NASB95

1 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 “Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 “You shall answer and say before the Lord 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. 6 ‘And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. 7 ‘Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; 8 and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; 9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 ‘Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; 11 and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household. 12 “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 “You shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments. 14 ‘I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the Lord my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 ‘Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

[PRAYER]

[TS] The offering of first fruits may have been associated with the Feast of Weeks or some other offering but this chapter breaks down it parts…

Exposition

Part #1: Declaration (Deut. 26:1-4)

Deuteronomy 26:3 NASB95

3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’

Part #2: Enumeration (Deut. 26:5-10a)

Origin (v. 5)

Slavery and Redemption (vv. 6-8)

Possession (v. 9)

Response (v. 10a)

Part #3: Celebration (Deut 26:10b-11)

The NASB says, “you shall rejoice,” but others actually say, “you shall celebrate,” and one commentator translated it like this (which I think is my favorite), “you shall enjoy everything good which YHWH Your God has given you and your household.”

Part #4: Donation and Continuation (Deut. 26:12-15)

Illustration

There’s a familiar sermon illustration when it comes to tithing. I don’t know if the story really happened, but it’s said that a young boy was in a church service when he was especially moved by God.

The offering plates began to go around and the young boy wished he had something to give in response to all that God had given to him.

As the offering plate neared him, he got an idea: taking the plate into his hands he sat it on the floor and stepped into it.

The boy said to the usher, “Mister, I don’t have any money; I haven’t sold a single newspaper today, but if Jesus did all that preacher said he did just for me, I will gladly give my life to Him.”

When most people hear about a tithe, they think God (or the church) is after their money, but God isn’t just after their money; He’s after the whole person.

Application

One Bible handbook describes “tithe” like this…

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Meaning of Tithe

Word meaning “tenth,” used of the offering of a tenth for religious purposes. Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek, the priest-king (Gen. 14:18–20). The Israelites were required to give a tithe to the Levites (Num. 18:21, 24), and the Levites in turn were to give a tithe of the tithe to the priests (Num. 18:25–28). The tithe was taken from things like grain, fruits, and animals (Lev. 27:30–32). There is no command to tithe in the New Testament (cf. 1 Cor. 16:2), but many Christians believe that the concept is a useful guide in their giving.

Q: How can the tithe we’ve talked about in Deuteronomy 26 be a useful guide in our giving?

It reminds us that we give in response to God’s faithfulness.

The Israelites recounted God’s faithfulness by declaring that they were in the Promised Land, but we remember His faithfulness by declaring that we are in Christ Jesus.

They had great reason to give.

We have much more.

It reminds us that we give in response to God’s grace.

The Israelites enumerated or recounted how God had brought them from wilderness to Promised Land, but we recount how God has transferred out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son.

They had great reason to give.

We have much more.

It reminds us that our giving should be followed with enjoyment of all that God has given us.

The Israelites sat down their tithe and went to enjoy the rest of their grain or wine, but we give from the heart because of the enjoyment we’ve found in Christ Jesus.

They had great reason to celebrate.

We have much more.

It reminds us to not forget our needy neighbors in our giving.

Every third year the Israelites made a special offering for the needy because God had greatly blessed them, but we are reminded all the time just how needy we were before God and just how greatly He has blessed us in Jesus Christ.

They had great reason to show compassion.

We have much more.

Conclusion

The tenth commandment says, “You shall not covet,” and one way—perhaps a primary way—to fight the sin of coveting is by tithing.

We are not under any law of God to tithe, but we are under the Word of God which says that each person should give what God has decided in his heart to give. Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says…

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 NASB95

6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

After all that God has given us in Jesus Christ, how could we not be cheerful givers!?

After all that God has given us in Jesus Christ, why would we covet?