Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

[1] And it shall be, when thou art come in  unto the land  which the LORD  thy God  giveth  thee for an inheritance,  and possessest  it, and dwellest  therein; [2] That thou shalt take  of the first  of all the fruit  of the earth,  which thou shalt bring  of thy land  that the LORD  thy God  giveth  thee, and shalt put  it in a basket,  and shalt go  unto the place  which the LORD  thy God  shall choose  to place  his name  there. [3] And thou shalt go  unto the priest  that shall be in those days,  and say  unto him, I profess  this day  unto the LORD  thy God,  that I am come  unto the country  which the LORD  sware  unto our fathers  for to give  us. [4] And the priest  shall take  the basket  out of thine hand,  and set it down  before  the altar  of the LORD  thy God.  [5] And thou shalt speak  and say  before  the LORD  thy God,  A Syrian  ready to perish  was my father,  and he went down  into Egypt,  and sojourned  a few,  and became there a nation,  great,  mighty,  and populous:  [6] And the Egyptians  evil entreated  us, and afflicted  us, and laid  upon us hard  bondage:  [7] And when we cried  unto the LORD  God  of our fathers,  the LORD  heard  our voice,  and looked  on our affliction,  and our labour,  and our oppression:  [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,  that floweth  with milk  and honey.  [10] And now, behold, I have brought  the firstfruits  of the land,  which thou, O LORD,  hast given  me. And thou shalt set  it before  the LORD  thy God,  and worship  before  the LORD  thy God:  [11] 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  you.

What does Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

When the Israelites entered the land they were to bring a special offering of firstfruits they harvested from the land to Yahweh at the tabernacle (cf. Deuteronomy 14:22-27). It was to be an expression of their gratitude to God for fulfilling His promise to bring them into the land. This was to be a combination of the feast of Firstfruits and a ceremony of covenant renewal. [1] They were to remember their humble origins as well as express gratitude for their present blessings. The "father" referred to ( Deuteronomy 26:5) was Jacob. Moses described him as an Aramean because he lived many years in Paddan-aram, and he married his wives and began his family there. Jacob was essentially simply a semi-nomad whom God had blessed (cf. Deuteronomy 18:4; Exodus 23:19; Numbers 18:12-20).
It was common for Semites to regard a part of the whole as the whole ( Deuteronomy 26:9; cf. Joshua 21:43-45; 2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Kings 13:32; Jeremiah 31:5). They did not think of the firstfruits that they offered to God as the only portion they owed God. They viewed it as representing all that God had given them, all of which belonged to Him. [2]
God"s people should acknowledge God"s goodness to them publicly, not forgetting their former condition (cf. Hebrews 13:15; Ephesians 5:4; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 2:7; Colossians 3:16; Colossians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 9:15).