It isn’t enough for a nation to have gifted and godly leaders; it must also have godly citizens who obey the law of the Lord. Confucius said, “The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its homes.” But homes are made up of individuals, so it’s the strength of the individual that helps to make the home what it ought to be. “Whatever makes men good Christians,” said Daniel Webster, “makes them good citizens.” The three public confessions recorded in this chapter help us to understand what kind of citizens we ought to be as the followers of Jesus Christ.
Confession of God’s goodness (vv. 1–11). This ceremony was to be used the first time any Jew brought his firstfruits offering to the Lord. It should not be confused with the annual firstfruits offering (16:4; Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Lev. 23:10–17; Num. 15:18–20; 18:12–13). Not only was this special ceremony a confession of God’s goodness to Israel and to this worshipper, but it was also a declaration that the man had now claimed his inheritance in the land. He had worked the land and received a harvest, and he brought the first and the best to give to the Lord. The basket of fruit sitting by the altar was a witness to the faithfulness of the Lord to His people. The entire ceremony was an Old Testament version of Matthew 6:33.
The confession begins with Israel’s entrance into the land of Canaan (Deut. 26:3), and this would remind the worshipper of the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan (Josh. 3). The God who opened the Red Sea for the nation to get out of Egypt also opened the Jordan River so they could go in and claim their inheritance. “He brought us out … that he might bring us in” (Deut. 6:23). The only reason the Jews didn’t enter the land sooner was because the older generation rebelled against the Lord at Kadesh and refused to trust Him for victory (Num. 13—14). The worshipper was reminded that the secret of Israel’s great success was faith in the promises of God. Years later, Joshua would say, “There failed nothing of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass” (Josh. 21:45; see 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56).
Then the worshipper would speak about Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel (Deut. 26:5), who left home and went to Haran in northwest Mesopotamia (Hos. 12:12; Gen. 25:20) to find himself a wife. After twenty years in the household of his father-in-law Laban, Jacob obeyed God’s commandment and returned to his own land and settled down with his twelve sons and their families. Indeed, Jacob had been a “fugitive” and a “pilgrim” all those years, but the Lord had watched over him and blessed him. Jacob’s twelve sons were to become the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel, and through Israel God would bless the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3).
How would God transform one man’s family into a great nation? By taking them down to Egypt where they were put through the “iron furnace” of suffering (Deut. 26:5–7; 4:20; 1 Kings 8:51; Gen. 46). Seventy people traveled to Egypt where Joseph had prepared homes for them, and years later, on Passover night, probably 2 million Jews marched triumphantly out of Egypt. The more the enemy persecuted the Jews, the more the Jews had multiplied (Ex. 1). Suffering and trial are often God’s tools for bringing blessing to His people, though at the time we may not understand it. The more the enemy persecuted the early church, the more they scattered and multiplied (Acts 5:41—6:1; 8:1–4).
The confession mentions nothing about Israel’s complaining on their journey or their failure at Kadesh-Barnea. This is a confession of faith, not unbelief. “So the Lord brought us out of Egypt … He has brought us to this place and has given us this land” (Deut. 26:8–9 nkjv). The man calls Canaan “a land that flows with milk and honey,” which is what God often called it. God gave His people a wonderful land that would meet their every need. During Israel’s years of wandering and rebellion, some of the Jews called Egypt “a land that flows with milk and honey” (Num. 16:13). It’s tragic when people are so unspiritual that the things of the world are more inviting than the things of the Lord.
In response to the goodness and grace of the Lord, the worshipper presented to God the first and the best of his labors, for there would have been no harvest apart from the blessing of the Lord. But in presenting the firstfruits, the worshipper was actually giving the entire harvest to the Lord. Stewardship doesn’t mean that we give God a part and then use the rest as we please. True stewardship means that we give God what belongs to Him as an acknowledgment that all that we have is His. We then use all that is left wisely for His glory. To bring the Lord 10 percent and then waste the 90 percent that remains is not stewardship. It’s foolishness.
The Lord “gives to us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), which explains why Moses admonished the Jews to rejoice in every good thing that the Lord gave to them (Deut. 26:11). While at the sanctuary, they could bring a thank offering to the Lord and enjoy a feast of good things, all to the glory of God. But note the mention of the Levite and the stranger, those with whom we need to share the gifts of the Lord (12:12, 18; 16:11, 14). This introduces the second confession.
Confession of honesty and generosity (vv. 12–15). This scene would take place two years later, when the Jews were supposed to bring the extra tithe to the local officers (14:28–29). The previous ceremony occurred only once, after the first harvest in the land, but this ceremony was repeated every third year. The seventh year would be the Sabbath Year, and then the cycle started again. This confession was tantamount to a summary renewal of the covenant that Israel made at Sinai, their promise to obey the Lord and His promise to bless their obedience.
The tithe of the third year was kept in the towns and used locally to feed the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows. In giving this tithe, the worshipper was to confess to the Lord that he had been honest in setting aside the tithe and using it as the Lord commanded. He was not to take the tithe for his own personal use and certainly not to use it for any sinful purpose. He had been careful not to defile the tithe by touching it while unclean because of a death in the family. In other words, the setting aside of this tithe for others was a serious matter and had to be done with dignity and obedience. The ceremony would end with the prayer of 26:15, asking God to bless the whole nation and not just the individual worshipper.
Both the first and the second confession express appreciation for the land “flowing with milk and honey” (vv. 9, 15). It’s a good thing when God’s people appreciate all that the Lord gives them. During their forty years of wandering, the older generation had frequently wanted to go back to Egypt and enjoy the food they had eaten there, but this backward look only got them into trouble. When it comes to the circumstances of life, we all need to follow Paul’s example: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11). One of the best ways to learn contentment is to share with others the blessings God gives to us.
Confession of obedience (vv. 16–19). The first two confessions looked forward to the time when Israel would be settled in their land and reaping the harvests. This confession brings us back to the plains of Moab where Moses was equipping the younger generation to enter the land. “This day” (vv. 16–18) and “today” were words Moses used frequently as he addressed the people (2:25; 4:26, 39; 6:6; 7:11; 8:1, 18; 10:13; etc.). It was indeed a solemn time when Moses reiterated the law and reviewed the nation’s history. The future of the nation depended on the people receiving, understanding, and obeying the Word of God that Moses was sharing with them.
The constant danger was that the people not receive God’s Word into their hearts but only hear it with their ears and then forget it. Like the Jewish people in Jesus’ day, they had ears but could not hear (Matt. 13:13–15). A mere casual acquaintance with the Word isn’t sufficient. If God’s Word is to nurture us and change us so that God can bless us (Ps. 1:1–3), we must devote ourselves to it, heart and soul. God had claimed Israel for His own people and promised to bless them if they obeyed Him (Deut. 26:18), and Israel had declared that Jehovah was their God and that they would obey Him (v. 17). There was no doubt that God would keep His promises, but would Israel keep their promises?
God had great things planned for Israel, just as He has great things planned for each of His children (Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 2:6–10). If the people kept their covenant promises to the Lord, He would bless them and make them a blessing, but if they disobeyed Him, He would have to chasten them. “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn hearts, to walk in their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries.… He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you” (Ps. 81:11–14, 16 nkjv).
God is faithful to us, but how much we miss when we’re not faithful to Him!