1 When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you have taken possession of it and settled in it,
- h.: And it may well be that when;
- That’s how it’ll be. It’s not up for discussion. You’ll occupy that land and take it for yourself.
- So what should you watch out for after a successful takeover?
2 Take some of the firstfruits of all the produce of the land that you harvest from the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Put them in a basket and go to the place which the Lord your God will choose as the dwelling place for his name.
- After your first harvest, it will be clear that you’re at home there. You’ll be a farmer, not a nomad, not a herdsman, not a warrior.
- Take a sample of your harvest and seek God.
- There will, of course, be only one place for worship and for meeting with God. Worship services will be centralised.
3 Go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him: ‘I declare today before the Lord your God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers that he would give us.’
- This is a testimony to the fulfilment of God’s promise. What He promised, He has fulfilled. You will bring proof, confirmation, but also an expression of gratitude.
- This will show that you realise what actually happened. That you understand fromplacing one’s personal story within the context of history.
4 The priest shall take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 You shall declare before the Lord your God: ‘My father was a nomadic Aramean. He went down to Egypt and lived there (as a small handful). But there he became a great, powerful and numerous nation.”
- h.: the lost; n.: the wanderer;
- [reference to Jacob – his mother was an Aramean (Gen 24:10) and he himself lived in Aram for at least 20 years]
- h.: in a few men;
- Yes, it is indeed you, Mr XY, who have become part of such an incredible work of God. You are truly no longer a slave. You are truly settled in a land that was originally inhabited by ruthless killers.
- And what about us, as Christians? Is it the same for us? Do we understand what is happening in our lives?
- It is only in the Kingdom of Heaven that we shall experience the full realisation of such firstfruits: when we lay our crowns at Christ’s feet and confess that we are there/here because of God’s promise, because of Christ’s sacrifice, and because of God’s grace.
- Just as with the Israelites, it will be abundantly clear that this is the fulfilment of God’s promise, His initiative and His work. When we confess: ‘Yes, we really are here, we have arrived, we’ve “made it”,’ We really did find our way home.
- But even here, on this side, we can marvel at ‘how far we’ve come’ ‘We, the ordinary lads and lasses from the village’, have made it this ‘far’ – our lives are part of the greatest story in history.
- Here on earth, too, we experience moments when we can acknowledge with wonder and gratitude that God keeps his word, and reflect on all the good things the Lord has done for us.
- In a similar vein, the Israeli reflects on his harvest – who was I? A homeless wanderer.
When I reflect on my own life from this perspective, I feel a similar sense of wonder and gratitude: How on earth did it come about that I, of all people, became a Christian? I do not wish to write much about myself here, but from the point of view of faith in Christ, my hand was dealt ‘poorly’ – an insecure, intellectual teenager growing up under socialism; not a Christian to be seen far and wide, no Bible, no information. Yet it happened. When I look back on my journey of faith, I cannot fail to see God’s hand at work.
6 The Egyptians treated us badly, humiliated us and subjected us to harsh slavery. 7 When we cried out to the Lord (the God of our fathers), the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our suffering and our oppression.
- Once again, we are reminded of our poor starting positions.
- Communism did share some common features with Egypt. Slavery shares common features with it.
- Under socialism, the suffering in Czechoslovakia was nowhere near as severe as in the Soviet Union, China or North Korea, but there were common features.
- For example, we had only a vague idea of what a life of freedom might be like.
- I don’t even know of anyone who he cried out to the Lord for help for our country – but it certainly did happen.
- At first, I didn’t even know that God existed.
- I vaguely remember my own first, tentative prayer. It was very vague, something along the lines of: ‘Lord God, if you exist, let me know you.’
8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, by great and awe-inspiring deeds, by signs and wonders.
- We continue with a grateful recap of the first harvest:
- God’s answer came: the Lord intervened in our lives. He did not allow evil to triumph; He took our destinies into His own hands.
- I believe that when we look back on our lives from ‘above’, the magnitude and wonder of God’s intervention on our behalf will be clearly evident. We will clearly see God’s work, which was behind our conversion. We will see:
- God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm: In other words, His uncompromising actions on our behalf
- great, awe-inspiring deeds
- signs and wonders: that is, God’s supernatural interventions
9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- It is thanks to these divine interventions that we are now able to live as well as we do.
- Not in terms of prosperity (although, even in that respect, the vast majority of us in Europe have little to complain about).
- But in the sense that We can live as Christians, which is the most meaningful and best thing that can happen to a person in life.
10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the produce of the land which you have given me, O Lord. Place this before the Lord your God, and bow down before the Lord your Rejoice in all the good things that the Lord your God has given to you and to your household — you, the Levites and the foreigners living amongst you.
- With a pure heart and a spirit of gratitude, it is right to rejoice in all the good things we experience, both spiritually and physically.
- When we are blessed by God’s goodness, we must not forget others who are less fortunate – those who are poor in both body and spirit, such as non-believers.
- Place this before the Lord your God; bow down before the Lord your God. It is desirable for Christians to occasionally carry out a heartfelt review of their lives: I realise the good things I have, whether it be the fact that I can be a Christian, or my health and financial security.
- They are also encouraged by the thought that it is merely a matter of debut – In other words, we can expect things to get even better in the future.
- This debut is merely a foretaste of what is to come.
- As Svatopluk Karásek sings in The Sermon on the Wedding at Cana in Galilee: In your life today, every joy of yours
It foreshadows that complete joy. - In the context of debut works, it is also worth quoting some further verses from Karásek’s song:
The key is to drink the wine in the correct order.
The best wine is best enjoyed straight away
And as time goes on, things just get worse and worse.
In Káni, they’ve had the best time recently.
The years are adding up in your life.
Don’t save the worst for last.
At the end of your day, God will give you some excellent wine.
Save the best wine for last.
In your life today, every joy of yours
It foreshadows that complete joy.
As soon as you cross the bridge of death, God will call out: ‘Another guest.’
A new guest joined us for the celebration.
Let me drink your excellent wine.
God says: ‘Just have a taste today.’
Behold, my chalice overflows; within it, time unfolds before you.
My chalice overflows; take it.
- One opportunity for a heartfelt reflection might be, for example, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, which is also a foretaste of sharing a meal with Jesus in the Kingdom of God.
- We can also be grateful for the incredible progress our country has made since 1989: from a broken, devastated and bleak nation after fifty years of Communist rule to a prosperous, wealthy, free and safe country
- Gratitude and worship are acts of devotion. It is no sin to be well off; it is a sin to be ungrateful and to forget the giver.
- And just a reminder: Don’t forget those who are less fortunate – those who do not know Christ and those who are not well, even physically. We shall see more about that later.
12 It is only in the third year, the year of the tithe, that you shall complete the setting aside of the whole tithe from your harvest and give it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be satisfied,
- So the tithe was not paid in the very first year. Things had to settle into a routine first. In the first year, only a sample of the harvest was brought to God as a gesture of gratitude.
- When you start up a ‘business’, it involves a great deal of stress and hard work. God does not insist on a detailed account of tithes from the outset – but He does expect an attitude of gratitude.
- And he expects us not to forget those who are less fortunate, too.
13 Say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed from the house all that was holy and given it to the Levites, the strangers, the orphans and the widows, in full accordance with the commandment you gave me. I have not transgressed your commands, nor have I forgotten them.’
- Removed; h.: burnt down; often: wiped out
- I have not forgotten You, God: I have gone through my house and my accounts. I have not kept for myself what belongs to You, but have put it where it belongs – in the service of God and to help those in need.
- I try to understand your views on the matter and act accordingly.
14 I did not eat of it during a time of mourning; I did not set any of it aside whilst I was ritually unclean; nor did I offer any of it to the dead. I obeyed the Lord my God and did everything you commanded me.
- I handled your resources properly – I did not allow them to become contaminated.
15 Look down from your holy dwelling place, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Please do take a look at our efforts and give them your recognition.
- With sincerity of heart, we endeavour to fulfil our part of the agreement – and we ask that You fulfil Yours.
- We certainly don’t do everything perfectly, but we really do care about it.
16 Today the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. You must keep them and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
- This is your part: to carry out the commands. Take it seriously; don’t do it half-heartedly. Think them through; get to the ‘heart of the matter’. Try to discern God’s character behind the commands.
- Our Master taught us to approach God’s commandments in this way (in the Sermon on the Mount, amongst other places). It was precisely this that the Pharisees failed to do.
- Which reminds me of certain audits or inspections: auditors aren’t concerned with the substance, but with the formalities. Having the ‘paperwork’ in order is more important than how things are actually done. But that’s not how it should be.
17 Today you have declared concerning the Lord that he shall be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments and decrees, and obey him.
- Yes, that was your promise. That’s what we agreed, that’s what you wanted.
- It is a sort of reminder of your ‘baptismal commitment’ – when you became a Christian, this is what you committed yourself to.
18 And the Lord has declared to you today that you shall be his people, his special possession, as he told you, provided that you keep all his commandments.
- And God took your commitment very seriously.
- He took you as His own, adopted you, and took you into His care. From this moment on, you are His.
19 And He will exalt you above all the nations He has made, to His praise, renown and glory, so that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, as He has said.
- And being His possession means that He will look after you for your own good. He will set you apart for Himself, purify you, and the good things He will do for you are beyond your imagination.
- It will be on a completely different level to that of the nations and people around you.