What does it mean to give?
Give as a transitive verb has sixteen definitions at Merriam-Webster.com.
There were five more definitions for using give as an intransitive verb and two for using give as a noun.
Then I found the section titled, “Choose the Right Synonym for Give”.
Before listing some synonyms with definitions, this section provided the following definition of the word give:
“Give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.”
This definition, although lacking specificity, is valuable in understanding that “giving” can be a highly personal activity.
But how does this apply to giving to remember God?
Giving to Remember God | Deuteronomy 26:1-11
The passage we will study today focuses on a specific command from God through Moses to the Israelites before they entered the promised land.
“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.” (Dt 26:1–2)
What did God give the Israelites?
What are the Israelites to give to God?
And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that 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. (Dt 26:3–4)
Where are the Israelites to take their gift?
What is the point of the Israelites’ declaration?
“And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. (Dt 26:5)
Who is the wandering Aramean? (See Gen 45:28; 46:30; and 47:9)
How large was the wandering Aramean’s family when they arrived in Egypt? (See Gen 46:8-27)
6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Dt 26:6–9)
Why did the LORD bring the Israelites out of Egypt? (Also see Gen 15:18-20; 26:1-5; 28:10-15; 46:1-4; and Ex 3:7-10)
Two years after the Israelites fled Egypt, how many men were eligible to be warriors for the nations? (See Nu 1:45-46)
How many men were in the census of the new generation just before entering Canaan? (See Nu 26:51)
10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit 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 shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. (Dt 26:10–11)
What does giving the first fruit of the ground to the LORD show?
Describe the attitude this time of worship should express.
Why does the LORD through Moses mention the Levites in verse 11? (See Nu 18:20-24; 26:57-62 and Dt 12:19)
What would the sojourners mentioned have in common with the Levites?
Why does the LORD include the sojourners in this worship ceremony? (See Gen 12:1-3; Ex 6:2-4; 22:21, and Heb 13:1-2)
Giving to Remember God | Application For Today
The instructions to give some of the first fruit of the land to the LORD in Deuteronomy 26:1-11 helped the Israelites and future generations of all people remember God had rescued them from slavery.
Jot down a few comments on how the LORD God of Heaven and Earth has rescued you.
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Dt 8:17-18)
This first-fruits principle is an essential part of giving back to God a portion of the blessings He and He alone provides for each person on earth.
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah (Ps 24:1-6)
Since most of us no longer bring a literal basket of food to an altar before the LORD, what are your “first fruits” that you give back to the LORD?
How does giving your “first fruits” to the LORD benefit others today? Share some examples in the comments below.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn