Deuteronomy 14:22-27
“You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.
Tag: God Wants Us to Celebrate His Giving with Our Giving
The above passage follows a section on what is permissible to eat and what is not permissible to eat. In Deuteronomy we are given the Ceremonial, Moral and Spiritual Laws for the nation of Israel. After being told what they could eat and what they COULD NOT eat, Moses, in this passage, tells them how to celebrate the first fruits they may glean from the new land they were about to possess. Note that they are to take the first fruits of the field and, in the presence of the Lord (near where He will tell them to worship), they are to eat it in a celebration. “In the presence of the Lord,” is to remind them that this seed planted and now grown was not the fruit they are eating because of some “god” who magically produces fruit. The fruit of the ground was not from the “rain god.” The reason they are to do this is so that may “learn to fear the Lord” their God. God was concerned that when they came to the land of promise they would begin to serve the gods of the land (which they did). He wanted them, at every turn to recognize that it was God who gave them this fruit and not our own energy and/or talents. He wants us to celebrate the fruit of the land (God is for celebration), but He wants us to do so in a way that will acknowledge His sovereignty and His blessing our lives. God wants us to celebrate. We do so but recognizing that God is the giver of Gifts. Our gift back to Him is to honor Him with praise in that celebration.
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