Generosity as Remembrance
Deuteronomy 26:1-10 “When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.”
After generations of waiting, the Israelites are finally on the cusp of entering into the land that God had promised them. As they’re gathered on the border, Moses gives the nation a final address. This final address comprises much of the book of Deuteronomy. Moses reminds them of the law by which they’re supposed to live. He also reminds them that following God’s law will bring blessings to them while disobedience has stark consequences.
In our verses for today, we read about how the Israelites are instructed to tithe their firstfruits. As the Israelites get settled into the promised land one of the very first things they must do is cultivate food for themselves. They were an agrarian people so farming was vital to their survival. There was no Costco in ancient Israel, if they were going to survive they needed to work on their food supply. The Israelites are instructed to gather their firstfruits, which directly challenges their worries about their own provision. To give their firstfruits means they are to take the very first yield of their crops and gather it and bring it to the temple as a tithe. For some of us it’s not hard to imagine how much of a pain point this is. For many in our church this is a felt-reality. But, let’s imagine for a second so we can feel the weight of this. Imagine you’re settling into a brand new land and you’re starting from scratch. You plant some wheat, corn, fruit trees, potatoes, and carrots so that you can feed your family and your people. You care for the plants and wait for them to grow ever so patiently. Then, after a few months the first harvest comes. Your hard work has paid off! The natural temptation is to take what you can off of your crops and enjoy it for yourself because you’ve worked so hard and waited so long for it.
But, God expects something different from His people, He calls them to give their firstfruits. Instead of taking their firstfruits and enjoying it for themselves, He wants them to give their first back to Him. Why does God expect this? Is it because God needs the money and food? Is it because the promised land needs a big infrastructure project to be funded? Is it because the priests would knock down your door if you don’t give what you’re told to? Obviously the answer to these questions is no. The Israelites are to give the firstfruits out of remembrance and gratitude.
Moses instructs the people to remember their history. In order to be compelled to give their firstfruits back to God they need to remember where they’ve been brought. They need to remember what it was like to be a nation of slaves. They need to remember what it was like to suffer at the hands of the Egyptians. They need to remember their harsh labor for the Pharaoh’s empire. They need to remember their plight. And, they need to remember what God has done for them as He delivered them from their affliction. Remembrance filled the people with overwhelming gratitude and praise because of the miraculous work God did for them. The Israelites didn’t liberate themselves, God did that. They must remember and be filled with gratitude.
The same is true for us. Remembrance leads us to see that God has given us everything, so we are compelled to give back to God a portion of what He’s given us. Christians are called to generosity not out of obligation, but through gratitude. We should be in the constant practice of remembrance. We ought to contemplate what God has delivered us from, such as: addictions, pride, emptiness, jealousy, selfishness, greed, and the like. We must remember who we once were, sinners in desperate need of help. And from that place, we need to remember how generous God is in caring for His children. We must look to the cross of Christ as the means through which God forgives us lowly sinners. We must look to the provisions He gives us every single day as reminders of His love and care for us. Remembrance leads us to generosity, because we cannot help but give back to Him as an expression of our gratitude.
God has done great things for us, and God is inviting us to give our time, talents, and treasures as an act of gratitude. As you give to the church, to the work of missions locally and globally, and to your neighbor in need you do so as a way to say a simple but profound “thank you” to God our Father.