Monday, February 26, 2007

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (The Message)
1-5 Once you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you as an inheritance and take it over and settle down, you are to take some of all the firstfruits of what you grow in the land that God, your God, is giving you, put them in a basket and go to the place God, your God, sets apart for you to worship him. At that time, go to the priest who is there and say, "I announce to God, your God, today that I have entered the land that God promised our ancestors that he'd give to us." The priest will take the basket from you and place it on the Altar of God, your God. And there in the Presence of God, your God, you will recite: 5-10 A wandering Aramean was my father, he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon they became a great nation, mighty and many. The Egyptians abused and battered us, in a cruel and savage slavery. We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers: He listened to our voice, he saw our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight. And God took us out of Egypt with his strong hand and long arm, terrible and great, with signs and miracle-wonders. And he brought us to this place, gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. So here I am. I've brought the firstfruits of what I've grown on this ground you gave me, O God.
10-11 Then place it in the Presence of God, your God. Prostrate yourselves in the Presence of God, your God. And rejoice! Celebrate all the good things that God, your God, has given you and your family; you and the Levite and the foreigner who lives with you.

Do you know your family history? Were you ancestors from Europe? Were they German, English, or Dutch? Did they come from Asia? Were they Japanese or Vietnamese? Are you descended from Africans? From Nigerians or Kenyans? Or are you ancestors the native people of the Americas?

Family history was very important to the people who lived in ancient times. The Bible follows the story of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. They lived in the area that we now know as Israel, Iraq, and Iran. God wanted to make himself known to all the peoples of the earth, but he chose the Israelites first. God promised to lead the Israelites into a place where they could have their own land. God promised that land to them. The people depended on God to protect them and bless them in that land.

In this passage from Deuteronomy we read about a command God gave the Israelite people concerning their offerings, once they have settled in the land God hand promised to them.

They are to bring a basket of the best of their crops and place it before God. Then they are to recite their family history. They are to tell God about Joseph who went to Egypt and how all of the people of Israel joined him there and grew in number until there were so many of them that the Egyptians were afraid of them and forced them to be slaves. And then the Israelite bringing the offering recites how God was faithful and rescued them from Egypt and brought them to the promised land.

After remembering their family history, the Israelites are to bow before God, to worship Him and to celebrate all the good things he has done.

This is not just the family history of the Israelite people. This is part of Jesus’ family history. And now, since we are part of his family, it is our family history, too.

When we worship God, we remember our family history in a sense. We remember all of the people who have lived and worshiped before us because we tell their stories and sing their songs. As we worship, let us bow before God as our ancestors did. Let us celebrate all the good things He has done, how He has rescued us from our own slavery to sin and death and how He has promised to us new life.