Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1 - 26:11

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1 - 26:11


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Prayer of Thanksgiving

v. 1. And it shall be when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein,

v. 2. that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth,
Exo_23:19; Exo_34:26, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord, thy God, giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, one woven, usually of willow-withes, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord, thy God, shall choose to place His name there. This offering was a part of the first-fruits of the land as they were deposited in the Sanctuary of Jehovah for the purpose here outlined.

v. 3. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days,
the officiating priest, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord, thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us. The confession was made by the bringing of the first-fruits, for the contents of the basket were the actual proof of Israel's having taken possession of the land and enjoying its increase.

v. 4. And the priests shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord, thy God,
before the altar of burnt offering, as a gift of thanksgiving to Jehovah. To the symbolic act and confession there was now added a comprehensive prayer of thanksgiving.

v. 5. And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord, thy God, a Syrian, ready to perish,
an Aramean wandering about, was my father, a reference to Jacob's journey to Mesopotamia and to his subsequent wanderings in the Land of Promise, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, as the ancestor of the twelve tribes, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous, Exo_1:7-9;

v. 6. and the Egyptians evil entreated us,
by an unendurable oppression, Exo_1:11-12, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage;

v. 7. and when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression,
Exo_2:23; Exo_4:31;

v. 8. and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm,
Exo_12:37-51, and with great terribleness, in sending terror upon the Egyptians by the great wonders and plagues which Moses performed, and with signs, and with wonders;

v. 9. and He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

v. 10. And now, behold, I have brought the first-fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it,
the basket, before the Lord, thy God, for this prayer ended the formal ceremony, and worship before the Lord, thy God, bow down before Him in adoration;

v. 11. and thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord, thy God, hath given unto thee and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you,
Deu_12:7 to Deu_12:18; Deu_16:11-14; Deu_18:4. Solemn, grateful festal joy was to reign in the hearts of the Israelites upon this occasion and be evident in their entire behavior. Every prayer of thanksgiving includes a declaration of God's goodness, a recital of His mercies.