Tuesday 05 August 2008
- Bible Book:
- Deuteronomy
"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess ... you shall take some of the first fruit of all the fruit of the ground ... and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name." (v.1-2)
Background
Today's passage seems to be a bit difficult to fit into thisweek's theme of 'Bread of Heaven' but it is a reminder to thank Godfor the harvest of the land. It sets out the rituals for the annualharvest festival which reminded the Israelites that God created theworld and gave fruit to the trees to provide food forhumanity.
When the Israelites settled in the promised land they learned theirfarming techniques from the Canaanites who were the localinhabitants. The Israelites also learned about the Canaanitereligions (which were intrinsically linked with agriculture) andstarted to practise them instead of remaining faithful toGod.
Verses 5-9 give a brief history of the Israelite people fromAbraham (a "wandering Aramean") to the Exodus and the arrival inthe promised land. This is called the 'salvation history' becauseit is the story of how God saved the Israelites from slavery inEgypt.
The Israelites were tempted to forget God when they no longerneeded guidance through the wilderness. It is easy to think thatGod is only necessary in difficult times. Sometimes we might needto be reminded, like the Israelites, to look for God in the goodtimes as well as the bad.
To Ponder
Do you only turn to God when you are in adesperate place? What would remind you to keep looking for God?
What is your 'salvation history'? How would youdescribe the story of what God has done for you?