King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 4 notes
Read Deuteronomy 26 in the app
1And 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;
2That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
3And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, 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.
4And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.
5And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
6And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
7And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
I must trace my heritage.
8And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
9And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
10And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:
11And 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.
Some have labored, and we do enter into their labours.
Here the people were to rejoice in all that the Lord had provided.
A land flowing with milk and honey, which they did not sow, and houses they did not build, and yet they did enjoy.
Their fathers died in the wilderness seeking out this land, and yet here they are reaping the benefits thereof.
God made sure that they did remember, so they do not take things for granted.
This is good advice for us all. That as we sit by the dining table, we teach our children the ways of the Lord that has brought us this far, so that when we are gone, they remember the word of the Lord always.
The Spirit of the Lord brings us peace, peace of mind and rest to our minds and our bodies.
There is a peace that his presence brings.
He gives us the ability to obey the word of God. To walk according to the precepts of God written 📝 on our hearts 💕 and conscience 🧠.
Sometimes you know the right thing to do but just can't do it. Indeed, many times that is the case.
But the Spirit enables us to do his will. Especially the things that are our weaknesses.
Especially in our generation, where we have been lured into addictions.
Addictions of sex, drunkenness, lewdness, materialism etc.
His Spirit helps us break all those yokes and bondages.
And he blesses us, guides us into hidden riches.
And shows us our role in the kingdom 👑 and enables us to do it.
He shows us judgements and wisdom. Just like the spirit upon Moses was given to the 70 elders to enable them to judge Israel 🇮🇱.
His Spirit is all we need. When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he changes everything and aligns us to his will, his word and his ways.
12When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
13Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:
14I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.
15Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
16This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
17Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:
18And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own special people — these words of Peter in the New Testament were the very words God used to describe Israel in the wilderness on different occasions.
Oh, no wonder Stephen called them the church in the wilderness. Israel was God's special people and church in the wilderness. No wonder he gave them such wonderful and unique laws, because he was so close to them.
Moses even said that if they obey the laws and rules of God, they will be so blessed, and the people around them would call them blessed, and wonder at such wonderful laws God had given them, and wonder at the blessedness of a people whom God is so close to, and lives and walks among.
And yes, today we the church are even more blessed, in that not only does the Lord walk among us,
he is not just so close to us, but actually lives in us as his temple.
The holy temple of the holy God.
Little wonder Paul says if you attempt to destroy God's temple, God also will destroy you, which temple we are.
19And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.