# Deuteronomy 26 đź“–: Firstfruits and Tithes
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[[-Deuteronomy Overview]] | [[Deuteronomy 25]] | [[Deuteronomy 27]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Presentation of the Firstfruits
[[#Verse 01.]] When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it,Â
[[#Verse 02.]] you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he chooses to locate his name.
[[#Verse 03.]] You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord promised to our ancestors to give us.”Â
[[#Verse 04.]] The priest will then take the basket from you and set it before the altar of the Lord your God.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] Then you must affirm before the Lord your God, “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a household few in number, but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous people.Â
[[#Verse 06.]]Â But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor.Â
[[#Verse 07.]] So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression.
[[#Verse 08.]] Therefore the Lord brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power, as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders.Â
[[#Verse 09.]]Â Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him.Â
[[#Verse 11.]] You will celebrate all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family, along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.
### Presentation of the Third-year Tithe
[[#Verse 12.]] When you finish tithing all your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred offering from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten your commandments.Â
[[#Verse 14.]] I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead; I have obeyed you and have done everything you have commanded me.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
### Narrative Interlude
[[#Verse 16.]] Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul.Â
[[#Verse 17.]] Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] And today the Lord has declared you to be his special people (as he already promised you) so you may keep all his commandments.Â
[[#Verse 19.]] Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he has said.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The "wandering Aramean" (26:5) most likely refers to Jacob, who lived for years in Aram with Laban.
2. The confession in 26:5-9 is often described as a short creed that summarizes Israel's story from Jacob to the land.
3. The priest took the basket from the worshiper and set it before the altar (26:4).
4. The third-year tithe was stored in the towns for those in need (14:28-29; 26:12).
5. The worshiper declared that he had not eaten from the tithe while mourning or offered any of it to the dead (26:14), separating his worship from pagan practices.
6. The phrase "treasured people" translates the Hebrew *segullah*, used also in Exodus 19:5. Peter applies this idea to the church (1 Peter 2:9).
7. Later Jewish writings describe joyful processions to Jerusalem with the firstfruits.
8. The firstfruits were brought to the place the Lord would choose for His name (26:2).
9. The phrase "a land flowing with milk and honey" appears twice in this chapter (26:9, 15).
10. The worshiper asks God to look down from His holy dwelling in heaven and bless His people (26:15).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the firstfruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20). Israel brought the first of the harvest to the Lord (26:2), and Jesus' resurrection guarantees the full harvest to come.
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Each worshiper retold the story of God's rescue in his own words (26:5-9). How would you tell the story of what God has done for you?
2. The third-year tithe fed the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow (26:12). How does our giving reflect God's care for the vulnerable?
3. Israel declared the Lord to be their God, and the Lord declared them His treasured people (26:17-18). What does it mean to belong to God like that?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 5: The worshiper confesses that his ancestor was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt.
- đź“– verses 8-9: The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt with great power and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey.
- đź“– verses 18-19: The Lord declares Israel His treasured people, holy to Him.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[1 Corinthians 15#Verse 20.|1 Corinthians 15:20-23]] - Christ the firstfruits.
- đź”— [[1 Peter 02#Verse 09.|1 Peter 2:9]] - A people belonging to God.
- đź”— [[Exodus 19#Verse 05.|Exodus 19:5-6]] - Israel as God's treasured possession.
- đź”— [[Genesis 31#Verse 17.|Genesis 31:17-21]] - Jacob leaves Laban the Aramean.
- đź”— [[James 01#Verse 27.|James 1:27]] - Caring for orphans and widows.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź“‚ Internal Notes