An Inheritance to Possess
Formations: July 22, 2018
Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Michael K OlmstedWe forget – it’s either a human flaw or a convenient habit. Our forgetfulness means we often repeat the mistakes of previous generations and we settle for what is easy or convenient to the moment, learning the same hard lessons over and over.
History records the greatest human tragedies when God is forgotten. Moses understood this, so he directed careful instructions to Israel that would help them stay connected to their heritage and keep God in the center of their present. Deuteronomy is more than a compilation of religious laws and rituals. It emphasizes that those who are truly God’s children must love God, worship God and express gratitude to God for who he is and all he has done for us.
Moses has come to the end of his life with today’s text. He will not live in the “promised land” of this world and he wants those who have survived the years of servitude in Egypt and forty years of wandering in the wilderness to experience the full life God has promised. He tells them, in this farewell address, that they must not forget all the ways God cared for them on their arduous journey and their new life in Canaan must be a celebration “with all the bounty that the Lord God has given to you and to your house” (v. 11). Moses offers a brief sketch of God’s faithfulness: God promised them this land when their ancestor was “a wandering Aramean,” they ended up as slaves in Egypt, where they grew to a mighty nation in number, and then God lifted them out of oppression “with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders” (vv. 3, 5-8). Now they will be living in a land “flowing with milk and honey” (v. 9). (This is a thumbnail sketch of Genesis 37:16 through Exodus 13:22.)
Moses speaks in anticipation of a new day when the promises of God will become reality. To forget is to wander in a frustrating and hopeless world, so Moses is laying down instructions that will help these pilgrims stay on track as God’s people. This is mostly instruction for their first harvest season in the land of promise, but also includes the years that follow. This predates the Temple of Jerusalem as it refers to presenting some of their harvest at “the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name” (v. 2). The tabernacle from the wilderness wandering will continue to be used, as well as some other traditional places among the twelve tribes. Even their sacrificial words are specified: “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us” (v. 3).
Verses 5-10 are a confession of faith that includes their history, beginning with a reference to “a wandering Aramean was my ancestor (Jacob)” (v. 5). The word “wandering” (Hebrew ‘obed) has been translated differently in English versions as “ready to perish” (ASV) or “starving” (CEB). The idea is that they are no longer homeless nomads in a hostile world but a people who possess land and now raise their own crops. They have something that is theirs to give to God. Sacrifices and gifts do not earn God’s favor, they express thanks to God for a life of freedom and opportunity when we can show our love for God.
Moses’ words are spoken in the whirlwind of Israel’s epic story. From Joseph’s amazing rise to power in the household of Pharaoh, and the wilderness journey when Israel began to know God in a personal way, this story is a miracle of grace. After all the suffering and seemingly impossible wilderness wandering, we hear an Israeli farmer’s confession of faith: “So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me” (v. 10).
But there is another critical element in Moses’ instructions concerning worship and sacrifice. These people have been through the worst circumstances of life: poverty, abuse, racism, genocide, violence. Moses says that when they bring their offerings to God they will do so “together with the Levities (God’s set aside servants) and the aliens (foreigners like you were in Egypt) who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house” (v. 11) God’s people are not to treat those who are different from them as they were treated in Egypt. God is concerned about Israel’s witness to strangers and aliens in their land.
Our “God talk” is crowded with words about love, forgiveness, blessings and grace. But too often those words are intended only for people like us. What about those who are a different color, speak a different language, have a disability, live in poverty, or do not share our faith? In these earliest instructions to God’s chosen people there is a clear note of compassion and inclusion for those who are different. There is a word here to us as Americans and claiming to be Christians: God’s people should care for those who are different, those who are outsiders, those who – like us – need God’s love and grace. When you get to the New Testament, there is sad evidence that the Jewish establishment of Jesus’ day saw themselves too often as God’s select remnant in a world headed for hell. Yes, the temple had an outer court for the “gentiles,” but it had become little more than a pass-through and marketplace for sacrificial animals and money changers. But with the coming of Christ and the birth of the church, the gospel spread across geographical and ethnic barriers. The purpose of Israel and now the church is to share God’s love with all the world, not just our own “kind.”
This text celebrates the goodness of God, played out surprisingly in the lives of slaves who became a nation of witnesses for God. When Israel lost its sense of gratitude to God it came to tragedy. We call ourselves a Christian nation, but today I have already heard three newscasts reflecting bigotry, injustice and violence in the attitudes and words of politicians as well as people on the street. When you have experienced God’s love and found hope in his grace, you will worship God and invite others to learn about God and experience his gift of life. Worship occurs at an altar on Sunday, but it also occurs when you reach out to strangers and aliens in our land, telling them about God’s goodness. We have an inheritance to possess – but also one to share.
Retired after almost 50 years in pastoral ministry, Michael K. Olmsted enjoys family, supply preaching and interim work, literature, history, the arts and antiques.
Formations is a curriculum series from Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. through NextSunday Resources.
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