February 25, 2007 Deuteronomy 26:5-10

Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering (perishing) Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.” Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.

The Firstfruits Confession

I. Admits we are wandering Arameans

America has designated February to be “black heritage month.” I would imagine that this is somewhat in response to the treatment that blacks have received in the history of our country. But if we want to be politically correct, don’t you think we should also be inclusive and have a German heritage month, or a Swedish heritage month, or even a Polish heritage month? I’m kind of miffed about that. We could dress up in lederhosen and eat strudel. We could bring in a polka band and sing Sie Leben Hoch. But no, we have no German heritage month - so we have to leave our lederhosen behind for another day.

If there’s one people that has always been recognized distinctively because of their heritage - it is the Jews - who claim Abraham as their father. Even today you can find Jewish newspapers and all kinds of publications in which the Jews like to talk about their heritage and try to keep their heritage. They certainly have a rich history, don’t they. Yet the Jews were so proud of their heritage in Jesus’ day - that it led to their own downfall. All of Jesus’ countrymen took so much pride in their heritage that they thought that they would be saved and counted righteous on Judgment Day just because of their heritage. Jesus said to them, “do not say, we have Abraham as our father.” (Luke 3:8) He didn’t want them to think that their bloodline had anything to do with their salvation.

Isn’t that the reason why Moses gave them these instructions in today’s text? As they settled in the promised land and brought their offerings to the Lord - what did he command them to say about their heritage? “My father was a wandering (literally - perishing) Aramean.” That’s strange. There is hardly any mention of Arameans at all in the Bible. David slaughtered about 100,000 of them in one battle. The only other reference to them is in Laban and his sister Rachel back in Genesis. The area that these two were from was to the north and west of Israel. The only fathers in the heritage of the Israelites that wandered through there would have been Abraham and Jacob. Abraham was getting older and perishing on the way to the Promised Land. Jacob had to run up there as he fled Esau - and he worked 20 years there for his wives and was cheated along the way. I don’t know that either of them would have referred to themselves primarily as “perishing Arameans” though. Yet God wanted them to specifically mention their heritage as being temporary Arameans.

It begs the question - “Why?” I can’t help but think that God was wanting them to keep humble - to remember that they had no roots until God gave them roots in the promised Land. Out of all the things they could have remembered about their heritage - God wanted them to only state that their father was a wandering shepherd living in tents. In other words, they had nothing to brag about in their roots. When we come before God’s throne - on almost every Sunday - we try to emulate this. We confess to God, “I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions.” These words reflect what the Scriptures say of us. Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter two, “we were by nature objects of wrath.” David confessed, “surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Even Paul, as a believing Christian, confessed that “nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” This kind of speech is demeaning of humanity - and rightly so. Yet it sounds so foreign and strange to a majority of Americans. The purpose of it is to have us face the fact that we have nothing to be proud of in our heritage. There was no reason - no beauty in us - that made God want to say, “I want you to be my child.” It wasn’t as if God chose the most powerful and impressive people to carry the promise of the Savior through. So also we are nothing more than wandering Arameans. We have no real heritage to take pride in.

Yet look at what happened with this wandering Aramean! He went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. The wandering Aramean - now referring to Joseph - the descendant of Jacob - led the Israelites down to Egypt and the land of Goshen. During that time and under his rule his brothers and family were able to become a great nation - powerful and numerous! I suppose some would use this to emphasize the greatness of humanity - a great rags to riches story. Americans love these kinds of people who “pursue the American dream.” They talk about possibility thinking and how all you have to do is put your mind to something to achieve your dreams. Yet even after the Israelites had become a great and powerful and numerous nation, what good did it do them? But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. No matter how powerful they were, the Egyptians were even more powerful. As a matter of fact, the greater they became - the more they had to suffer in misery, toil and oppression because of the jealousy and paranoia of the Egyptians. Even with their success they still found themselves at the end of a rod and under the wrath of the Egyptians.

This is how things often end up in this world. Your co-worker will not be elated when you get a promotion ahead of him or her. Even with your blessing, you will end up under the anger of a jealous associate. The more blessed you are - the more of a target you become. This definitely happened with the Jews throughout history. It also happens to Christians. Think of Job. The more powerful and successful he became, the more he was the target of his neighbors and of Satan himself. Success does not bring an end to problems. It often brings more problems with people who are more shrewd than us - trying to sue and deceive us from our hard earned goods. Behind the scenes Satan uses these demon controlled people in any way he can to hurt and harm us. He dreams up ways to get us to fall with the very blessings God has given us. Even when we do have great success we still carry along a sinful flesh and have to fight against a sinful world - no matter how “great” we become. That is the reminder in this confession. Never get too big for your britches. Never think you are invincible.

II. Begs the LORD for help

But what can you do? It’s not as if God wants us to deny the truth - or to disavow all of his blessings and act as if He has been cheap with us. What can you do if Satan and the world is targeting you and abusing you in the midst of success? Stop thinking about what YOU have to do - and start asking for the LORD to do something! Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. This is the overall purpose in this confession. We recognize that with all of our temporal success and greatness, in the end we are nothing but helpless little children of God. No matter how powerful we become, we still are weaker than Satan. It is only when you recognize your own helplessness that you see you will need help. Prayer helps us to recognize our own weakness and our need for the LORD’s help. Isn’t that a reason why God commands us to pray? It isn’t as if He didn’t know that the Egyptians were persecuting His people. But he wanted his people to realize they needed His help. Again, this confession was to continually remind the Israelites of who they were.

Yet it was also to remind them of who the LORD is. The key is in WHO you turn to. The solution for the Israelites - in the midst of their oppression - was not to turn to the Babylonians or the Assyrians to come and rescue them. They only had ONE PERSON they could turn to - the LORD - the God of our fathers. The same God who had delivered the wandering Aramean and made them into a great nation is a God who can hear and see what is happening. More importantly, He is also a God who can and will deliver. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. Think of how terrifying it would have been for those Egyptians to have complete darkness come over their land. Think of how humiliating it would have been to have their god - the Nile - turned to blood. Even the very snakes that the magicians were able to produce were swallowed by Moses’ snake. Imagine seeing the LORD split the Red Sea in two and then crushing the Egyptian army under the walls of water. God had proven Himself throughout the history of the Israelites to CARE for His people and deliver them. Because of His covenant with the Israelites - that He would send the Savior through them. The LORD wouldn’t let any Egyptians get in His way.

If this weren’t enough, the LORD even took it one step further. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; The LORD even went one step further and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey - sweet and nourishing food. Think also of how Jesus provided to boats absolutely full of fish to the disciples. It is a reflection of how generous the LORD is. He didn’t leave them in a desert to suffer, even though they deserved it. He delivered them to the land He had promised all along. With all of these actions the LORD had developed a pattern of things to come. The Israelites - through this confession - were to recognize that the LORD was someone they could always turn to - no matter what the circumstance - to deliver them. They were to recognize that everything they had was a result of the LORD’s work - not theirs. Not only was He a gracious LORD - He was also an everlasting LORD and a generous LORD as well.

Isn’t that why we - after our confession of sins - then have you say, “trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”? Isn’t that also why in the absolution the pastor says that “God has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” The absolution points completely to Christ and no other. For it is only in Christ that we find complete forgiveness. It is only in Christ that we can find refuge from God’s wrath. It is only in Christ that we can be rescued from Satan’s grip. In Christ God lays the groundwork for how He has worked from the Fall unto eternity - by grace. God never directs us to ourselves - to somehow suck it up and get through oour addictions. God’s Word does not tell us to figure out our own way to deal with our co-workers who are badmouthing us. God’s Word does not ask us to fight Satan with our own strength. He simply bids us trust that Jesus conquered Satan for us. This is why we sing in hymn 446 -

I am trusting you, Lord Jesus, Trusting only you, Trusting you for full salvation, Free and true.

I am trusting you for pardon; at your feet I bow, For your grace and tender mercy Trusting now.

Isn’t it a miracle that we who were once wandering Arameans have been adopted in the household of God? Isn’t it amazing that a holy God would make us a part of His holy family? Isn’t it something that God has freed us from addictions of all sorts? Instead of treating us like the perishing Arameans we are, He treats us like royalty and gives us an eternal home in heaven. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” One top of all this - God has given us plenty of clothes, wonderful homes, and many years of good health. Not one of us can accuse God of being chintzy with us.

III. Responds with thanksgiving

Lent is often times thought of as a time of sacrifice. Catholics have earned the reputation of giving up meat during Lent. It is their way of giving something up for God. Yet the purpose of Lent is not to focus on what we give up for God - but on what God gave up for us. He gave His one and only Son for us. That Son gave His very life and sacrificed Himself for our sins. He brought us from the desert of sin into the kingdom of God’s Son. What could compare to such a sacrifice - to make us look holy in his sight? Our whole view of life is to look at all that we have as wonderful gifts from a generous and gracious God.

Yet that faith in Christ cannot just lay on the heart as foam does on beer. Such a confession of faith has to invoke a response of thanks. So the LORD wanted them to continue their confession of faith with an action. “and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.” Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. The firstfruits were to be the first and the best of what they had brought in from the soil. In the Old Testament it was also called a tithe - referring to the first ten percent. He expected the Israelites to respond in thanks for what He had done by being generous in return. He wanted this return to be an act of the heart - of the self - coming from ME - not being forced on me. He expected them to do this while they were bowing before him. The reason for bowing was that He didn’t want them to take pride in how much they were offering. He simply wanted them to humbly acknowledge how generous God had been with them and give them an opportunity to reflect their love and faith towards Him. This offering was to complete their confession of faith. By giving their firstfruits, they were trusting that God could provide them with much more than the ten percent they had just donated.

Back in Norton we used to try to emulate this at wheat harvest. The congregation was made up mainly of wheat farmers. So when they brought in the harvest, every wife would take a scoop of grain out of the second or third truckload of wheat and bake a loaf of bread from it. (The first harvest may have been a little green - so they wanted to make sure it was the best.) Then, during the offering, the different families brought their loaf of bread up to the LORD in a gesture of thanks for our harvest. After the service, we then ate the bread and enjoyed the fellowship of the meal. They put time and planning and effort into this special service. I really miss that service - for nothing less than to see the joy of the farmers over their harvest.

Do you put that kind of effort and planning into your offering? Does your offering reflect a deep humility and thanks for what the LORD has done for you? Or do your offerings say to God, “I don’t trust you.” Do they say to God, “you’ve been cheap with me! You can’t provide for me.” Do they say, “here’s what I have left!” or do they say, “here’s my best of what I have to offer!” You can always find excuses not to give. Perhaps you don’t like the Levites who are serving you. Perhaps you think you could spend the money more wisely. Perhaps you’ve had a bad harvest. Perhaps your bills have been especially high. These are all tests from the LORD of the harvest - to see how we will respond. The LORD calls for the firstfruits not only when it gives us better tax returns, not only when the church does what you want with the money, but every week of the year. He sees how much time and effort you are putting towards your gifts to God. He knows what percentage you are offering. He sees how regularly you give. It reflects what you really think of the LORD - how thankful you are. Your offering is a confession of works based on your faith - showing how much you really trust that the LORD will provide.

As the Israelites entered the Promised Land they were all set to be a prosperous and thriving community. The book of Deuteronomy is basically Moses’ farewell sermon to the Israelites. Now that they were through the desert, it would be easy for them to forget how they got there in the first place. History shows how they did just that. Their offerings became no more than lame animals and seeds of arrogance.

We have also been set up to succeed. We have been given a washing from our sins. We have been promised salvation in Christ. We live in a land flowing with much more than milk and honey. So listen to Moses and do not follow the mistake of the Jews. Make the Firstfruits Confession. Remember where you came from. Like the Jews, your heritage was nothing thrilling, no matter whether you’re African, German, or Mexican in heritage. In God’s eyes, you were nothing but a perishing Aramean. You were slaves of the devil and your own sinful flesh and the world - much worse than the Egyptians. Yet the LORD delivered you from your slavery to sin. Confess that on a regular basis. Continue to offer your firstfruits in memory and thanks for how good and gracious God has been to you. These Firstfruit Confessions will be regular reminders of who we are, and more importantly, who the LORD is - a gracious and compassionate God of deliverance. Amen.