The Land of Milk and Honey (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
When I was a teenager, I loved watching Jeopardy! and answering the clues. Because I’m a nerd, I kept my score on a calculator.
And I dreamt of participating in the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament. One year, I applied and was invited to participate in try outs in St. Louis, Missouri. Believing it was a great opportunity, Mom and Dad promised to take me.
Well, Mom and Dad started looking at their budget, and they weren’t exactly sure how they were going to make it work. They sat me down one evening and told me that they so desperately wanted to take me to St. Louis, but they just couldn’t afford the trip. I was devastated. I went to my room, lay down on my bed, and cried my eyes out.
As you can imagine, Mom and Dad felt absolutely horrible. They got together, recalculated their budget, and took me to St. Louis because they had promised. No, I didn’t make it on the show—they asked 50 questions, and I think I got two correct. But I will never forget Mom and Dad taking me to St. Louis because they had promised to take me to St. Louis.
How many of you have seen a difficult promise fulfilled? How many of your parents jumped through almost impossible hurdles to keep a promise? How many of you jumped through nearly impossible hurdles to keep promises to your own children? How many of you feel guilty because you failed to keep a promise to your children? How many of you have regretted buying a product because the company didn’t stand by its warranty? How many of you have regretted voting for a politician because he or she didn’t keep a promise?
This morning’s text reminds us that God keeps his promises. God, through Moses, was telling the Israelites that when they entered Canaan, they were to go to the place God had chosen and worship him because he had kept his promises. Interestingly, these verses are spoken before God had fulfilled his promise to give the children of Israel Canaan. Yet, God had promised, and the fulfillment of that promise was sure.
This morning, let’s learn this truth: “A faithful God deserves praise.”
Scripture (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
verses 1-2:
When they entered Canaan, the Israelites were to “take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground” and go to the place God had chosen. The Israelites considered their firstfruits as a promise from God to continue to bless with an abundant harvest; therefore, “the first of all the fruit” would have been seen as God’s promise to continue to bless his people. But the Israelites also required faith to sacrifice their firstfruits; the only guarantee they had there would be a further harvest was God’s word. Thus, taking the first of their fruit was an act of faith in God’s promise.
verse 3:
As the Israelites presented their firstfruits to the LORD, they were to declare that God had fulfilled his promise to give them Canaan.
verse 5:
The Israelites were to remember that their father was “a wandering Aramean.” That refers to Jacob who lived for a time in Aram. It was in Aram that Jacob married his wives and began his family. Essentially, the Israelites were to remember that God had chosen to bless this semi-nomad and make him a great nation.
verses 6-8:
The Israelites were to remember their hard years of labor in Egypt and how God rescued them when they cried to him. They were further to recall how God had brought terror upon the Egyptians when rescuing his people.
verse 9:
The Israelites were to remember how God had brought them into Canaan, “a land flowing with milk and honey,” just as he had promised.
verse 10:
The Israelites were to confess that they had come to worship before the LORD.
verse 11:
The Israelites were to rejoice in “all the good that the LORD” their God had done for them, their house, the Levite, and the sojourners among them.
Application
“A faithful God deserves praise.” Yahweh, the living God, keeps every single promise he has ever made. At the temple’s dedication, Solomon declared: “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant” (1 Ki 8:56). “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:9). “It is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18).
How should you live because “A faithful God deserves praise?”
One: Promises
First, you need to know God’s Promises. When the Israelites brought their firstfruits to the priest, they would be living God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them Canaan.
You’re not living all of God’s promises now, but take a close look at his promises. Specifically, explore God’s promises you need in your life right now. Are you struggling with temptation? Look at God’s promise to make a way of escape. Are you feeling alone? Look at God’s promise never to leave you nor forsake you. Are you worrying about finances? Look at God’s promise to care more for you than the sparrows he feeds. Are you feeling guilty? Look at God’s promise to forgive you of all your sin. Are you fearing death? Look at God’s promise to raise your body and give you an eternal home with him.
Two: Past
Second, remember how God has blessed you in the Past. As they brought their firstfruits to the priest, the Israelites were to recount how God had seen their suffering in Egypt and how he had rescued them from captivity with his mighty hand.
When you struggle to trust God’s faithfulness, remember how faithful he has been in your past. How many times have you been tempted when God opened a way of escape? How many times have you felt God’s presence when you were alone? How many times has God brought you through financial hardship in ways you really can’t explain? How many of your sins has God forgiven? How many people leave this world full of hope for the next? Look to your Past, see God’s faithfulness, and trust his faithfulness for your future.
Three: Presume
Third, you need to Presume God’s future faithfulness. The Israelites had to make that assumption when they brought their firstfruits to the priest. What if the rest of the harvest failed and they had brought to God the only fruit they’d harvest that season? They didn’t need to worry about that because God keeps his promises.
When you look at God’s promises, trust that he will be faithful to his word. Abraham had such trust: Romans 4:18-21. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, but Abraham was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah, herself an old woman, was barren. However, Abraham knew God was faithful and God would fulfill his promise, no matter how outlandish it might seem. Do you have that same level of trust in God’s promises?
Four: Praise
Fourth, you need to Praise the faithful God. The whole purpose of the Israelites’ going through this ritual when they entered Canaan was to Praise the God who had kept his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
You need to Praise the God who has made and who keeps great promises in your life. “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” (Ps 67:3). “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Heb 13:15). “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9).
How is your Praise? Do you spend time in prayer praising God for his faithfulness? Do you pay attention to the songs you sing that extol God’s faithfulness? Does your life honor God and bring praise to his name?
Conclusion
You must praise God, for he keeps his every promise. When you first came to Christ, you promised to serve the Lord with everything you have and everything you are. Are you keeping that promise to the Lord? God is faithful; are you?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.