“You will approach the cohen holding office at the time and say to him, ‘Today I declare to Adonai your God that I have come to the land Adonai swore to our ancestors that he would give us.’ The cohen will take the basket from your hand and put it down in front of the altar of Adonai your God.”-Deuteronomy 26:4
We’re in the midst of discussing the three “firstfruits” ceremonies and how they’re connected to the pilgrimage festivals of Israel.
At each of these three times per year, the lay worshipper is to journey to the tabernacle (later the temple) with a basket of produce and present it the officiating priest.
When he does so, he is to declare…
...”Today I declare to Adonai your God
that I have come to the land Adonai
swore to our ancestors that he would give us”.
Don’t be fooled by the simple and straightforward nature of this declaration.
It is monumental in its proportions.
Why do I say that?
Because it is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant!!!
Israel was finally, finally after 400 years of slavery in Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the desert about to inherit the land HASHEM promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob so long ago!
It was NOT to be another land.
It was to be THIS land.
The land I flew into about two years ago…that brought tears to my eyes once I realized I had just flown into holy God-chosen territory (per my flight navigator on my airplane TV screen).
This monumental event would not happen again.
It was NOW…at this moment.
That’s what the connection to first fruits was all about.
Because minus possessing the land, there would be no first fruits to give in the first place.
This is why I find it ridiculous that so many church leaders question the necessity of the Jews having to return to Israel.
They believe that the Jewish presence currently in Israel has wrongly displaced the Palestinians.
Are you kidding me man?
This event really did occur and God really did require His people to acknowledge that fact in this prayerful proclamation.
There should be no doubt that that Scripture unequivocally affirms that God intended to give the land of Canaan to Israel and Israel ALONE!
Now one might think the declaration “I have entered the land of Canaan” was something only appropriate for the first generation of Israelites (those who battled alongside Joshua to conquer the land).
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It was the God of Israel’s intention that EVERY Hebrew anywhere from every generation was to identify him or herself with the land as though he or she was entering into it for the first time.
Concerning the observance of PESACH (Passover), it’s interesting that the MISHNAH states…
...“in every generation one must view oneself as if he personally came out of Egypt”.
And I would go so far to say, if through your faith in Messiah you too have been grafted into Israel, then this principle applies to you as well.
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