Seder 156---Deuteronomy 26-27---Rituals of Remembrance

 In Deuteronomy 26, Moses describes two rituals designed to help the Israelites stay on track in carrying out their divine mission.  One (vv 1-11) is a firstfruits ceremony, in which a family would bring the firstfruits of a year's harvest to the central sanctuary and present them to the priest.  The head of household would recite a statement rehearsing the nation's history and God's mighty works on their behalf.

No time is specified for this ceremony, but a natural time for it to occur would be annually at the time of Pentecost, when lots of people would be traveling to the sanctuary.  These would be wonderful times to rejoice together and include everyone in the celebration (v 11).  

Moses lays out a second ritual in verses 12-15, one to take place in the third and sixth years of every seven, the years in which one gave a tithe to help the needy (Dt 14:28-29).  In this ritual one affirmed one's allegiance to God and his covenant and prayed for God's covenant blessings.  

To our ears this statement might sound boastful, but it is not intended that way.  The statement is not making a claim of moral perfection; instead it is an affirmation of loyalty.  Understanding the difference can help us gain a more balanced understanding of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14.  In that parable the Pharisee can be faulted for looking down on the tax collector but not for affirming his obedience to God.  

Verses 16-19 of Deuteronomy 26 are a conclusion to Moses' address in Deuteronomy 12-26.  This conclusion implies that in conjunction with Moses' address, the Israelites carried out a covenant renewal ceremony (vv 17-18).  

There would be an additional covenant renewal ceremony when the Israelites crossed the Jordan in a few short weeks.  The principles of the Torah were to be written on large plastered stones which they were to set up at Mount Ebal (verses 1-8).  Then there would be a ceremony at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (already mentioned in Dt 11:29), with 6 tribes represented at each mountain.  Levites would give a series of twelve imprecations that would be affirmed by the people.  

The twelve imprecations, listed in Deuteronomy 27:9-26, cover a range of issues representing the entire Torah.  Two of them (vv 14, 25) explicitly mention things done in secret, leading to the observation that a number of the things covered are private actions that would not be prosecuted in court. For the Israelites to prosper in the land, they would need to follow God even when no humans were looking.

The ritual at Gerizim and Ebal was carried out as described (Joshua 8:30-35).  After that, people could look at the two mountains and remember the importance of the choices they made each day. 

This region would play an important role in Israel's later history.  For example, Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4) would take place there.  Kyle Kettering discussed this fascinating episode in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 12, 2023.  

Seder 156: 2 Corinthians 9---Better than the Prosperity Gospel

 The Bible affirms that those who are generous with their assets will tend to prosper.  One striking statement of this principle is given by the prophet Malachi:

"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need" (Mal 3:10).

Purveyors of the 'prosperity gospel" like to quote this verse, promising people that they will get rich when they send in their contributions.  (Such preachers may also be hoping to get rich themselves, but they might not mention this.)

We can contrast the approach of the prosperity preachers with that of the apostle Paul.  In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul urges Christians in Corinth to follow through on their pledge to contribute to an offering for Jewish believers in Judea who had been going through a time of famine.  

This is a project that is important to Paul.  He believes that Gentile Christians should show honor to their Jewish brethren.  After all, the gifts of the Messiah and the Scriptures have come to them through the people of Israel (see Rom 9:4-5; 11:18).   

Paul begins his appeal by referring in verses 6-7 to Proverbs 22;8-9, another passage that links generosity and blessing.  He refers to the passage in the Greek Septuagint translation, which says, in part, "The one who sows what is worthless will reap evil things, and he will achieve a beating for his deeds.  God blesses a cheerful and giving man ... The one who shows mercy to the needy will be sustained, for he has given some of his own bread to the poor."  

Unlike the prosperity preacher, however, Paul is not proposing that the Corinthians be generous with the goal of accumulating wealth.  Instead, he says that God will make sure that they always have enough so that they can give even more (verse 8).

If they are continually giving, Paul adds, they will be like God (verse 9).  Here he quotes Psalm 112:9, which states that God "has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."  

He goes on to say that God, the source of all good things, "will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness" (verse 10).  Remember that in first century Jewish thought, the word "righteousness" (Hebrew tzedekah) was connected especially with charitable giving.  So "the harvest of your righteousness" means the good done through your charity.  Again, God will supply the giver with more so that the giver can give more.  

Furthermore, Paul states, when they give more, the recipients of their generosity will thank and praise God because of them, and will go on to pray for them (vv 11-14).  

To summarize, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 that when we give to others, 

• God will make sure that we have enough; 
• so that our giving will increase;
• so that people will thank God because of us;
• and pray for us.

This sounds like an even better deal than that promised by the prosperity preacher.  Clearly the gospel of Paul is greater than the prosperity gospel.

Seder 156: Psalm 47---Praise for the King!

 In Psalm 47, all peoples are called upon to hail the God of Israel as king over all the earth.  

Commentator Willem Van Gemeren points out that in the Ancient Near East, rulers loved to be called, and to call themselves, "the great king."  One example is the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib (2 Ki 18:28; Isa 36:4).  Kings who gave themselves this title could not tolerate competition.  But God is the real "great king,' and he has no rival (v 2).  

God is to be praised for his mighty deeds on behalf of his people---for example, in freeing the Israelites from Egypt and granting them the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv 3-4).  

In verses 5-8 of the psalm, he is pictured ascending to his throne in heaven accompanied by the sound of the shofar.  (Because of verse 5, this psalm is associated with the Feast of Trumpets in Jewish worship and with Ascension Day in Christian worship.)  Again, all are encouraged to sing praises to him.  

Verse 9 looks forward to the time when all peoples become "the people of the God of Abraham."  This verse goes on to say that "the shields of the earth belong to God."  The Septuagint has "kings" instead of "shields." Indeed, the two are basically synonymous; they are presented in parallel in Psalm 89:18:  "For our shield belongs to the Lord,; our king to the Holy One of Israel."  God is highly exalted as the ruler of all.