#DailyDevotion My Father Was A Wandering Aramean

Deu 26:5-10  “And you shall make response before the LORD your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.  (6)  And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor.  (7)  Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.  (8)  And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.  (9)  And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  (10)  And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God.

The Lord was giving instructions to the Israelites before entering the land he had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s descendents. One of the things he was instructing them in doing was giving the firstfruits of the land when they got there and started to farm. They were to take the first fruits of their crops and bring it before the place the Lord had placed his name and there celebrate with those firstfruits with your household, the priest and the foreigners among them.

When they appeared before the Lord they were recite today’s verses above. It is a brief history of the Israelite people. It starts with Abraham whom the Lord called out of Ur to wander throughout the Promised Land as well as Isaac and Jacob. They proclaimed the name of the Lord in that place. Then the Lord took them down to Egypt during the great famine and the Lord multiplied Jacob there fulfilling his promise to Abraham to make him a great nation with many descendents. They suffered under the Egyptians towards the end of their sojourn there and cried to the Lord and the Lord heard them and delivered them with mighty signs and an outstretched arm. And now they are in the land the Lord had promised their forefathers.

Now you might say, “Great, but what does that have to do with me? I’m not even Jewish.” Well the history of Israel is the preview of the history of the Lord’s Church. The same Lord who did this for Israel is the same Lord who wandered among us in the same land as Abraham did, i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Father in heaven promised Jesus many descendents though he never had a wife or begot any children through a wife. He promised Jesus’ descendents a new Promised Land, the New Heavens and the New Earth. Jesus’ wife is the Church though and through the waters of baptism Jesus has begotten us. The world for us Christians is a Egypt was for the Israelites. On some days, in some places it is good and other days and in other places the world treats us harshly. We too cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ for deliverance from this world of sin and this veil of tears. Just as the Lord had delivered his people with mighty signs and with an outstretched arm in Egypt, we can expect the Lord Jesus Christ to do the same with us as our exodus from this world gets closer and closer. On that day, we will be the firstfruits of our Lord.

Almighty God and Father, our Lord Jesus Christ wandered the land and gave himself up as the firstfruits sacrifice. Hear our cries for deliverance from this world and send your son to lead us to the New Heavens and New Earth that we may dwell with you there and offer ourselves up to you as his firstfruits. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.