Deuteronomy 26:12-15 – The call to care for the needy

The first fruits offering described in the first eleven verses of Deuteronomy 26 was a grateful acknowledgment of God’s goodness in fulfilling His promise to bring them into the land. Their gratitude to God was also demonstrated in setting aside their tithes every third year to be distributed to the poor, the orphans, the widows, the foreigners, and to the Levite. They were expected to bring this tithe every third year to a specified store in the town to be distributed to these needy groups of people who had no land, and to the Levites, whom God did not allot any land. This instruction was to ensure that the needs of these groups of people would not be bypassed or neglected.

This tithe to be set aside every third year was mentioned earlier in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, but here in Deuteronomy 26:12-15, this subject was revisited. Apart from meeting the needs, the purpose of sharing their harvest with the less fortunate would bring the people of the community together and bind them to each other. These groups of needy people could then be able to have a sense of belonging and acceptance in the community.  

Verses 13-14 instructed them to make a public declaration before the Lord when they had fulfilled this duty. They were also to confess that they had not broken or forgotten God’s commandment regarding this. This instruction would prevent them from failing to fully obey the Lord’s instruction. The declaration was not to be a boastful arrogance of their kindness or generosity. It was needed because God anticipated that there could be times when they would succumb to the temptation of not fulfilling this instruction. They could be tempted to use this tithe when they were mourning or when they had contaminated themselves or when they wanted to offer something to the dead. The need to confess would help them stay true to this call to set aside this third-year tithe. From this instruction, we see the need for us to make time for regular personal reflection and contemplation. It would help us to identify unwholesome motives and align our actions with God’s will, plan, and purpose.   

In verse 15, we see the instruction to pray for the continual blessing of God to fulfill the promise He had made to them. Notice that this prayer was not based on personal merit. It was not as if they had kept the instruction and God was now obliged to bless them and answer them. We must remember that all answers to our prayers are granted not because of our goodness or obedience but because of God’s grace and generosity. There is nothing that we can do to earn God’s favor or blessing. What we receive from God, we receive it because of His grace. Nothing we can do to make Him love us more and nothing we have done can make Him close the door. We obey God not because we want Him to bless us, we obey Him because we love Him. Loving God should always be the primary motive in our actions!