Deuteronomy 26:2

Deuteronomy 26:2

That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and thou shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.”

1.”That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth,…”

a. This is a description of the offering of the first fruits. It is not the tithe as some suppose. In my notes on the confusion of the tithe and the firstfruits it is clearly established the tithe went to the Levites Numbers 18:21-24; and the firstfruits went to the priest: Numbers 18:8, 9, 12-14. Confirmation of this is given in Nehemiah 10:37.

2. “…and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.”

a. In the beginning pages of the Bible when men built altars and offered sacrifices and offerings unto the Lord, a specific place was not a commandment.

1). Genesis 8:20-22 “And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more foe man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

2). Genesis 12:7, 8 “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar kunto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.”

3). Genesis 22:1-14 was the exception.

b. But under the Mosaic Covenant, in order to stop the practice of offerings made to devils, one place for sacrifice was designated.

1). Leviticus 17:3-9 “What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,

And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shll be cut off from among his people:

To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.

And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojorn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,

And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.”

c. Once Israel entered the Promised Land they also had the obligation to destroying all the places where the former nations worshipped their gods.

1). Deuteronomy 12:2-14 “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which y shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, an upon the hills, and under every green tree:

And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his hame there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.

But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.”

d. Concerning the place where the LORD will place His name, there is an interesting school of thought that says the name of God is embossed into the geography of Jerusalem. It says the Hebrew letter “shin” is below the temple mount. The letter starts down the valley below the Mount of Olives and loops up around Mount Zion/The City of David by the valley of Hinnom and continues down the Valley of Hinnom and comes up the left side of the Old city. Interesting!