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Deuteronomy Chapter
Twenty-six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 26
This
chapter treats of the basket of firstfruits to be brought and presented to the
Lord
and the confession to be made along with it
Deuteronomy 26:1;
and of the declaration to be made on the third year
the year of tithing
and
the prayer annexed to it
Deuteronomy 26:12;
and of the covenant made in a solemn manner between God and the people of
Israel
Deuteronomy 26:16.
Deuteronomy 26:1 “And it shall be
when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance
and you
possess it and dwell in it
YLT
1`And it hath been
when
thou comest in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an
inheritance
and thou hast possessed it
and dwelt in it
And it shall be
when thou art come in unto the land
.... The land
of Canaan
which they were now on the borders of
and just entering into:
which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance; which is
often mentioned
to observe that it was not through their merits
but his gift
that they should enjoy the land; and the rather here to enforce the following
law concerning the basket of firstfruits:
and possessest it
and dwellest therein; not only had
entered into it
but got the possession of it
and settled there. This shows as
Jarchi observes
that they were not bound to the firstfruits till they had
subdued the land and divided it; not as soon as they were in it.
Deuteronomy 26:2 2 that
you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground
which you
shall bring from your land that the Lord
your God is giving you
and put it in a basket and go to the place where
the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide.
YLT
2that thou hast taken of the
first of all the fruits of the ground which thou dost bring in out of thy land
which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee
and hast put [it] in a basket
and
gone unto the place which Jehovah thy God doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle
there.
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth
.... This
oblation of firstfruits was different front the sheaf of the firstfruits
brought at barley harvest in the time of the passover
and from the two wave
loaves of wheaten flour
at wheat harvest
at Pentecost; and from the cake of
the first of their dough; see Leviticus 23:10.
They were of one sort only
these of various kinds; though
as Jarchi observes
not all firstfruits
or the first of all sorts of fruits
were to be brought;
for all were not bound to firstfruits
but the seven kinds only
called here
the fruit of the earth
and are particularly mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8;
and their manner of observing
selecting
and gathering their firstfruits
as
the same writer notes
was this;
"a
man goes into his field
and sees a mature fig
he binds a rush about it for a
sign
and says
lo
this is firstfruits: and so
if he sees a bunch of grapes
or a pomegranate
more mature than the rest
he does the same
'as is observed
in the MisnahF26Misn. Biccurim
c. 3. sect. 1. :
which thou shalt bring of thy land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee; and the land being given them
and such a fruitful one as it
was
they needed not to grudge bringing the firstfruits of it to the Lord. The
quantity they were to bring is not fixed; this was left to their generosity;
but
according to tradition
they were to bring the sixtieth part; so says
MaimonidesF1Maimon. Hilchot Biccurim
c. 2. sect. 17.
"the
firstfruits have no measure (no fixed measure) from the law; but from the words
of the wise men
a man ought to separate one out of sixty:"
and shalt put it in a basket; for the more convenient
carriage of them and for the more decent oblation and waving of them together
The rich brought their firstfruits in baskets of silver and of gold
the poor in
wicker baskets of willows barkedF2Misn. Biccurim
c. 3. sect. 8. .
The firstfruits of the seven several kinds were all put together in one basket
not into separate ones
or into as many as there were kinds; but then
as the
last mentioned writer observesF3Hilchot Biccurim
c. 3. sect. 7.
"they did not bring them mixed
but the barley (was put) beneath
or
lowermost
and the wheat over that; and the olives above that
and the dates
over them
and the pomegranates over them
and the figs uppermost in the
vessel; and there was some one thing which separated between every kind
as
leaves
and the like; and they put about the figs clusters of grapes
without:"
and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to
place his name there; which
as the event showed
was the city of Jerusalem; hither
from all parts of the country were the firstfruits to be brought. All which may
teach us
that we are to honour God with the firstfruits of our increase; that
we are to be thankful in every thing
and for everything we have; and that our
mercies should be acknowledged publicly in the place of public worship; and
that all our sacrifices of praise should be offered in faith
which may be
signified by the basket in which the firstfruits were brought
without which we
cannot please God; and this being bore on the shoulder all the while
may
denote reverence of God
and a sense of former state and condition
as this
might put the Israelites in mind of their carrying loads in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 26:3 3 And
you shall go to the one who is priest in those days
and say to him
‘I declare
today to the Lord your[a] God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
YLT
3`And thou hast come in unto
the priest who is in those days
and hast said unto him
I have declared to-day
to Jehovah thy God
that I have come in unto the land which Jehovah hath sworn
to our fathers to give to us;
And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days
.... Whose
course and turn it would be to minister before the Lord; though
according to
the Targum of Jonathan
it was the high priest they were to apply to on this
occasion; and so Aben Ezra observes
that this law is obligatory all the time
there is an high priest
as if it was not binding when there was none
and all
depended on him; who in this case was typical of Christ our high priest
to
whom we must bring
and by him offer up
the sacrifice of praise
even the
fruit of our lips
giving thanks to God for all his mercies:
and say unto him; what follows
and the basket of firstfruits
all the while on his shoulderF4Misn. Biccurim
c. 3. sect. 4
6.
Maimon. Biccurim
c. 3. sect. 12.
even if a king:
I profess this day; it being done once in a year
and not
twice
as Jarchi notes:
unto the Lord thy God; directing his speech to
the priest:
that I am come into the country which the Lord sware unto our
fathers for to give us; and not only come into it
but was in the possession of it
and
in the enjoyment of the fruits of it; of which the basket of firstfruits he had
brought on his shoulder was a token. The natural and moral use of these
firstfruits to the Israelites
and the bringing of them
was hereby to own and
acknowledge that God was the proprietor of the land of Canaan; that they had it
by gift from him
and that they held it of him
the firstfruits being a sort of
a small rent they brought him; and that he was faithful to his oath and promise
he had made to their fathers
and which they professed with great humility and
thankfulness. The typical use of them was to direct to Christ himself
the
firstfruits of them that sleep in him
the first begotten from the dead
the
pledge and earnest of the resurrection of his people; to the Spirit of God and
his grace
which are the earnest of glory; and to the first converts among Jews
and Gentiles
in the first times of the Gospel; to Christians in general
who
are the firstfruits of God and of the Lamb
and to their sacrifices of praise
and thankfulness they are to offer up to God through Christ
which are
acceptable to him through him; and whereby they glorify him as the author of
all their mercies
to whom they are to bring their best
and in the first
place; see 1 Corinthians 15:20.
Deuteronomy 26:4 4 “Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand
and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
YLT
4and the priest hath taken
the basket out of thy hand
and placed it before the altar of Jehovah thy God.
And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand
.... To wave
it
as Jarchi says
putting his hand under the hand of the owner
and so waving
it; and this being waved to and fro towards the several corners of the earth
was an acknowledgment of the Lord being the proprietor of it:
and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God; that it might
have some appearance of a sacrifice
and be a fit emblem of the spiritual
sacrifice of praise
which is accepted upon the altar Christ
which sanctifies
every gift.
Deuteronomy 26:5 5 And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God: ‘My father was a Syrian
[b] about to
perish
and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there
few in number; and there he
became a nation
great
mighty
and populous.
YLT
5`And thou hast answered and
said before Jehovah thy God
A perishing Aramaean [is] my father! and he goeth
down to Egypt
and sojourneth there with few men
and becometh there a nation
great
mighty
and numerous;
And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God
.... Speak
with a loud voice
lifting up the voice
as Jarchi interprets it; or
"answer"F5וענית "et
respondebis"
Montanus
Vatablus; "et respondens dices"
Munster.
to the question the priest will ask
saying
what is this thou hast
brought? as Aben Ezra remarks; and this being said in the tabernacle
and
before the priest of the Lord
and as in the presence of the Lord
is
represented as said before him
which is as follows:
a Syrian ready to perish was my father; meaning
Jacob
who though born in Canaan
his mother was a Syrian
and his grandfather
Abraham was of Chaldea
a part of Syria; and Jacob married two wives in Syria
and all his children were born there but Benjamin
and where he lived twenty
years; and sometimes persons are denominated
as from the place of their birth
so from the place of their dwelling
as Christ was called a Nazarene from
Nazareth
where he dwelt
though he was born at Bethlehem
Matthew 2:23; and
Jether
though an Israelite
as Aben Ezra observes
is called an Ishmaelite
perhaps because he dwelt some time among that people
1 Chronicles 2:17.
Now Jacob might be said to be ready to perish when he fled for his life from
his brother Esau
and was poor and penniless when he came to Laban; so the last
mentioned writer interprets this phrase; to which may be added
that when in
his service he was exposed to cold and heat
and had his wages frequently changed
and afterwards
when obliged to flee from Laban
was pursued by him with an
intention to do him mischief
had not the Lord prevented him. The reason of
this part of the confession was to show that it was not owing to the greatness
of their ancestors from whence they sprung
whose condition was mean
but to
the gift of God
and his goodness
that they enjoyed the land of Canaan. So
every sensible soul
when he brings his sacrifice of praise to God for his
mercies
especially spiritual ones
frankly acknowledges his lost perishing
condition by nature
of which he is sensible; and that in order to magnify the
riches of the grace of God in his salvation
to endear Christ as a Saviour the
more
and to keep humble
and make thankful:
and he went down into Egypt; not directly
but some
years after his former afflicted circumstances; so the Targum of Jonathan
expresses it
"after these things he went down into Egypt;'after he had
been in perishing circumstances in Syria
and when he was sore pressed with famine
in Canaan:
and sojourned there with a few; with seventy souls
as
Jarchi:
and became there a great nation
mighty and populous; insomuch that
the king of Egypt was jealous of them
lest through their strength and numbers
they should get away from them
when any favourable incident happened; they
being when they came out from thence six hundred thousand men able to bear
arms
besides women and children.
Deuteronomy 26:6 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us
afflicted us
and laid
hard bondage on us.
YLT
6and the Egyptians do us
evil
and afflict us
and put on us hard service;
And the Egyptians evil entreated us
.... Ordered their male
children to be killed by the midwives
and by another edict to be drowned by
the people:
and afflicted us; by setting taskmasters over them
who put
heavy burdens upon them:
and laid upon us hard bondage; in mortar and brick
and
all manner of field service
in which they made them serve with rigour
and
whereby their lives were made bitter; see Exodus 1:9.
Deuteronomy 26:7 7 Then we cried out to the Lord God of our
fathers
and the Lord heard our voice and looked on
our affliction and our labor and our oppression.
YLT
7and we cry unto Jehovah
God of our fathers
and Jehovah heareth our voice
and seeth our affliction
and our labour
and our oppression;
And when we cried unto the Lord our God
.... As they
did by reason of their hard bondage
Exodus 2:23
and the Lord heard our voice
and looked upon our affliction
and
our labour
and our oppression; with a look of pity and compassion
heard
their cries
answered their petitions
and sent them a deliverer
Exodus 2:25.
Deuteronomy 26:8 8 So the Lord brought us
out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm
with great terror
and with signs and wonders.
YLT
8and Jehovah bringeth us out
from Egypt
by a strong hand
and by a stretched-out arm
and by great fear
and by signs
and by wonders
And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt
.... After
some time:
with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; by his
almighty power
of which full proof was given by what he then did
Deuteronomy 5:15
and with great terribleness: to Pharaoh and his
people
through the plagues that were inflicted on them
especially the last
the slaying of their firstborn; see Deuteronomy 4:34
and with signs and with wonders; wrought by the hands of
Moses and Aaron
meaning the ten plagues
often so called.
Deuteronomy 26:9 9 He has brought us to this place and has given us this
land
“a land flowing with milk and honey”;[c]
YLT
9and he bringeth us in unto
this place
and giveth to us this land -- a land flowing with milk and honey.
And he hath brought us unto this place
.... After
forty years travel through the wilderness:
and hath given us this land
even a land that floweth with
milk and honey; an usual description of the land of Canaan
because of the great
fertility of it
and the abundance of good things in it; see Exodus 3:8.
Deuteronomy 26:10 10 and now
behold
I have brought the firstfruits of the
land which you
O Lord
have given me.’ “Then you shall
set it before the Lord your God
and worship before the
Lord your God.
YLT
10`And now
lo
I have
brought in the first of the fruits of the ground which thou hast given to me
O
Jehovah; -- and thou hast placed it before Jehovah thy God
and bowed thyself
before Jehovah thy God
And now
behold
I have brought the firstfruits of the land
which thou
O Lord
hast given me
.... Directing his speech
not to the priest
but to the Lord himself; owning that the part of the land he
had
and the fruits he enjoyed
were the gifts of God to him
and therefore
as
in gratitude bound
brought him the firstfruits:
and thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God; these are the
words of Moses
or of the law
directing the man what further he had to do; and
this
as Jarchi thinks
shows that he took it after the priest waved it
and
laid hold on it with his hand while he was reading (his confession)
turning
and waving:
and worship before the Lord thy God; bow before him in a
reverend and humble manner
sensible of his obligations to him
and dependence
on him.
Deuteronomy 26:11 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which
the Lord your God has given to you and your house
you and the Levite and
the stranger who is among you.
YLT
11and rejoiced in all the
good which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee
and to thy house
thou
and the
Levite
and the sojourner who [is] in thy midst.
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing
.... In all
the blessings of goodness and mercies of life
which God in his kind providence
had favoured them with:
which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee
and unto thine house; to them and
their families
by which they were comfortably provided for:
thou and the Levite
and the stranger that is among you; by which it
seems that not only a basket of firstfruits was brought and presented to the
Lord
which is the perquisite of the priest
but there were others also
brought
or bought with their money at Jerusalem
and a sort of a kept
which
the Levite
and stranger or proselyte
of along with the owner; see Deuteronomy 12:11;
though Jarchi understands it of the Levite and stranger being obliged to bring
the firstfruits: the Levite
he says
is bound to the firstfruits of the plants
in the midst of his cities
though he had no part in the division of the land;
and the same writer says
the stranger brings the firstfruits
but does not
proclaim
because he cannot say
"which he sware to our fathers"
Deuteronomy 26:3;
but it is saidF6Misn. Biccurim
c. 1. sect. 4.
if his mother was
an Israelitess he might proclaim; yea
MaimonidesF7Maimon. Hilchot
Biccurim
c. 4. sect. 3. says
on account of what is said of Abraham
Genesis 17:5; who
is the father of the whole world; see Romans 4:10;
because mention is made of rejoicing; hence it is concluded
as Jarchi says
that the proclamation of the firstfruits was only made in the time of joy
from
Pentecost unto the feast that a man gathers in his increase
and his fruits
and his wine
and his oil; though from that feast and onward he may bring
but
not proclaim; to the same purpose
says the MisnahF8
from Pentecost
to the feast of tabernacles a man may bring the firstfruits
and proclaim; and
even from the feast of tabernacles to the dedication of the temple
he may
bring
but not proclaim; the reason given in SiphriF9Apud Maimon.
Hilchot Biccurim
c. 4. sect. 6. is
because proclamation is only to be performed
in time of joy--and the joy of the year is finished at the end of the feast of
tabernacles
as in Leviticus 23:40.
Deuteronomy 26:12 12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of
your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to
the Levite
the stranger
the fatherless
and the widow
so that they may eat
within your gates and be filled
YLT
12`When thou dost complete to
tithe all the tithe of thine increase in the third year
the year of the tithe
then thou hast given to the Levite
to the sojourner
to the fatherless
and to
the widow
and they have eaten within thy gates
and been satisfied
When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine
increase
.... Which
according to MaimonidesF11In Misn. Maaser
Sheni
c. 5. sect. 6.
is to be understood of the feast
in which all tithes
are finished
which is the feast of the passover:
the third year
which is the year of tithing; that is
the
third from every seventh
when the land lay fallow. Every year a tithe was paid
to the Levites; and besides that a second tithe
which was carried to Jerusalem
and eaten there; and every third year it was eaten at home
in their towns and
cities in the country instead of it
with the Levite
poor and stranger
and
was called the poor's tithe; and hence the Targum of Jonathan here calls this
year the year of the poor's tithe
as was also the sixth year
and was reckoned
not complete till the passover in the following year
as the Jewish writersF12Misn.
ib. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. say:
and hath given it unto the Levite
the stranger
the fatherless
and the widow; that is
the poor's tithe of the third year
which these were to
eat of with the owner
Deuteronomy 14:28;
though the Jews commonly distinguish the Levite from the rest
and suppose that
both first and second tithes are meant
the one to be given to the former
and
the other to the latter; so the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi:
that they may eat within thy gates
and be filled: for this was
a considerable entertainment
a sort of a feast
a full meal
however; hence it
is concluded
as Jarchi says
that they did not give less of corn to a poor man
than half a kab of wheat
which was above three pints.
Deuteronomy 26:13 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my
house
and also have given them to the Levite
the stranger
the fatherless
and the widow
according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me;
I have not transgressed Your commandments
nor have I forgotten them.
YLT
13and thou hast said before
Jehovah thy God
I have put away the separated thing out of the house
and also
have given it to the Levite
and to the sojourner
and to the orphan
and to
the widow
according to all Thy command which Thou hast commanded me; I have
not passed over from Thy commands
nor have I forgotten.
Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God
.... Make the
following declaration as in his presence; for this was not made in the
tabernacle or temple at
Jerusalem
since the tithe was to be eaten with the
poor in the gates of the owner
as in Deuteronomy 26:12
I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house: which Aben
Ezra and Onkelos interpret of the tithe; but it seems
besides that
to take in
everything devoted to all holy uses
be they what they will
which were at this
time to be separated from a man's own common goods
and applied to the purposes
for which they were designed and devoted
and particularly what was to be given
to the poor:
and also have
given them unto the Levite
and unto the stranger
to the fatherless
and to the widow
according to all thy commandments which
thou hast commanded me; giving to each according as the law directs; which the Targum of
Jonathan and Jarchi interpret as before
giving the first tithe to the Levites
and the second tithe to the rest:
I have not transgressed thy commandments
neither have I forgotten
them: neither broken them wilfully
nor omitted them through
carelessness
negligence
and forgetfulness
but was mindful to observe them
punctually and exactly.
Deuteronomy 26:14 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning
nor have
I removed any of it for an unclean use
nor given any of
it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God
and have done according to all that You have commanded me.
YLT
14I have not eaten in mine
affliction of it
nor have I put away of it for uncleanness
nor have I given
of it for the dead; I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah my God; I have
done according to all that Thou hast commanded me;
I have not eaten thereof in my mourning
.... When in
grief and sorrow on account of any afflictive circumstance
for these were to
be eaten with joy
Deuteronomy 16:11;
and especially of the loss of relations by death
when holy things were not to
be eaten by such persons; see Leviticus 10:19;
and particularly tithes
though it is saidF14Misn. Demai
c. 1.
sect. 2.
"What is doubtful of tithing (whether it has been tithed or no)
might be eaten by a mourner;'and a man was reckoned such an one until his dead
was buried. So MaimonidesF15Maimon. in Misn. Pesachim
c. 8. sect.
6. observes
"a mourner may not eat holy things
as it is written
Deuteronomy 26:14;
he is one whose relation is dead
when he is obliged to mourn; for he is called
by the law a mourner as long as the dead lies upon the face of the earth (above
ground)
or as long as he is not yet buried he is called a mourner; and so
likewise on the day of burial:"
neither have I taken away ought thereof for any
unclean use; or common use
or any other use than it was designed for
and
devoted to; or for any unclean person
who by the law might not eat thereof;
or
as Jarchi interprets it
that he had not removed it
or taken it away from
being eaten
on account of any unclean person
because I am unclean and he
pure
or he pure and I unclean:
nor given ought thereof for the dead; for the
necessities of the dead
as Aben Ezra; more particularly Jarchi
to make for
him a coffin and grave clothes; and so the Targum of Jonathan interprets it of
grave clothes for the dead; though that of Jerusalem of clothes for those that
are polluted by the dead. It may have respect also to the parentalia
or
funeral feasts made at the interment of the dead; though Aben Ezra says
there
are some that say it was for idolatry
and so the person here speaking denies
that he had made use of any of the holy things in honour of idols
of dead men
deified; and some are of opinion that all the above things may have some
respect to idolatrous practicesF16Vid. Patrick in loc. :
but I have hearkened to the
voice of the Lord my God
and have done according to all that thou hast
commanded me; observed his word
and kept close to it
and not swerved from
it
but acted according to it in all things before referred to.
Deuteronomy 26:15 15 Look down from Your holy habitation
from heaven
and
bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us
just as You
swore to our fathers
“a land flowing with milk and honey.”’[d]
YLT
15look from Thy holy
habitation
from the heavens
and bless Thy people Israel
and the ground which
Thou hast given to us
as Thou hast sworn to our fathers -- a land flowing
[with] milk and honey.
Look down from thy holy habitation
from heaven
.... This is a
prayer of the person that makes the above declaration annexed to it
desiring
that God would vouchsafe to look with an eye of love
complacency
and delight
upon him and upon all his people
from heaven his holy habitation
though they
were on earth
and unholy persons in themselves
and especially if compared
with him; see Isaiah 57:15
and bless thy people Israel; with blessings temporal
and spiritual:
and the land which thou hast given us; with fertility
and plenty of all good things
that it might be
as thou swarest to our fathers
a land flowing with milk and honey; See Gill on Deuteronomy 26:9.
Deuteronomy 26:16 16 “This day the Lord your God
commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be
careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
YLT
16`This day Jehovah thy God
is commanding thee to do these statutes and judgments; and thou hast hearkened
and done them with all thy heart
and with all thy soul
This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes
and judgments
.... These are the words of Moses
as Aben Ezra rightly observes
and refer not only to the laws last mentioned
but to all others which he had
repeated
or the Lord by him had ordered to be observed
recorded in this book:
and though it is very probable Moses had been several days repeating former
laws
and acquainting them with new ones; yet this being the last day
in which
the whole account was finished
they are said to be commanded that day
and
though commanded that day were to be observed and done every day; for
as
Jarchi says
every day was to be considered and reckoned as new
as if on that
day they were commanded them:
thou shall therefore keep and do them with all thy heart
and with
all thy soul; cordially
readily
willingly
sincerely
constantly
and to the
utmost of their abilities.
Deuteronomy 26:17 17 Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God
and that you will walk in His ways and keep His
statutes
His commandments
and His judgments
and that you will obey His
voice.
YLT
17Jehovah thou hast caused to
promise to-day to become thy God
and to walk in His ways
and to keep His
statutes
and His commands
and His judgments
and to hearken to His voice.
Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God
.... Said
affirmed
protested
and in the most solemn manner declared
that the Lord was
their God
and him only; and that they would have no other God
nor worship
serve
or obey any other. The Lord is the God of all mankind
as he is the
Creator and Preserver of them
and was of the people of Israel in a peculiar
manner
they being chosen
redeemed
and privileged by him above all others;
and especially is of his elect in Christ among all nations
whom he has loved
and set apart for himself
and determined to save; whom he has adopted and
regenerated; he provides for them
protects and preserves them
gives them
grace here and glory hereafter: he is their God in Christ
and by virtue of the
covenant of his grace made with them in him; and is known by them to be so in
the effectual calling by the application of covenant blessings to them; and
which is certified to them by the Spirit of God
upon which they claim their
interest in him
and make profession of him as their God:
and to walk in his ways
and to keep his statutes and his
commandments
and his judgments
and to hearken unto his voice; that is
this
was then their resolution and determination
their protestation and
declaration
to walk in all the ways of God
both in private and in public
he
directed unto; and to observe all his laws
ceremonial
moral
and judicial
which he had given them as the rule of their walk and behaviour; and to regard
whatsoever he should reveal by his prophets and ministers as his will; and a
view of covenant interest in God lays all good men under the strongest
obligation in the strength of divine grace to attend to his will; nor can there
be a greater motive to them than covenant love
grace
and mercy.
Deuteronomy 26:18 18 Also today the Lord has
proclaimed you to be His special people
just as He promised you
that you
should keep all His commandments
YLT
18`And Jehovah hath caused
thee to promise to-day to become His people
a peculiar treasure
as He hath
spoken to thee
and to keep all His commands;
And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people
.... Affirmed
and declared them to be his special people
above all people on the face of the
earth
and that they were looked upon and considered by him as his jewels
his
peculiar treasure:
as he hath promised thee; on condition of their
obedience to him
as he did in Exodus 19:5
and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; at the same
time declared this as his will
that they should observe all his precepts
to
which they were laid under obligation by the special favour and peculiar
privileges he bestowed upon them
Deuteronomy 7:6.
The Targums interpret both these verses of the people of Israel choosing and
making the Lord their King
and of his being made King over them; and so it
respects their peculiar form of civil government
being a theocracy. The Lord's
people in Christ are a peculiar people; they are distinct from all people
and
are peculiarly regarded by him; they are the objects of his peculiar love
and
receive peculiar favours from him; and whom having chosen and redeemed
he
calls by his special grace
and witnesses their special relation to him by his
Spirit; which grace obliges and excites them to a cheerful obedience to his
commands.
Deuteronomy 26:19 19 and that He will set you high above all nations which
He has made
in praise
in name
and in honor
and that you may be a holy
people to the Lord your God
just as He has spoken.”
YLT
19so as to make thee
uppermost above all the nations whom He hath made for a praise
and for a name
and for beauty
and for thy being a holy people to Jehovah thy God
as He hath
spoken.
To make thee high above all nations
.... None of them having
the Lord to be their God and King in such sense as Israel
nor they his people
in such a peculiar sense as they were; nor having such laws and statutes as he
had given to them; these things gave them a superiority over all other nations:
which he hath made
in praise
and in name
and in honour; that is
which nations he made praiseworthy
famous
and honourable
for their extent
wealth
riches
and number; and yet on the above accounts Israel was advanced
higher than they:
and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God
as
he hath spoken; the end of the Lord in being their God
and making them his
people
was not only to make them high above all others
but to make them more
holy than others; to set them apart for himself
as a people sacred to his
worship and service
as he had both determined and declared
Deuteronomy 7:6.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)