“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. “And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. “But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you,“then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. Deuteronomy 14:22-26. NKJV
This week most of us will celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, an annual day of celebration begun by our country’s first Pilgrim settlers. Their intent was to thank God for His provision after their very difficult first year in their new land. Many believe that this celebration was modeled after the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, also an annual feast of celebration instituted by God as we read in this passage from Deuteronomy. If you take the time to examine the similarities, it does appear as if that certainly could be the case.
While many might be of the opinion that in this country Christmas is the most anticipated holiday of the year, for the Israelites, it was the Feast of Tabernacles that they looked forward to the most. While many of us are familiar with what we call in this country a “block party”, can you imagine what it would be like if the entire country gathered in one city for an entire week of feasting and celebration? At this Feast, every Jew that was physically able to travel, came to Jerusalem and built a shelter or booth on whatever piece of vacant land they could find. They would then live in them for one week to commemorate their ancestors living in the wilderness for forty years.
They brought with them their tithes and offerings that they had been saving up for a year and then cooked and feasted in celebration of God’s goodness to them in the past year. It was, quite literally, a national celebration of thanksgiving for the bounty that God provided to them. You can see how many have come to the conclusion that our holiday of Thanksgiving was modeled after this feast of Israel considering the pilgrims too, chose the same time of the year to celebrate the same blessings God had provided to them.
What I would consider to be the most important point of both these celebrations, however, is the fact that the people were thanking God as the source of provision rather than celebrating their own toil and effort. As we look around at our world today it is very apparent there is an attitude of pride in the accomplishments and advances we as a people are making rather than giving credit where credit is due. As believers we should realize and acknowledge that while we work and put forth the effort, it is God who chooses to give us the ability and opportunity to succeed.
The first year that our forefathers spent in this country was an extremely difficult one and you can be sure that their efforts at survival took every bit of time and effort that they had. Yet at the end of the year they chose to take the time to thank God for their success acknowledging that without His help it never would have happened. My hope is that we too would follow our ancestors example and choose to thank God for all that He has done for us this past year.
Of course, the greatest gift God has given to us, and the one to be most thankful for, is the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ as payment for our sin. Believing He died and rose again allows us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in heaven enjoying all that He has chosen to provide for us. If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven. Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Keep watching.
