30 I give you all the credit, God—
you got me out of that mess,
you didn’t let my foes gloat.
2-3 God, my God, I yelled for help
and you put me together.
God, you pulled me out of the grave,
gave me another chance at life
when I was down-and-out.
4-5 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
give way to days of laughter.
6-7 When things were going great
I crowed, “I’ve got it made.
I’m God’s favorite.
He made me king of the mountain.”
Then you looked the other way
and I fell to pieces.
8-10 I called out to you, God;
I laid my case before you:
“Can you sell me for a profit when I’m dead?
auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?
When I’m ‘dust to dust’ my songs
and stories of you won’t sell.
So listen! and be kind!
Help me out of this!”
11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can’t thank you enough.
26 The Lord is giving you the land, and soon you will conquer it, settle down, 2 and plant crops. And when you begin harvesting each of your crops, the very first things you pick must be put in a basket. Take them to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped, 3 and tell the priest, “Long ago the Lord our God promised our ancestors that he would give us this land. And today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land.”
4 The priest will take the basket and set it in front of the Lord’s altar. 5 Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray:
My ancestor was homeless,
an Aramean who went to live
in Egypt.
There were only a few
in his family then,
but they became great
and powerful,
a nation of many people.
6 The Egyptians were cruel
and had no pity on us.
They mistreated our people
and forced us into slavery. 7 We called out for help
to you,
the Lord God
of our ancestors.
You heard our cries;
you knew we were in trouble
and abused. 8 Then you terrified the Egyptians
with your mighty miracles
and rescued us from Egypt. 9 You brought us here
and gave us this land
rich with milk and honey. 10 Now, Lord, I bring to you
the best of the crops
that you have given me.
After you say these things, place the basket in front of the Lord’s altar and bow down to worship him.
11 Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the Lord your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town.
The people are on their way out of The Wilderness. Moses looks forward to the time they will be a settled people and, knowing he won’t be with them (Numbers 20:8-12), he starts to give them advice for their life there.
They will plant crops, and when those crops grow and are harvested the first of it is to be given to God.
today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land
They are to give to God, out of what he has first given to them, to thank him. To acknowledge what he has given, to remember and say thank you.
How often do we stop and take stock of what we have? To thank God for all he has given us? Not just food, but all the other things too.
What do we offer to him in acknowledgement of our thanks?
As we enter the season of Lent, can we be intentionally thankful – both to God and to those around us who give so much to us? Can we live our lives in thanksgiving?
It’s always nice when people say thank you, especially if they are thanking you for just being you – not necessarily for the things you do, but the person you are.
It strikes me as we read through Paul’s letters to the churches, that he is always keen to express his appreciation to people and what they do and mean to him. He does it again in this reading.
That makes me wonder, how ready we are to let others know how much they mean to us, how much they help us, how closer they lead us to God? It is a good thing to do.
So what was Paul thankful for in the Corinthians?
Their lives are visibly enriched by God’s grace at work in them; their speaking is a testimony to Christ; they are waiting eagerly for Jesus to be revealed.
Are these things others would thank God for in our lives? Would they see such qualities in us?
As we give thanks for others, we reflect too on our lives. Are they the beacon for God they could be?
