26:1
The verse begins with two essential features of the Promised Land. First it is the Lord who is giving it to them, and secondly it is an inheritance for them. Likewise with our salvation, it is the Lord who gives it to us, we did nothing to deserve our salvation. And it is an inheritance, and has consequences for our lives, not least in how we should live our lives. “And have taken possession of it and settled in it”. The land was given to the Israelites, but they still had responsibilities and a part to play. They were to take possession of it and to settle in it. We are to take possession of our salvation and to live the new life in Christ.
26:2,3
Part of living in the land was to give some of the first fruits to the Lord. They were to take produce from the soil. As an aside, this would indicate that Cain’s problem was not that he gave product from the soil in his offering (whereas Abel gave livestock), but his tardy attitude in giving (“in the course of time”). Yet again we see emphasis on “the place that the Lord your God will choose”. They were to make a declaration that the land was the land that the Lord swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When we give we should make a declaration that all we have is from the Lord.
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