26:4,5
The priest was to take the basket and place it at the front of the altar. The giver was then to make another declaration, essentially remembering where they had come from. The heritage of a person was important. None of us just appeared out of nowhere, we come from a long line of people, and it matters. The reference to “a wandering Aramean” probably refers to Jacob. Then there is the reference to the time spent in Egypt. They were few in number when they went, but multiplied massively.
26:6-8
Although the original pharaoh welcomed Joseph and his family, as time went on this was forgotten, and the Hebrews were ill-treated and enslaved. The people cried out in their distress, and the Lord heard their cry. God brought them out with “a mighty hand and outstretched arm”. This refers to the plagues and the Red Sea incident. The Lord acts on behalf of His people.
26:9-11
Then the Lord brought them to the Promised Land. This was a land flowing with milk and honey, i.e. a prosperous place. The Lord saves us from a life of death to eternal life. This does not mean an easy life, especially not in terms of the “prosperity gospel”. It does mean a worthwhile life, a life of becoming ever more Christlike. A life of increasing freedom from the things that enslaved us. The basket was then to be given to God and the giver was to bow down before the Lord. The Levites and the foreigners with them were all to rejoice before the Lord, delighting in the good things that God has given them. The Levites are named alongside the foreigners because the Levites had no inheritance in the land itself. Rejoicing in the Lord and His goodness towards us is a vital part of worship.
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