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how does acknowledging past deliverance shape our present struggles?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Deuteronomy 26:5-9

“You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, 'My father was a Syrian ready to perish; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard service. We cried to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. Yahweh brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and with signs, and with wonders; and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, Yahweh, have given me.' You shall set it down before Yahweh your God, and worship before Yahweh your God.”

This passage is part of Moses's farewell address to the Israelites, delivered on the plains of Moab before they enter the promised land. It instructs them on the ritual they are to perform when they bring their first harvest to the tabernacle, serving as a reminder of their history and God's faithfulness.

What past deliverances in your life, or in the story of your community, deserve intentional remembrance and thanksgiving today?

Then — the setting

Deuteronomy was likely composed or compiled over centuries, with its final form around the 7th or 6th century BCE, reflecting legal and theological traditions from earlier periods. This specific passage instructs the Israelites who are about to enter the land of Canaan. It sets out a liturgical declaration for an agricultural offering, connecting their current prosperity in the promised land directly to their origins as a marginalized, enslaved people in Egypt. The ritual is designed to ensure that future generations understand their identity not as self-made but as beneficiaries of divine rescue, fostering humility, gratitude, and obedience to the covenant.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament, especially in books like Deuteronomy, Psalms, and the prophetic literature, frequently calls Israel to remember God's acts of deliverance, particularly the Exodus from Egypt, as the foundational story of their identity and covenant relationship. This constant looking back is meant to inspire faithfulness in the present and hope for the future. In the New Testament, this pattern continues but shifts focus. Jesus, during the Last Supper, institutes a new ritual of remembrance (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), instructing his followers to recall his death and resurrection, which becomes the new definitive act of deliverance. Both testaments emphasize that acknowledging past salvation shapes how people understand their identity, their relationship with God, and their response to current challenges.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 105:1-5
Recounts God's faithful acts through Israel's history, encouraging remembrance.
Hebrews 11:1-40
Highlights a 'cloud of witnesses' who lived by faith, remembering God's promises despite present challenges.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Institutes a new ritual of remembrance, urging followers to recall Jesus' sacrificial act.

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