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Moses reminds the Israelites what they must do when they enter and settle down in the Promised Land
Each man is to present in a basket his firstfruits on the land as a thanksgiving to God for their deliverance from Egypt as well as the fulfillment of his words to give them a land flowing with milk and honey
Since the coming out of the Israelites from Egypt and arrival at the Promised Land implies salvation for God’s chosen nation; therefore, every individual is to recite a personal salvation testimony
Each man’s testimony of God’s deliverance and of being a partaker of the fulfillment of the promise to their ancestors must be accompanied by a basket of the firstfruits, all translating to gratitude and worship
God separates his chosen nation Israel from among the pagan nations by his great power and strength, hence, Israel should rejoice in the good things the Lord has given them
In the second lesson, Jesus said his nourishment comes from doing the will of God as well as the zeal to finish the work; to finish the work is to die for mankind
He communicated the dawn of spiritual harvest to his disciples using their understanding of the harvest season
Although they are familiar with the agricultural seasons of harvest Jesus called the attention of the disciples to a more important season; that the earth is ripe for harvest
Asking the disciples to open their eyes is figurative because their eyes were not literarily closed, but that the harvest has already begun in the history of salvation just as seen in the Samaritans that believed
Jesus further instructed his disciples to go out to reap the benefits of the labor of laborers that has gone ahead
And now, reaping the labor of others is not a material gain from people’s sweat but the building on the message of the Good News they have shared