In the text, Moses exhorts the people to offer unto God their first fruits in remembrance and thanksgiving for their inheritance of the new land. They have toiled and struggled in the wilderness for many years and have come at long last to the place of divine promise. God has been good to them. God has kept his promises and has brought them to a place of great wealth and prosperity. The soil is ripe for planting and harvesting. The hills and valleys are rich with minerals. The water flows like milk and foliage tastes of honey. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the earth is good. Unlike the wilderness whose harsh terrain, lurking dangers, and arid places punish, maim, and discourage God’s people, the new land is warm and embracing and full of promise of new life.

Moses asks the people…