Deuteronomy 26:15
Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey. Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
The verse belongs to instructions that set out God's claims and the blessings of obedience. It is the prayer that closed Israel's yearly declaration over the tithe, in which the people stated that they had obeyed God's commands about offerings and care for the poor and needy. Those commands put God first. They taught Israel that God owned their fields, flocks, and herds, that He supplied the sun and rain for their harvests, and that He had made them stewards of what they possessed.
The prayer asks God in heaven to look down and bless His people Israel and the land He gave them as He had sworn and promised to their fathers. When Israel had obeyed all the Lord's commands, the people could offer this prayer with confidence. The prayer affirmed God's ownership of all increase from orchard and harvest field, flocks and herds, and labor of mind and hand. The consecration of a tithe to God and the devotion of a second tithe for relief of the poor and other benevolent uses kept fresh the truth that all belongs to God and that Israel had opportunity to be channels of His blessings. This tithing was training to destroy narrowing selfishness and to cultivate breadth and nobility of character, because knowledge of God, fellowship with Him in study and in labor, and likeness to Him in character were to be the source, the means, and the aim of Israel's education.