“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut. 4:29)
What a glorious day to kick off our study of Deuteronomy. The sheer excitement of being back together after a long, hot summer was only to be topped by the insights that we gleamed from this weeks’ assignment and the hearty discussion.
Remembering our studies of Exodus and Numbers we realize that these refugees from Egypt had seen the presence of the Lord by pillar of cloud that led them by day and a tower of fire that led by night yet they still were disobedient and the Lord caused them to suffer and wander for 40 years. Also recall the numerous times when the Lord distinctly revealed His glory to Moses - concrete evidence that “He would never leave them, nor forsake them.” (The Angel of the Lord appeared from the burning bush at Mt. Sinai; manna fell from the heavens providing daily food; Moses saw the Lord in the midst of a cloud of consuming fire (Mt. Sinai); the Lord spoke to Moses’ face to face; the Lord gave Moses the Laws, made a covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai and the Lord assured the Israelites of His Presence.)
We now have the people of Israel poised at the entrance to Canaan (the Promised Land) and the Lord calls on Moses to seize one last opportunity to prepare the people for their new life in the inherited land but the blessing of this land was conditional…it required obedience! Because those entering Canaan were second generation (no person over the age of 20) the reiteration of the Covenant, the Laws and the Commandments in the book of Deuteronomy makes perfect sense. “You shall not add to the Word which I command, nor take from it, keeping the commandments of the Lord.” (Deut. 4:2) “And teach them to your children and your grandchildren…that they may teach their children. (Deut. :9b,10b)
Many battles had ensued (and there would be more) over the possession of this land, Moses spoke the Lord’s encouraging words to his people reminding them:
“Don’t be terrified or afraid. The Lord your God who goes before you, He will fight for you…you saw how the Lord your God carried you…” (Deut. 1:30-31)
“…the Lord your God Himself fights for you. He is a Divine Warrior. (Deut. 3:22). “
The sheer fact that Moses would die before entering this land is a reminder that God didn’t want this story to be about Moses. The Lord wanted it to be about the legacy Moses would leave; a legacy of obedience to the Lord even in the midst of trouble and confirmation of the faithfulness of our Lord that goes before us. Moses was the intercessor between God and the Israelites. How comforting to know our eternal intercessor is the Lord Jesus Christ, the very Son of God.
Two verses really spoke to me this week and they are:
ReplyDeleteVerse 21 says, “Go up and take possession of it (the land)…do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God gives us a charge today to 'take possession' of what is truly ours to have. Even though we face impossible situations that appear to be giants in our lives He continues to remind us that NOTHING is impossible for Him. For if we think otherwise then we are placing another god above Him and breaking the first commandment. It will be God who is the victor...all He asked is that we stand firm for Him in the presence of our enemies with great confidence and trust that our God is above all other gods.
Verse 29, “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well with them and their children FOREVER!" I want to be like Caleb who followed God WHOLEHEARTEDLY!