Before they cross the Jordan to the Promised Land, Moses recaps to the new generation of Israelites their people’s history...just in case they might forget who was the LORD their God. It was their God who blessed their forefathers with His covenant and formed them as a chosen people. It was their God who freed them from Egypt while they were oppressed there and provided for their needs during their exodus. It was their God who dwelled amongst them in the wilderness and blessed them with His presence. It was their God who taught them how to be holy and gave them His ten commandments and His decrees… I hope we all take time as well to ponder on the journey God has taken us so far through our daily Bible reading. Remember God's awesome Creation and His close communion with Adam and Eve, then Adam and Eve’s original sin, then their separation from God, then mankind's pride and transgressions that spread on Earth, then God's righteous wrath through the flood and His renewed covenant for humanity through Noah. And then the unfolding of God's plan to set apart a nation for Himself through the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… What has God taught you of who He is and of His character? What were your personal takeaways?
After reminding them of their history, Moses prepares Israel for their future. He is clear to them that their wellbeing would depend on whether the obey God's laws or not. He warns them that if they turn away from God's way, and turn instead towards idolatry, they will provoke God’s anger and will fall as a people. But if they follow God's will, they indeed will find Him:
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 4:29)
Then Moses answers an important question: why has God set the Israelites apart from other people as His? So that they will know that LORD is God:
Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. (Deut 4:32-35)
Today, God is involved in our personal lives just as much. We all have a history and a future. What is your personal history with God? It is encouraging to know that God was there for us both in our struggles and our joys, whether we had recognized Him in them or not. Since God has been faithful to us before, He will be faithful again. If we've been far from Him before, He offers us a hope for the future again, a future with Him.
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time. (Deut 4:39-40)
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