Thursday, March 26

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

Deuteronomy 5:1–6:25

Luke 7:11–35

Psalm 68:19–35

Proverbs 11:29–31

 

 

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.  But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors.  The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.  And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:20–25)

 

 

In Deuteronomy, Moses frequently encourages the Israelites to “remember.”  This command includes reflections on God’s past faithfulness, acknowledgement of His real-time presence, and commitment to exalt Him as Lord into the future.  We will do well to heed Moses’s words as we seek to honor and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Deuteronomy provides many extended discourses from Moses on God’s amazing provision in breaking the yoke of slavery that the Israelites had experienced in Egypt.  God brought forth judgment on Egypt and its false gods and displayed great and awesome signs and wonders through the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.  By so doing, God demonstrated His strength and sovereignty over history and nature and charted the course of establishing His people in the Promised Land, as foretold many years earlier to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In the years after the Exodus, He provided guidance and direction through the cloud; manna, quail, and water for sustenance in the desert; and victories in battle.  The Israelites wandered astray through fashioning the Golden Calf and taking up military campaigns that God hadn’t authorized.  The people faced the due punishment for their wandering hearts.  God had intended this people to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6)

 

Turning to our daily lives, today offers us many opportunities to choose to honor God or to head in a different direction.  There are many potential distractions.  The reality of a sinful world will bring us frustration and disappointment.  In these moments where we might be tempted to turn away from God and to follow our own path, it is encouraging to remember that God had known of these circumstances even before our creation.  He sovereignly superintends over our lives on a moment-by-moment basis and will not abandon us.  Psalm 23:4 promises:  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,/ I will fear no evil,/ for you are with me;/ your rod and your staff,/ they comfort me.”  This present-tense “remember” takes training and a deep knowledge of God’s goodness.  I am learning that this action takes practice and grace.

 

Looking ahead, Moses calls the Israelites to remember God’s faithfulness and not to abandon God in times of prosperity.  Having received God’s deliverance into the Promised Land, the people might come to view their blessedness as coming from themselves rather than from God Himself.  The pride of achievement or wealth would potentially oversweep their hearts, turning their focus and praise from God to themselves.  This loss of humility would cause them to forget God’s sovereignty, tumbling the nation back to submission to other nations and their own sin.  While Christ the Redeemer would come to bring freedom through His sacrifice, the Israelites would face significant pain in the Exile period.

 

May we remember God’s faithfulness in the past, present, and future and find encouragement in His presence and lovingkindness.

 

 

Lord God, thank You for pointing out the importance of remembering You.  Bring to mind those times of faithfulness in the past, Your abiding presence for today, and Your sovereignty over the future.  Give us humble hearts of faith to trust You, and not ourselves.  We love You and honor You as the King over all.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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