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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Deuteronomy 6:10-12
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Our scripture passage for today from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, is comprised of a mere three verses but the words within are of extreme importance for they place the reader’s focus and direct attention on God as the Great Creator and Provider for all created things.
As we have seen in this book to date, Moses has been priming Israel for their entry into the land God had promised to give them, the land He “swore” to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was still their leader but soon would be replaced by Joshua who would have the privilege to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into Canaan.
I have always loved how Moses, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to enter the Promised Land with his brothers and sisters, never stopped caring for them, those he had led since departing enslavement and bondage in Egypt. We have seen how he dedicated his time to remind them about what God had commanded. He also recapped their sinful mistakes of their past to help them avoid repeating them while also sharing new words of wisdom with them.
In today’s passage, he not only gives the people of Israel something new to consider but his words speak to believers today as well. Look again at those verses here:
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Deuteronomy 6:10-12
Now, on the surface, these words might seem centered solely on remembrance. After all, Moses exhorts the Israelites to “be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”. But if we focus only on the matter of not forgetting, I think we are missing the bigger message contained within, a message which encourages appreciation for God and all He has done. To that end, Moses reminds the people of Israel about several important matters:
First, It is the Lord and Him alone who is really bringing them into the Promised Land.
Yes, Joshua might have been designated by God to be the Israelites’ leader as they crossed the Jordan but rest assured that it was God, and God alone, who was bringing Israel into Canaan. They wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t His will for them to do so.
Today, it is God, and Him alone who brings us to where He wants us to be as well. Given this, we shouldn’t take credit for it ourselves or give credit to others, removing the glory from Him that He deserves. I’ve firmly believed, and have seen it happen in my life, that God always puts us where He wants us to be. And when we submit to His will in that place, we will see how we are there to fulfill His purposes. With this truth in hand, we only need to just trust and believe in Him, responding to His direction in obedience wherever He leads us.
Secondly, the Israelites were receiving the Promised Land because of a covenant promise made with their ancestors.
As mentioned, Canaan was land sworn to “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, the fathers of Israel. And so the Israelites were gaining the nation as an inheritance, a fulfillment of God’s covenant promise and we know God always keeps His promises.
This absolute fact helps us as we walk through life each day as Christian believers. For we should always remember that when God puts us in places that He wants us to be, He is always and ever with us there. We know this because He promised He would always be present walking alongside us, wherever we He would lead us. He assured us through His Word that He would never leave nor forsake us.
Friends, is this not good news for us, good news we need never forget?
For the God of all things, the God of infinite power and wisdom, never leaves our side. We will face hardships in life as we move in accordance with His will but He will always help us make it through those times, the times when He is actually helping refine and purify our faith. Indeed, through His strength and help, we can make it through anything and everything (Philippians 4:13).
Give thanks today and every day for the Lord who never breaks a promise.
Finally, everything the Israelites were about to inherit didn’t come from any work they had done.
The land of Canaan was filled with “large, flourishing cities” that Israel would conquer and possess as their own but they didn’t build those cities or the houses within that were “filled with all kinds of good things”.
They would enjoy fresh water to quench their thirst from wells that someone else dug. Ditto for the “vineyards and olive groves” that had already been planted, vineyards and olive groves that would allow them to “eat” and be “satisfied”.
No, Israel didn’t play a part in producing anything that they would inherit.
But God did.
He, the Great Provider, was the One and only One who made the way for Canaanite cities and houses to be built, wells to be dug, houses to be filled with the richest provisions, and vineyards and olive groves which were planted and harvested. All the Israelites were gaining came from God and so Moses encouraged them to not forget that, giving the Lord the credit He was due.
My brothers and sisters, in our scripture passage today, we see the nation of Israel called into a state of appreciation for their God, the God who truly does bring down every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17).
My prayer for us in these present times is that we would never lose sight of the God who is at work within any and every life situation and circumstance as we follow His will, realizing that He has brought us there, is there with us in the midst of things, and is ready to provide whatever is needed to bring us through so His purposes are ultimately carried out. Everything we have has been given by Him, abundant blessings for us to live for Him in this life as we move toward the eternal life to come, the eternal life none of us have earned and yet have been granted by grace through belief in His Son Jesus.
Let us always give Him all the glory, honor, and praise, now and forevermore.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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