Deuteronomy 9-10 Not What You Want To Hear From God

The Israelites were almost there.  Moses didn’t sugarcoat things as he prepared to separate from them.  God had given him quite a bit to remind the Israelites about.

First, they had to understand that God wasn’t doing all this for them because they were good.  He unabashedly told them that somebody had to drive out the evil people now inhabiting the Promised Land, and they happened to be handy.  He said, “It is not because you are good; you are a stubborn people … You would not obey the Lord from the day you left Egypt until you arrived here! … He was angry enough with you to destroy you … You rejected the command of the Lord your God.  You did not trust Him or obey Him.  You have refused to obey the Lord as long as I have known you!”

Moses pleaded for them with God, saying, “Don’t look at how stubborn these people are, don’t look at their sin and evil … they are Your people, Lord, Your own people …”

Getting a reprieve from God, the people now heard what was expected of them as a result:  “This is what the Lord your God wants you to do:  Respect the Lord your God, and do what He has told you to do.  Love Him.  Serve the Lord your God  with your whole being, and obey the Lord’s commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good … Give yourselves completely to serving Him, and do not be stubborn any longer.  Respect the Lord your God and serve Him.  Be loyal to Him … He is your God, who has done great and wonderful things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes.”

They’d given God every reason to get rid of them and start over.  Yet in His love, He led Moses to teach them how they’d gone wrong, just as their parents had.  He wanted four things from them:  respect, love, obedience, and service.  If we too will work on those four goals on a daily basis, it will keep us from working on other things that might lead us to sin.

Father, You’d kept a visible presence among those people for 40 years and still they chose to sin.  It’s even tougher when You’re not visibly present.  Please soften my stubborn heart and help me to obey.  Let Your Holy Spirit’s voice inside me overwhelm the voices begging me to sin for my own sake.  Remind me often that those voices are lying to me, bent on my destruction, and that You love me more than I love myself.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford