Devotion in Deuteronomy 4

“See, I have taught you statues and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statues and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?” Deuteronomy 4:5-8

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples…” I am here reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Keeping and doing the word of God by faith is a manifestation of godly wisdom. As far as I can tell, it has been from the very “beginning” that God has desired for man to keep His Word. The man who abides in God’s Word will never be shaken.

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” The people who make the Word of God their dwelling place will be a city set on a hill that will shine forth the light, love, and wisdom of God to a famished and dying world.

But what really? What religion on earth has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is near to us? Among the world’s religions who can dare ask in faith? Who can dare come before the throne of God with boldness? Who can pray anytime and in anyplace? What religion can offer the indwelling of God’s Spirit. There is no other God who saves, who transforms, who loves, who judges in truth and mercy, who comforts the downcast, who cares for the widow, the orphan, the naked, the thirsty, and the hungry. Who is like our GOD?

Devotion in Deuteronomy 3

“And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. So will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’” Deuteronomy 3:21-22

Throughout the Biblical history of Israel we have many examples of the Lord fighting for His people in a diversity of ways—and may I say, “God does not fight fair.” I think it is generally understood that some of God’s methods have either changed or been put on hold under the glory and grace of the New Covenant. Therefore, we shouldn’t expect to be hearing God tell us to go kill our flesh and blood enemies. But, much like the Children of Israel traveling from Egypt to the promised land, we too (all born again saints) are traveling from a spiritual Egypt to a promised land. Like the Israelites of that time we also have many enemies along the road.

The Word of Lord, “You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.” remains just as true and sure now as it did thousands of years ago. We can count on God fighting for us but only as we walk in faith and obedience with him.

Devotion in Deuteronomy 2

Then the Lord said to me, “You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession…’” Deuteronomy 2:2-5

Though they were not yet born and had done nothing bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Romans 9:11-13

I am not going to pretend to know what exactly is meant by the statement, “But Esau I hated.” Nevertheless, I will say that I don’t think we should project a worldly and sinful definition upon God’s hatred of Esau. God’s hatred is pure and undefiled and I don’t believe we can pretend to understand the full scope of it (not that we can’t understand it at least in small part).

Despite whatever hatred God had for Esau, the passage I read in Deuteronomy reveals to me that God’s hatred for Esau is very different from our hatred. For He blessed Esau by giving him and his descendents Mount Seir as a possession and by protecting them from war with the Israelites. What these Scriptures reveal to me, is something that I am seeing over and over again in Deuteronomy, is that there is a complex unity or diversity in God. God is both just and merciful, holy and loving. There is not a single attribute in God that could be fully explored for all eternity.

Devotion in Deuteronomy 1

“The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. And The Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the Son of Jephunneh.” 1:30-36

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country.” 42-43

Two mistakes are listed here that are still repeated today. The first is unbelief in the Word of God. The second is presumption upon the word of God.

Why look for examples anywhere else then in my own life. I cannot count how many times and in how many ways God has been miraculously good to me. Yet despite how many times I have seen his outstretched arm on my behalf I still waver in unbelief. Knowing the short term memory loss of humanity is probably one of the reasons why God is constantly reminding his people to remember, to return, and to repent.

Unbelief in the Word of God is tragic. We often don’t realize how tragic it really is because we tend to only think about it from our point of view. But because God is “invested” in his Word, to not believe is to reject God. Such is the great tragedy. We are shown in these verses that the God whom they rejected was not an evil and angry master but a loving and compassionate Father. Like a weak son carried by his father so Israel was carried tenderly by God despite their sins. The greater the revelation of God the more tragic is our unbelief.

Now the second sin listed in this chapter may be a little more serious than the first. Presumption of this kind is rooted in deception. To presume that God has spoken when he is silent can get you killed.

‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ I think we make this same kind of assumption in many different ways both in our homes and in our churches. We assume that the manifested presence of God is in our midst when he really isn’t. Perhaps this is why we experience so much tragedy and defeat in both our homes and churches. We prophecy “Peace, Peace,” over people when God hasn’t spoken. We pull scriptures out of context to tickle peoples’ ears and end up leading them into greater and greater deception.