Scripture:
Deuteronomy 8:11-20 NKJV
[11] “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, [12] lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; [13] and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; [14] when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; [15] who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; [16] who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— [17] then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ [18] “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. [19] Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. [20] As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.
Observation:
I was reading the bible last night and ran across this scripture. I have written about it before, because it seems that every time I read it the principle behind it rings in my ears. Believe it or not, it’s easier to do than you might think. Deuteronomy is one of the first five books in the bible. It’s one of the books that the Jewish people clung to, and honestly, I can see why. This warning, here in chapter 8 is something that I believe all of us should pay attention to. It’s believed to be written by Moses, a man who had 40 years to think about GOD on the back side of the desert, yet still had to have a burning bush encounter to get his attention. So that he would step into his calling. As I was typing, the thought that came into my mind was, Moses on the backside of the desert with a staff in hand, following sheep, thinking about the Hebrew people in captivity still in Egypt. I can see him thinking, “Man, I wish there was something I could do, some way I could help. That day when he had struck the Egyptians and buried him in the sand was fresh on his mind. Even though it had been years since the event. It just would not go away. Praying that GOD would just do something. After 40 years of thinking, 40 years of shaping, 40 years of taking care of these blessed sheep. It was time. The LORD knew it, and he got Moses’ attention. Now here many years after that very moment. All the time that had yet passed again. It was time to start stepping into another promise from GOD. Moses knew the tendency that people have to forget. He knew this tendency, because he was starting to get up there in age himself. I’m sure his mind was not as sharp as it once was and he wanted GOD’S people to always remember how they got to where they were at. So as they prepared to move into the next step that the LORD had for them. Moses spoke these words, “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your GOD by not keeping HIS commandments, HIS judgments and HIS statutes which I command you today, lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and your hearts and your flocks multiply and your silver and gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget how you got there. I know it’s stated differently. Moses was given this message to the people by the LORD I’m sure. HE knew the tendency we would have to forget how we got to where we are. As the message to the people continues, he talks about the safety and provisions that took place with fiery serpents and water from the rock manna from heaven. It was all a reminder of how the LORD had brought them from bondage and captivity to freedom and plenty. But the reminder had a purpose. It was to burn it into their brain. What Moses was telling them is Don’t forget it wasn’t you that got you to where you are going. We are at the edge of the promised land. We are about to go in and get comfortable, and when we do. It will be easy to forget how we got here. Thinking we did something. Just glancing over verse 16 again I saw something. It’s something that we should pay real close attention to. The things that GOD did for HIS people as HE brought them out of bondage are listed in verse 15 and continue into verse 16, but there is a key phrase in verse 16. “Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not understand, that HE might humble you and that HE might test you to do good in the end.” It continues through verse 17. “Then you will say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. ” What Moses is saying is that God will test our hearts. HE brought HIS people to a land where they had more than enough, and expected them to love their neighbor as they love themselves.
Application:
I remember what it was like. Not knowing where the next meal was coming from and yet somehow I always had what I needed. I remember all the jail cells and handcuffs from my past. In fact, I never want to forget how far GOD has brought me. But honestly, I hope I never feel like I have arrived. Because that’s where people start to get comfortable and feel like we have done something. My best thinking always brought me captivity. It’s only because of what GOD has done that there is anything good in my life. As I think about the very first verse that was chosen this morning I’m reminded of when Jesus condensed the ten commandments into two. “Love GOD above all else and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love is the fulfillment of the law. My heart breaks when I see people struggling. I want to do something about it. I know I can’t save them all, but GOD puts specific ones in front of us to test our hearts. HE wants to see if we love as HE does. Looking past the person into HIS creation. Are we going to take what HE has given us and truly honor HIM with it? I don’t ever want to forget that it was GOD’S hand that has brought me out of where I was. Left to myself I’m honestly on my way right back. Left to myself I might start thinking that I have done something. We have to be very careful when we start thinking that we are someone. Getting puffed up with pride is very dangerous. Believe me, I know. The fall hurts. I want to always remember that it’s GOD who has done anything good in my life, in fact, the only thing I can take credit for is all the sin. Yep, that was me. I didn’t know how to live in the freedom that GOD had always planned for me to live in. HE brought us all out of captivity, and HE is bringing us to a place where we have more than enough, so that HE can see the deeper parts of our hearts. HE is a jealous GOD. Our heart is HIS throne and HE will dethrone anything that takes HIS place. Especially if that thing is us. Our hearts have to be in the right posture. Knowing that not only is it all HIS, but so are they. The people HE puts in front of us to love. Never forget how you got to where you are. I am here on this keyboard right now because GOD placed me here. Not because I am anyone or anything. It’s because HE saw fit to reveal HIMSELF to me, bring me out of captivity, and place HIS truth in my heart, than give me a desire to speak it with as much grace as I know how. Any increase that is in my life is not because of me it’s because HE has given me what’s HIS to use, so that I can help others. That needs to be the position of our hearts. We didn’t do it. HE did, and we can’t forget that, or we are on our way back.
Prayer:
Father, it’s all you. May we never get puffed up with pride, thinking that we did something. You brought us out from where we were. You kept us safe, you provided our needs, you fed us in ways we didn’t understand, and you will test our hearts. Because they are your throne. This morning we pray that if there is anything in them that is not of you. If we have started to think that we are doing something. If we have built beautiful houses and begun to think it’s our hands that have done that. Bring us back to the right size. We want to remain under the shadow of your wing. Staying connected to you the life-giving source. You are every breath we take. So we want every move we make to reflect who you are. Let us love as you love. Let us look at every person that you place in front of us as someone you have created for a specific part of your plan. We know that you have made us for such a time as this. We want to be in your very presence. Its in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.