Scripture:
Deuteronomy 6:10-19 NKJV
[10] “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, [11] houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— [12] then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. [13] You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. [14] You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you [15] (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. [16] “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. [17] You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. [18] And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, [19] to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
Observation:
Over the last few days this scripture has been put in my path several times. So I have been thinking about it, just rolling it around in my mind, processing it, asking GOD what exactly HE wants us to know from it. One of the first and most important things that was brought to my mind is, the fact that you can not read the Old testament without thinking about what is always under the surface. If you do so you will think that GOD is out to smite the first person who steps out of line. As I began to look at this a picture started to come to my mind. A picture that was painted at the very beginning of the Bible. As Moses addressed the Israelites here in Deuteronomy chapter 6 in sure he had no idea the picture he was painting for future believers. As they approached the promised land he wanted GOD’S chosen people to know and understand that they had a responsibility to do the right thing. Holding on to how they got to where they were. Although they will have faced some battles and overcome amazing odds, it was nothing that they did that ultimately got them where they were. The transition from all the adversity they faced to a life of more than enough would tempt them to become prideful, quite possibly even forgetting exactly how they got to where they are. Having more than enough can lead to living in the blessings and forgetting to take time to remember the one who brought the blessings into your life. Life in the desert was not an easy one. One of the things that had been shown was that GOD is the provider of all their needs. Manna, water, healing, and meat, were brought right to them, not to mention victory in battles that were bigger than them, all brought by the hand of GOD. This was to show them that HE is the, “I AM” HE is the source of everything they needed. It was designed to keep them looking up. The test came when there was more than enough. Would they continue to do so? That’s what Moses was addressing. The statement made in verse 15 is one that doesn’t need to go unnoticed. It’s also one that can be a little misleading if you read the Old Testament without understanding the whole picture that is painted in the Bible. GOD’S desire for HIS people to depend on and look to HIM for everything is HIS driving force. HE is the one who created all things, HE knows exactly how they work, and exactly what needs to happen for all things to come together the way HE has always planned. HIS desire for HIS people to keep their eyes fixed on HIM comes from a Father’s heart. As Moses continues to address the people a reminder of the way things unfolded in Massah was necessary. It brought a hash warning to them to look to GOD for everything HE provided in the toughest times and that would not change. When HE told Moses at the burning bush who he was being sent by, that’s exactly what HE meant, “I AM” the source of everything you need. This warning here as they approached the promised land was important. The abundance had a tendency to produce complacency and pride.
Application:
As I read this I can’t help but think about all the times I have started to get somewhere in life, and start forgetting all about how I got to where I am. It’s so easy to start thinking that all the blessings are coming from what you are doing. GOD wants us to fix our eyes on HIM, HE is the giver of all that is good. As we begin to experience HIS blessings, we have a tendency to think it’s because of us. Can I tell you something… you had nothing to do with it. GOD saw fit to bring you out of your mess because it was part of HIS plan. I never want to forget that it’s HIS grace that has brought HIS favor into my life. You see here is the issue. When we take our eyes off of the giver and pay more attention to the gifts we lose sight of all of it. HE is the “I AM” over the last few weeks my focus has been completely devoted to HIM. I know that HE is all I need. All I want is what HE has for me, and I know that HIS plan is so much bigger than me. It’s not because of what I did that I experience HIS blessings. I suppose now is a good time to bring the word grace to the table, for it is by grace that you have been saved, and not by works lest no man boast. You see it’s easy to get to a point where that is out of the perspective. As we begin to see that GOD has taken us out of jail cells and homeless camps and placed us in a better position we might think we did something and forget it’s all HIM. Grace is GOD’S unearned favor. It’s HIM that brings more than enough. It’s nothing you did or can do. It’s all HIM. We can’t forget that. We are not good enough to earn GOD’S favor. It’s not because we are good at all… it’s because HE is good. Keeping our eyes fixed on the giver rather than the gifts is vital. Life here on earth is too small of a thing to live for. HE gave us the very breath of life and continues to do so. When we have more than we need it’s easy to take our focus off of HIM. Here is the thing, what HE wants is our attention, and if the stuff takes our attention off of HIM, HE will remove the stuff so HE will have our attention. HE is a jealous GOD. Salvation is a gift. It does not change the fact that it’s all about HIM. Salvation makes the man, the man does not make salvation. HE provides all that we need according to HIS riches and glory. The provider, the savior, the healer, the redeemer, the Restorer, the very source of our everything. Don’t ever take your eyes off of that.
Prayer:
Father, I know that I am not the one who has done anything. I am here because you saw fit to draw me to you. You are my source of life, and my dependency on you doesn’t change because of what you have blessed me with. All I want is more of you. I want to thank you for all that you have given me, but its not the reason I’m here, I’m here because you saw fit to reveal yourself to me. You took me out of my mess and put me here. It has nothing to do with me. You have purchased my life by giving your one and only SON. Your grace is the source of my blessings…. Nothing else. What an amazing Father you are. You knew our tendency to become self reliant and spoke to that before we ever became that way. All I can ask is that you keep our eyes fixed on you inside all the blessings. Help us to stay focused on the giver rather than the gifts. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.