February 19 - Deuteronomy 31-34
As Joshua prepares to take over for Moses, it always encourages me to see how the Lord reassures him that there is no need to fear, because God would not leave him or forsake him. I am sure it was a very sobering experience to think about trying to fill the shoes of Moses, but God is telling Joshua that with His help, he could do it. Isn't that how all of life should be? We should be attempting more than we can do on our own, because those are the kinds of assignments God gives us. Then, we should proceed in the strength and power of the Lord, knowing that He will not let us down. I hope you have that kind of confidence in the Lord.
The next passage is so interesting because Moses commands the Law to be read to the people every seven years when the entire nation is gathered for that purpose. I think that points to the fact that it is good in unity to be reminded about our purposes on a regular basis or else as a church we will drift from God's direction, and we may not notice the movement. Then, Moses proceeds to tell them that a major rebellion was to take place and that the Israelites would have to be punished before returning to God. However, even though He knew their hearts before He chose them as His people, He still loved them and called them. He gave them the ability to experience His blessings, and He blessed them for a time, even though in His wisdom, He knew they would turn from Him. Then, He knew He would have to punish them, but it was all worth it for the possibility of having God's blessing. What a Loving and Holy God at work! He still works the same way today.
He even gave Moses a song to present to the people so they would have a record of this prophesy about their rebellion and to call them back to Himself. Isn't that like God? He anticipates our needs and provides for us in advance so often. Also, a song is such a good way to remember things. The music makes the message stick in our minds. God made it special in that way, so we could memorize all kinds of things. Maybe, you learned the books of the Bible by learning a song. That is a good example of the power of this song of Moses.
The end of the book is an account of the blessing of Moses on the people he had led for over 40 years. He had experienced a lot of ups and downs, but in the end he extends the blessing to his beloved people. What a testimony that he never gave up. He never quit loving the people. He always looked to the Lord, even though he was not perfect. He was the greatest prophet up to that day, and he knew the Lord intimately. I hope someone can say something like that about you and me when we get to the end of our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 1-4.
The next passage is so interesting because Moses commands the Law to be read to the people every seven years when the entire nation is gathered for that purpose. I think that points to the fact that it is good in unity to be reminded about our purposes on a regular basis or else as a church we will drift from God's direction, and we may not notice the movement. Then, Moses proceeds to tell them that a major rebellion was to take place and that the Israelites would have to be punished before returning to God. However, even though He knew their hearts before He chose them as His people, He still loved them and called them. He gave them the ability to experience His blessings, and He blessed them for a time, even though in His wisdom, He knew they would turn from Him. Then, He knew He would have to punish them, but it was all worth it for the possibility of having God's blessing. What a Loving and Holy God at work! He still works the same way today.
He even gave Moses a song to present to the people so they would have a record of this prophesy about their rebellion and to call them back to Himself. Isn't that like God? He anticipates our needs and provides for us in advance so often. Also, a song is such a good way to remember things. The music makes the message stick in our minds. God made it special in that way, so we could memorize all kinds of things. Maybe, you learned the books of the Bible by learning a song. That is a good example of the power of this song of Moses.
The end of the book is an account of the blessing of Moses on the people he had led for over 40 years. He had experienced a lot of ups and downs, but in the end he extends the blessing to his beloved people. What a testimony that he never gave up. He never quit loving the people. He always looked to the Lord, even though he was not perfect. He was the greatest prophet up to that day, and he knew the Lord intimately. I hope someone can say something like that about you and me when we get to the end of our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 1-4.