March 7, 2006 - Deuteronomy 3-4 and Mark 10:32-52
As the Israelites prepared to move into the promised Land, God told Moses to speak to them and to remind them what was really important. That is what the book of Deuteronomy is about. It is Moses giving them the laws and commands of God one more time before they enter the Land. This second giving of the law shows us what is really important.
In chapter 3 Moses recounts how they had defeated Og, king of Bashan, and taken over his kingdom of 60 cities. They could do this because God was fighting for them. However, Moses also recalls how he tried to convince God to allow him to lead the people into Canaan, but God said no, again. Why did God say no? One reason was that the leader was not the key to taking Canaan and entering God's rest. Joshua had seen God work, and he was fully capable of leading the people. The main thing was to follow God and His laws. Any ruler who followed the Lord and led the people to follow God could bring them into the Land. We need to remember that it is not the leader, it is the Lord we are to look to for direction and provision. Too often, people follow a man instead of the Lord. That is not God's will.
Chapter 4 drives this point home even more. They were to listen to God's law. They were not to add to it, or to take anything away from it. (v.2) They were to remember that they were a unique nation. God had blessed them beyond any other nation. (v.7) God had protected them in Egypt. In fact, He had grown their nation while they were slaves. He had defeated the world's super power, Egypt, with the ten plagues, and He had led them out as no nation had experienced. He had made a covenant with them, appearing to them from the mountain and giving them the Ten Commandments, written by His own hand. No other nation has ever been blessed by God in those ways. However, those were not the keys to being blessed. It was being wise enough to follow God's laws. (v.6) If they turned from God's laws to idolatry, God would have to judge them, as He did every other nation. Therefore, they must be careful to observe God's laws, and then, they would be blessed. The same holds true for us today. God may have appeared to us and saved us, but that does not insure His blessings. Blessings come with obedience. If we love Him, we will keep His commands out of love, and He will bless us. His Word is truth, and God blesses truth, not error or sin. We must remember this every day.
Mark 10 shows us how hard it is for us to grasp the Lord's will sometimes. How many times had Jesus told His disciples what would happen to Him in Jerusalem? He had told them many times, but they still did not get it. They wanted to talk about greatness. They wanted to talk about sitting on thrones, instead of service. (v.45) Jesus was constantly having to show them the truth. Even with blind Bartimaeus, He was showing His disciples that they just needed to trust Him. We will never figure it all out, but we can believe it. It will never be about us. It is always about Him. Therefore, we must trust Him. He has given us what we need. We need to praise Him, love Him, and obey Him. Then, He can and will really bless us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 5-7 and Mark 11:1-18.
In chapter 3 Moses recounts how they had defeated Og, king of Bashan, and taken over his kingdom of 60 cities. They could do this because God was fighting for them. However, Moses also recalls how he tried to convince God to allow him to lead the people into Canaan, but God said no, again. Why did God say no? One reason was that the leader was not the key to taking Canaan and entering God's rest. Joshua had seen God work, and he was fully capable of leading the people. The main thing was to follow God and His laws. Any ruler who followed the Lord and led the people to follow God could bring them into the Land. We need to remember that it is not the leader, it is the Lord we are to look to for direction and provision. Too often, people follow a man instead of the Lord. That is not God's will.
Chapter 4 drives this point home even more. They were to listen to God's law. They were not to add to it, or to take anything away from it. (v.2) They were to remember that they were a unique nation. God had blessed them beyond any other nation. (v.7) God had protected them in Egypt. In fact, He had grown their nation while they were slaves. He had defeated the world's super power, Egypt, with the ten plagues, and He had led them out as no nation had experienced. He had made a covenant with them, appearing to them from the mountain and giving them the Ten Commandments, written by His own hand. No other nation has ever been blessed by God in those ways. However, those were not the keys to being blessed. It was being wise enough to follow God's laws. (v.6) If they turned from God's laws to idolatry, God would have to judge them, as He did every other nation. Therefore, they must be careful to observe God's laws, and then, they would be blessed. The same holds true for us today. God may have appeared to us and saved us, but that does not insure His blessings. Blessings come with obedience. If we love Him, we will keep His commands out of love, and He will bless us. His Word is truth, and God blesses truth, not error or sin. We must remember this every day.
Mark 10 shows us how hard it is for us to grasp the Lord's will sometimes. How many times had Jesus told His disciples what would happen to Him in Jerusalem? He had told them many times, but they still did not get it. They wanted to talk about greatness. They wanted to talk about sitting on thrones, instead of service. (v.45) Jesus was constantly having to show them the truth. Even with blind Bartimaeus, He was showing His disciples that they just needed to trust Him. We will never figure it all out, but we can believe it. It will never be about us. It is always about Him. Therefore, we must trust Him. He has given us what we need. We need to praise Him, love Him, and obey Him. Then, He can and will really bless us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 5-7 and Mark 11:1-18.