More of the recap...

I'm going to combine the next two days because the readings comprise a recap of things already covered, i.e. there's not alot of new ground to cover. But there are a few things I want to point out. First, remember that this recap is not a review for most of the people listening, as they had not lived the experience. The generation that lived the plagues, Red Sea crossing, golden calf, etc. had died in the wilderness. And yet, Moses addresses the crowd in several places as though they had been there. For example, in Deuteronomy 7:19, he says of the plagues, "you saw it with your own eyes!" Who was left besides Joshua and Caleb who had witnessed the plagues? I had to really think about that one, but I remembered that those who died in the wilderness were those who were of fighting age (20) and older. So there would have been a sizable number of people, now in their mid forties to late fifties, who had seen what Moses was describing! I throw that out there just in case it puzzled anyone else but me!

Second, in two places Moses is very clear with the Israelites about why they had been so favored by God. He points out that it was not their might, as evidenced by Deuternomy 7:7, "the Lord did not set His heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations". He later adds in Deuteronomy 9:6, "you must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not- you are a stubborn people". Knowing the sin of pride that lurks in the heart of everyone, God wanted to be certain that His people did not feel they had earned His favor by their own merit. This line of thinking would eventually lead to religious elitism and exclusivity. Back to Deuteronomy 7, the reason for His favor is stated clearly..."it was simply that the Lord loves you and was keeping the oath He had sworn to your ancestors". This sounds alot like the New Testament concept of grace... God's unmerited favor!

Thirdly, I thought that Moses admonition to "beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God " was highly applicable to us today. God was about to bless this nation of people who had been wandering in the desert, homeless and hungry and impoverished for 40 years, which was an upgrade from their previous existence of enslavement to the Egyptians. They were about to enter a land where "food was plentiful and nothing was lacking". In short, they were going from rags to riches. And furthermore, it was going to be handed to them on a silver platter! Again, knowing the heart of man, a specific warning is issued against the tendency to seek God in tough times and ignore Him in the good times. We are equally as guilty today. I can speak to this from first-hand experience. Having a young child with cancer, I can tell you that the early weeks after his diagnosis were filled with more prayer, Bible reading, and desire for God than ever before. And when his condition stabilized and the prognosis became very hopeful, my intense zeal for the Lord waned significantly. I wish that were not true of me, just as I wish it were not true of the Israelites. But God saw what was coming...hundreds of years of the same cycle...Israel's disobedience, God's discipline, Israel's cry for mercy, God's deliverance, and back to Israel's disobedience. They only turned their ears to Him under intense suffering, which is probably why He allowed so much of it, but that's another topic. At any rate, we should all take heed and try not to fall prey to the same spiritual apathy that befell the Israelites.

Tomorrow's reading: Deuteronomy 10-12