Do not exaggerate

Deuteronomy 1:28 Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we.  The cities are great and fortified up to heaven …”

The Israelites did the same thing I see myself doing at times, turning a big thing into an even bigger one.  Exaggerating a situation in my mind to the point of it becoming a problem that is bigger than it actually is, particularly discounting what I know from my own experiences that God can help me deal with.  The Israelites did not reflect on how God had helped them in their escape from slavery in Egypt.  In addition, they created problems by exaggerating the report of the spies who had gone into the Promised Land to check it out.  The spies reported “strong inhabitants” (Numbers 13:28) but now the people say the inhabitants are “greater and taller then we.”  The spies reported on cities “fortified and very large” but now the people say those cities are “fortified up to heaven.”  Remembering God’s faithful protection and enabling can be the key to my successful facing of my current situation every time!

My Knight in Shining Armor

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like God … who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.

When reading the final words of Moses before his death, I must admit these words not only captured my attention, they captured my imagination.  I feel almost fixated on them right now!  Picture the classic dream of any young woman, that of being rescued, swept off her feet by a knight in shining armor riding a white horse.  That is exactly what popped into my mind when I read this verse.  I am in need of help and when I call out, my Knight in Shining Armor comes galloping across the heavens in all His majesty to rescue me.  It is such a comfort to know how much God will do for me any time, any circumstance, whenever I call out for His help.  God is my KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR.

He is your praise

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise.  He is your God.

What is praise?  This verse says God is my praise but what does that mean?  The phrase has a lovely sound, and attracts my attention but I am not sure just what it means, so I have looked up the word “praise” in the dictionary and found four meanings, each of which brings a new level of insight to my understanding of who God is to my spirit:

1. He is my expression of approval and admiration.  I am who I am because of who He is.  I am a reflection of His approval of me as His child.

2. He embodies my worship.  My true worship is His praise.

3. He is “the state of being approved or admired.”  My act of worship is a main source of showing God’s greatness to all creation.

4. He is the ground for praise.  Nothing and no one else is worthy of praise.  Only God has that honor.  He is the essence as well as the source of praise.

I can tell I need to meditate on this for a while longer … this verse has a much deeper meaning than I ever dreamed I would find by looking that word up in the dictionary!

I've only just begun

Deuteronomy 3:24 O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand.

These are the words of Moses as he neared the end of his long, productive, eventful, leadership-filled life.  He had seen almost unbelievable miracles from his birth up until now.  He had had an extraordinary relationship with the people around him (think of everyone from Aaron his brother up to Pharaoh in Egypt) and most especially with God Himself (Think of the burning bush, the Red Sea and Mount Sinai).  He had seen and experienced more of God and divine activity than any of us have.  Yet now at the end of his life, he expresses some of the vastness of God’s greatness in there words: “You have only begun to show your greatness…”  It makes me pause for thought.  I have seen some of God’s greatness and mighty hand in my own life experience but, like Moses, I realize I have only seen a tiny morsel of all there is of God.  Heaven will be an eternity of learning the rest.

God bless my skills

Deuteronomy 33:11a Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands.

This is part of the blessing-prayer that Moses gives to Levi as he was preparing to turn over his leadership to Joshua.  Because Levi’s calling was to lead Israel in their spiritual efforts, I find this blessing particularly meaningful.  What special skills would Levi have?  Verses 8-10 include things such as: 1) putting aside personal interests (v.9a), 2) watching over God’s Word (v.9b), 3) teaching the Word (v.10a), and 4) offering incense and burnt offerings (v.10b).  Most of these were non-physical labor kinds of skills, but here was a prayer of blessing over those skills that are often forgotten.  This is my reminder that even my non-physical labor can be blessed of God, so nothing I do ever needs to be outside of that blessing.  As I have grown older and find myself reflecting on my life experiences, I have frequently been troubled over some jobs I’ve performed that I felt like were less than stellar even though I was trusting God as I did them … jobs such as leading the library through the aftermath of the fire.  That was not a physical job but it took a lot of work, and as I am reminded from this verse, I can rest in the fact that God blessed my skills and that He is pleased with my work. 

Intimidated? Maybe ... Afraid? No!

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Joshua was getting ready to take over leadership of Israel from Moses.  Moses had been leading for many years and was highly revered by the people, so I am sure there had to be some hesitation on Joshua’s part even though he had good standing with the people and good leadership skills and experience.  He knew the enormity of the immediate future’s activities, so this reminder of God’s presence and direction would be a timely one for him… as it is to us even now, all these years later.  No need for fear or discouragement when my goal is to follow the Lord, and as He is leading.  As I grow older I see some things as more intimidating than I did when I was younger, perhaps because I have more life experience so can understand the enormity of certain kinds of decisions.  As my body grows weaker from age and my mind is less keen I can also look back at the many times when it was evident that the Lord had gone before me and was with me, so even though physically life may be more challenging.  I am not afraid.  I remain determined to follow God’s leading in my life.  I am not discouraged.

God's good treasury

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

There are some things that I will never know or understand because they are the “secret things” that only God knows.  However, there are things that God has revealed through His Word, through my conscience, through creation, and those things form the basis of my obligation to obedience.  If I obey what I know and understand, I will be doing all the Lord requires of me.  I can wonder about those other “secret things” but I don’t have to worry about their impact on me except as God reveals them to me.  This makes my obedience so much easier, particularly so when I remember the words of the previous chapter in 28:12: “The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens … to bless all the work of your hands.” (ESV)

Turning curses into blessings

Deuteronomy 23:5 The Lord your God … turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

I see shades of Romans 8:28 in this Old Testament verse!  A curse, something bad, something difficult, something unpleasant, was turned into a blessing.  And the reason had nothing to do with how good the Israelites were, or with how much good they had done.  It was because the Lord loved them.  This love is a recurring theme throughout all of the history of the Israelites as recorded in the Old Testament and is carried over into the New Testament and into our own lives these thousands of years later.  I know this because of that well-known verse in Romans, but also because I have seen it in action in my own life so many times.  Things that happened that were devastating to me at the time have more often than not turned out to be for the best.  I remember the devastation of having to leave the ministry and friends I loved so much in Lebanon due to the war.  It was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever had, yet the move to Madaba in Jordan turned out to be a blessing full of great memories that I can look back on.  Later, a painful failed engagement for me and the terrible loss of a spouse for Russ meant that I was “free” to marry Russ, another wonderful blessing.  The pains of what seem like curses do indeed become blessings when God is in one’s life because “the Lord your God loves you.”

Learning

Deuteronomy 18:9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

I see a couple of things here that are my reminders to be careful about my interaction with the world around me.  First, I have to be careful that I do not become like the world in its detestable ways.  God wants me to be different.  Secondly, I must make every effort to not learn to imitate the world’s ways.  Learning is something I can choose to do or not to do, at least to a great extent.  So I can at least be conscious of what is influencing, or teaching me, and can resist learning what I should not learn.  This is part of the way I keep myself holy toward God which is the goal God wants for every believer.  As I look back over my life I clearly see how key this principle is.  The times in my life when I let down my guard and allowed myself to “learn” ways that were not pleasing to God are the times I would now consider to be the lowest points in my life journey and took time and spiritual effort to recover from.

I am God's treasured possession

Deuteronomy 14:2b Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

This verse is found in the middle of regulations concerned with clean and unclean foods and activities.  It seemed a little bit out of place until I began to realize how intertwined the two concepts are.  Because the people were chosen, treasured possessions of a holy God, they should do all possible to remain holy, thus all the special regulations.  Likewise, they would do everything possible to be clean and holy because they were God’s chosen, treasured possessions.  I should be holy because I am the Lord’s possession, but I am also made holy by the same.   My lifestyle, my actions, should always enhance that truth while that same lifestyle and those same actions will be the result of that truth as well.  I am His treasured possession, chosen to be so.

My offering to God

Deuteronomy 12:18b … you are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to.

I must admit I am not really clear on the meaning of this within its context, but it seems to be a reminder to the Israelites that giving their tithes and offerings should be an act of joy and not just of obligation.  For certain, it is my reminder that everything I do should be surrounded by joy.  There are times when I do not want to do something but I know I have to do it, something that I don’t feel prepared to do or maybe do not even want to do and I rebel at having to fulfill that obligation.  As I recognize that joy is part of my gift, my offering, to the Lord, whether my act is one of obligation or is one of choice, it doesn’t really make any difference.  I should “rejoice before the Lord” in it all, and when I understand that truth, it makes a difference in how I fulfill that responsibility.

Lesson in humility

Deuteronomy 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations.

What a humbling reminder!  Just a couple of chapters earlier, God reminded the Israelites that His blessing was not based on how big or great their nation was, and now He reminds them that His blessing is also not based on how good or righteous they are.  Then add the fact that the wickedness of those other nations was so great that it overwhelmed what little bit of righteousness and integrity the Israelites had … not a very pretty picture of the “good” side.  That wasn’t enough to gain God’s blessing.  Instead, the wickedness of the nations was just greater than the Israelites’ goodness.  Not flattering to Israel, and a great reminder to me of the weakness of any of my good points in relation to the holiness of God and the blessing of God in my own life.  What God does in my life is a picture of His mercy and grace for unbelievers, not a picture of my righteousness or integrity.  Like I said, this is a humbling reminder for me today.

It's not my good looks

Deuteronomy 7:7-8a The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.  But it was because the Lord loved you…

It is not easy to understand or even to comprehend how or why I am born again and am choosing to live for God while other people are not doing so even though they may have had equal opportunity to make such a decision.  I know that it is not because of my abilities in any area, or because of my influence or my wealth … not my good looks, as they say.  Nor was it my good luck.  But I know that my spiritual condition is the result of two things: 1) God’s love for me, and, 2) my personal response to that love.  I revel in this knowledge even though I don’t understand it, and I pray that I will never stop responding to His love.

The effect of obedience

Deuteronomy 4:6a Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations…

Aside from the benefit to one’s life when you obey the reasonable law of God, your obedience will have an effect on the people around you.  They will see your wisdom and your understanding, and also (see v.7-8) they will see how close God is to you.  They will not be able to ignore the God they see in you, whether in the wisdom they see in you, or in the relationship they see that you have with God.  When a person does not have either the wisdom of God or a relationship with Him, it can have a big impact on them to see that in me.  I pray that I will always genuinely and lovingly display God in a way that draws people to Him through me.

Advancing to the hill country

Deuteronomy 1:6b-7a You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  Break camp and advance into the hill country…

There comes a time when it is more beneficial to move out of my comfort zone and into new territory.  When I have stayed long enough at my current level of spiritual activity and am ready for a new challenge, then it is time for me to make advances into a new area.  Because this is usually not what I want to do, God usually has to tell me to do this, either through His Word, or through the message of circumstances, just as He used Moses to tell the Israelites they had stayed long enough at that mountain, the place of safety and security, and move on to the place of greater vulnerability, the hill country.  I have seen this happen several notable times in my life and as I reflect on those experiences I can see God’s gentle hand leading me into each new territory.  Sometimes it was just His voice to my spirit (such as His call to me to missions work and later to retire to care for Mom); sometimes it was His direction through circumstances (such as my move from war-torn Lebanon to Jordan and again to marriage to a widower); sometimes through other people (such as the advice of the friend to go to library school).  Each time it meant my moving into a new place, breaking up my personal “camp” and advancing to the next area.  Those were the places of the promises of God, not the safe mountain.