Right now you and I are living as foreigners or aliens in this world. We long for the day when our Savior will call us home. The Israelites taking possession of the Promised Land can be viewed as a picture of our future entrance into Heaven. Their time in the wilderness then would be parallel to our time in this broken and fallen world. Their crossing of the Jordan River the image of Christian baptism, and then the receiving of the Promised Land is like our receiving of God’s blessings in Heaven.
In today’s reading we see how the remaining tribes of Israel receive their allotment of land. It was not based on their requests or wishes, but it was solely based on God’s guiding of their casting lots.
As I ponder how this parallels the blessings God has in store for us, his children, I realize three truths. First, I will not be able to tell God what blessing or reward I want. Second, the decision to bless is entirely the Lord’s sovereign choice. And third, no matter what blessing the Lord gives, it will be absolutely amazing and perfect in every way.
Labels: baptism, bible, blessings, Christ, christian, God, israel, Jordan River, Joshua, old testament, Promised Land
God’s grace is a wonderful and beautiful gift. Deuteronomy 9:4-6 is a picture for us of God’s gracious gift. The Promised Land for Israel was God’s blessed gift to His chosen people. And it is for us a foreshadowing of our future in Heaven. Israel in the Promised Land was God’s chosen people living in a ‘perfect’ land, with God Himself dwelling among them in the tabernacle.
What we notice in Deuteronomy 9:4-6 is that God didn’t place Israel in this land because they earned it, but rather God was carrying out His promise to His chosen people.
God’s grace works in the same way for us. We have not earned the right to receive God’s grace. It is God’s choice to extend grace to those who come to Him in faith.
We experience a new beginning when we come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is a life that is begun through God’s grace, it is lived in God’s grace and it is culminated by God’s grace. You may acknowledge that you received new life through God’s grace, but are you living by God’s grace, or are you now trying to earn His grace through works and following manmade rules?
Labels: bible, Christ, christian, deuteronomy, faith, God, grace, israel, Jesus, old testament, Promised Land, tabernacle
During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy. Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus. This is where the name for the book comes from. In Greek deutero means second, and nomos means law, therefore the name Deuteronomy means second law or second giving of the law.
And our theme for this week is New Beginnings, for as Moses reiterates the law, Israel is on the verge of a grand new beginning in the Promised Land.
The first three chapters of Deuteronomy recap the last forty years of wilderness
wanderings. The whole book is Moses’ final message to Israel and, in this opening section, his purpose is to remind them of how they got to this point.
Remembering our past is an important part of moving forward into the future. For Israel, remembering what God had done was essential. When Israel forgot the mighty deeds God had done in rescuing them out of Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and His placement of them in the Promised Land; then Israel would stray from their covenant relationship with Him.
Remembering is important for us too. Christians can forget how lost in sin we were before receiving Christ. This forgetfulness is dangerous because it can develop within us a sense of entitlement to God’s grace. Then we begin to see ourselves as righteous when, without the work of Christ, our righteousness is like filthy rages. Rather, if we can remember how sinful we truly are, then we will see God’s grace as the unmerited favor that it is.
Labels: bible, Christ, christian, deuteronomy, egypt, exodus, God, grace, israel, leviticus, moses, new beginnings, old testament, Promised Land
The report from the spies truly tested if Israel trusted God for their protection. Already struggling with the level of sacrifice expected of them, they decided the prospect of engaging the inhabitants of the Promised Land wasn’t worth it. The people ignored the fact that the Lord was with them (Num. 14:9).
You might find it easy to criticize their lack of faith as I often have. The harsh reality is that we do the very same thing sometimes. We size up a situation and decide the cost is too great and, instead of trusting in the Lord’s protection and provision, we make a fear-based decision and miss out on God’s blessings.
Why are we prone to fear? The Apostle John tells us that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). As broken yet redeemed people our love for God is being perfected. As this process continues fear is diminished and love will increase. As God’s faithful love continues to work in our lives, our love for Him grows, and our willingness to sacrifice and follow Him grows as well.
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